The German Grand Prix preview

For all the controversy that engulfed Red Bull Racing over the re-allocation of its last upgraded front wing to Sebastian Vettel's car, the British Grand Prix was a great weekend for the team.

Heading to Silverstone, the talk was of how McLaren's exhaust-blown diffuser upgrade would allow it to leapfrog the energy drink-fuelled team. It wasn't to be. Come Friday night, the diffuser upgrade had been revealed to provide little more than hot air, for now at least, and Red Bull was already well on its way to a fifth win of the season.

But that's not the end of the story. Exhaust-blown diffusers are tricky to get the best out of, especially when grafted onto a car mid-season, and McLaren will run its system again in Friday practice at Hockenheim. A decision will then be made whether to run it for the rest of the weekend, based on data compared to the performance of the old-specification car, which will also run. Chances are, the smoother track surface at Hockenheim will make life much easier for McLaren, and we will see whether it really has closed the gap.

As for Red Bull, there will be the usual raft of upgrades, some of which will inevitably arrive post haste in a Transit van a few moments before qualifying! But that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be another Scuderia Milton Keynes walkover.

The long drag to the hairpin is a weak spot for Red Bull, and even if the car is quick enough to take pole it might be vulnerable to attack early in the race. Then again, it's worth noting that Valencia wasn't a Red Bull track either, and the RB6 flew there (in both good and bad ways!).

But even if it is another Red Bull runaway, the dynamic within the team will be fascinating. It's home soil for Sebastian Vettel, who drove well at Hockenheim in 2008 to finish eighth for Scuderia Toro Rosso, but Mark Webber also has happy memories of Germany after claiming his maiden grand prix win down the road at the Nurburgring last year.

The rivalry is intense, although Red Bull has moved to diffuse the situation by telling both of its drivers not to make incendiary public comments along the lines of the "not bad for a number two driver" that Webber served up to the world over his car radio post-race! The Australian has towed the party line, admitting that he said too much, while the message from on high (ie Dietrich Mateschitz) is that such rivalry must not be allowed to come between Red Bull and the title.

But whether that rivalry will be a sub-plot depends on whether McLaren, or even Ferrari, can get into the mix at the front. Fernando Alonso's form, in particular, will be interesting as he bids to put a couple of bad races behind him and haul himself back into title contention.

Mercedes could also build on its promising Silverstone showing, where Nico Rosberg finished third, while Robert Kubica's Renault should be well-suited to Hockenheim and might even spring a surprise near the front.

The battle for the final points is likely to be intense, with the resurgent Williams team looking very strong. Its exhaust-blown diffuser excelled at Silverstone, and with further modifications and an inspired Rubens Barrichello at the wheel, all of the ingredients are there for another decent haul.

Best of all, Hockenheim is likely to serve up some of the best wheel-to-wheel racing of the year. The long run into the tight hairpin is tailor-made for overtaking - remember Lewis Hamilton's charge from fifth to first last time here - and will ensure that the race is not a procession.

With the championship run-in closing in, it could also be a potential flashpoint.

Strategy

Bridgestone has gone aggressive for Hockenheim, allocating its softest and hardest tyres for the German Grand Prix.

It's the first time that this allocation has ever been selected, and might serve up some interesting strategic possibilities beyond the now-traditional plan of stopping on about lap 15 to change from options to prime!

On top of this, there are signs that teams are capitalising on alternative strategies. Jenson Button started on hard tyres at Silverstone, which allowed him to finish fourth from 14th on the grid. Two weeks earlier, Kamui Kobayashi charged to eight with a four-lap flat-out charge on options late in the race.

While such strategies are likely to be employed only by the disadvantaged and the desperate, it does mean there is potential for a few wildcard results in Germany this weekend.

Weather

*The score is calculated by each driver's position (1st = 1 point, 24 for a DNF and 25 if not present). Lowest score wins.

Moment from history

Michael Schumacher's stunning qualifying performance at Spa in 1991, Lewis Hamilton's podium in the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen's unexpected point in Australia in 2001. All stunning performances on a world championship debut that are celebrated to this day.

But not all debuts are so fondly remembered, even though they might deserve to be. Jacky Ickx, who went on to win eight grands prix for Ferrari and Brabham, made his first appearance in the 1967 German Grand Prix... even though many record books overlook the fact. For the Belgian's first time on a world championship grid was in the Formula 2 class, hence the record books overlook him.

Ickx was entered in a Ken Tyrrell-entered Matra MS5, and shocked the established superstars by setting the third fastest time overall in qualifying. Only Jim Clark's Lotus and Denny Hulme's Brabham were quicker, meaning that the likes of Chris Amon, John Surtees, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt had all qualified slower than Ickx. The second-placed F2 driver - Jackie Oliver - was 20 seconds behind.

Come the race, the Belgian had to start on the separate F2 grid, but had soon scythed through the field to run fifth fourth overall. On the 13th lap of the 15-lap race, Ickx was holding his own in fifth when he suffered a suspension failure - most likely the legacy of his aggressive driving style that day - putting him out of the race and costing him F2 victory.

But the point had been made. Ickx made his world championship debut proper at Monza a month later for Cooper, and at the start of 1968 he was a works Ferrari driver.

From the forum

"I think this will be McLaren's race. They always go well here no matter what car they produce. Lewis is mega here as is Jensen and I think Vettel will crack under home crowd pressure like he did last year."
ashnathan

"Red Bull showed in Valencia that they are going to be quick everywhere and are undoubtedly the team to beat. McLaren appear to be confident that they will be able to make their exhaust-driven diffuser work at Hockenheim. Ferrari need to make another step to be able to compete right at the front"
Dunder

"For McLaren, it all hinges on getting their upgrade to work, and despite what they say, I don't think its a foregone conclusion that they will. Ferrari and Williams didn't struggle as much as they did when they first introduced it. Mercedes did, but then they always struggle with any upgrade. I would say this is Button's best track, so the battle between him and Hamilton will be interesting. And as for McLaren normally going well here, well they are normally good at Monaco too, that didn't mean anything this year."
KateLM

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