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Three years on how Hockenheim 2019 still affects F1 today
It’s three years to the day since the infamous Hockenheim 2019 race, which saw Max Verstappen take victory in a rain-affected race. Although that may have been one of the least notable events in the race. Although the race would have deserved a recap on its own, we at GPBlog are looking at the future outcomes the race may have caused as we play into the world of the ‘butterfly effect'.
The Gasly and Albon Swap
Firstly, I’d argue this was the final nail in the Coffin for Pierre Gasly at Red Bull, the Frenchman struggled to get off the line as well as adapt to the wet conditions in Germany as he dropped like a stone in the open lap. This was all before Gasly eventually made contact with Alex Albon with just two laps to go, which saw the Frenchman crash out of the Grand Prix as his Red Bull Racing seat fell into the hands of the Thai driver. Who was having an immaculate race as he ran as high as third at one point in his Toro Rosso before finishing in a great sixth place.
Podium Problems?
There are really two storylines that stem from around the final spot on the podium. The first involves the other Toro Rosso as Danil Kvyat managed to come home in a brilliant third place. One of three podiums in his career, and his only one in the second team. A drive that showed the evolution of the driver had gone well for the Russian despite his dropping in 2016. And although it can’t be confirmed or denied. A drive I believe went a long way to making sure he had a 2020 seat at the team, especially when seen how ruthless RBR can be at times.
The second was Nico Hulkenberg’s failure to capitalise on a possible podium once again as he crashed out of his home GP while running in podium contention. Something that surely has come to haunt the German as several times a potential podium has just seemed to fall away from him. A characteristic that would come to define his F1 career, and his lack of ability to convert good races into podiums perhaps cost him his F1 seat as he would lose a full-time ride come the 2020 season.
Leclerc and Bottas fail to follow the leader.
These were the two front runners that didn’t make it to the end of the Grand Prix, although tell two different tales. Valterri Bottas was still in contention for the podium/win when he crashed out of the Grand Prix at the first corner towards the end of the race. In a mistake similar to that of his teammates just a few laps earlier, where they ran wide the dry tyres lost grip causing a spin. Although the difference was the Bottas didn’t manage to avoid the barriers like Lewis Hamilton. A mistake which I believe really started to drive the questions about if Bottas was good enough for the Mercedes as a rising George Russell appeared in F1. A season headlined by his infamous “To whom it may concern” radio message, it was a grave mistake for the Finn, who although managed to get two more years at Mercedes, it may have made the difference between being considered someone worthy of a championship run or someone who was there to play the second driver to Hamilton.
Charles Leclerc crashed out in a very similar situation, as he was about to enter the battle for the lead when he hit the slick drag strip and retired in the barriers. Which was then followed by a scream of “Noooo!” That was not too dissimilar from the one heard last week at the French Grand Prix. It could have been a sign of things to come from Leclerc about missing out on a certain clutch gene. It was just weeks before that he was bested by Verstappen at Austria in the closing moments and now he crashed out of an important possible race-winning position. Not something you would have wanted to see from a driver yet to win a race. And when the Azerbaijan qualifying is brought into the equation questions continue to arise. Although Leclerc would prove doubters wrong by winning at Spa and Monza later in the year. It’s some similarities between 2019 and 2022 and the occasional failure to convert in a race-winning car, could lead to some big what if’s in the Monegasque’s career.
Some slightly smaller events
A race that could of arguably kickstarted the form of Verstappen as not only did it prove once again the talent the Dutchman has in the went but since his win in Germany he has only finished off the podium six times, including when racing the damaged cars in Hungary 2021 and Silverstone 2022.
In a similar kickstart to that of Verstappen, it was Carlos Sainz’s first P5 for McLaren which was then followed in the second half of the season by three more top fives including a podium in Brazil. Before six top fives in 2020. All these surely were all results that helped him secure in Ferrari for 2021, and originates back to Hockenheim.
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