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Say what? The best of race radio in Germany

03 Aug 2016

From first lap angst to the heat of battle - and all manner of despondency and elation in between - we pick out the best soundbites as the sport returned to Hockenheim for the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016...

"He pushed me off track!" (Verstappen)
"Can you explain to them that I was on full lock on the steering wheel and that I couldn't steer any more. And he moved in braking. That was the big problem, that's completely not allowed!" (Rosberg)
The turning point of the race - no pun intended - as seen from the contrasting viewpoints of the two men involved, after Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen go wheel to wheel at Turn 6 in a battle for what was second...

"Ricciardo is pushing hard, so we need mid 1m 19s lap times Nico. Really important now."
"Gap to Verstappen is 3.2s. Remember everybody in on a three-stop. You are P2 at the moment, just need to pull that gap and it's yours..."(both Mercedes)
Rosberg's move on Verstappen secures him second on the road, but also draws a five-second penalty from the stewards - prompting Mercedes to urge him onto the attack to pull enough of a gap to the chasing Red Bulls.

"Okay Daniel, Rosberg is struggling a bit. Going to be good!" (Red Bull)
Ricciardo though scents blood, and closes rapidly on the back of Rosberg's Silver Arrows.

"After the guy hit me, the rear of the car is not the same..."
"Somebody hit me!"
(both Massa)
Williams' Felipe Massa fares even worse on Sunday, as contact with Renault's Jolyon Palmer on lap one damages his car. He slides helplessly down the order as a result, before Williams opt to retire the Brazilian.

"Did you change the front wing? Because it feels like you didn't drop it..."
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was a somewhat anonymous figure during the race - so much so that this blunt question to his Ferrari mechanics was one of his main highlights.

"Box Sebastian, box." (Ferrari)
"Negative, I'm going to take a couple more laps. Tyre are still good." (Vettel)
"It's the only way we have to undercut someone. Box now." (Ferrari)
"They're miles away, who do you want to undercut!?" (Vettel)
Raikkonen isn't the only Ferrari driver with questions. Sebastian Vettel won this particular debate and stayed out, but said later that it had been a mistake that cost him a chance to put Max Verstappen under more serious pressure.

"Come on, blue flag. This is ridiculous - it was more than a lap!"
Say What? wouldn't feel complete without Vettel calling for blue flags - and happily the four-time world champion obliged on lap 29 at Hockenheim.

"Esteban's my favourite, I love this guy."
Ricciardo also has complaints about traffic, this time with Esteban Gutierrez, although he opts for a sarcastic rather than direct approach to the issue.

"**** really horrible. What the **** is going on!?"
Qualifying, and Ricciardo's former team mate Daniil Kvyat is struggling big time - with a gap of half a second and seven spots to Carlos Sainz leaving the Toro Rosso man perplexed and dejected.

"This is a **** spot. I'm wasting my time, where do you want me to drop in to?!"
Vettel too has early complaints in Germany, after Ferrari release him into traffic, compromising his FP2 programme.

"Guys are you sure the aero is correct? I almost spun!... Oh the gearbox! What's is happening with the gearbox, help me!"
Grosjean too hits trouble, discovering a gearbox issue just after hitting the grass in FP3 - which brings his session to an early halt, and forces the Haas crew into emergency action to find a fix before qualifying.

"Beauty, cheers boys!"
Ricciardo though has reason to cheer on Saturday afternoon, after sealing third on the grid at Hockenheim - and out-qualifying Max Verstappen for seventh time in eight races.

"You have pole Nico! Fantastic lap in the circumstances!" (Mercedes)
Star of the show on Saturday though is Rosberg, who aces his one run in Q3 to seal pole on home soil.

"What's Nico's pace?"
Come Sunday though it is Hamilton who comes to the fore - although even toward the end, the Briton is keeping a wary eye on his team mate.

"This could be tricky guys... this could destroy both our races." "Is the other car not struggling?"(both Button)
Down at McLaren, Jenson Button is similarly focused on Fernando Alonso's steady pursuit, despite both men having to carefully manage fuel in order to make it to the flag.

"Don't worry, I will lose another position in the next stop and I will recover it myself."
Indeed Alonso is in feisty mood, as this exchange demonstrates - affronted at falling behind Perez in the pit lane, Alonso lets his team know after repassing the Mexican at Turn 6.

"Cheers boys, good stuff!"
His radio message is short and sweet, but Ricciardo's delight at clinching second still shines through - particularly in his subsequent podium celebration...

"Fantastic job guys, awesome pit stops and just throughout the weekend. Well deserved summer break - I hope you all enjoy it!"
The final word goes to Hamilton, who claims his sixth win in seven races to take a 19 point lead in the championship - the perfect way to start the summer...