Top ten pictures from the 2012 German Grand Prix

F1 pictures

24th July 2012, 9:302nd August 2012, 10:31 | Written by Keith Collantine

Ten of the best pictures which tell the story of the German Grand Prix.

Bruno Senna, Friday practice

Friday did not start well for Bruno Senna. He missed the drier first practice session as Valtteri Bottas was in the car.

Worse, the test driver backed his FW34 into the barrier in the Motodrom section. The Williams mechanics had it repaired in time for the second session, but by then the rain had begun to fall. Senna was the first driver out on the very wet track to check over his repaired car.

Jenson Button, Saturday practice

McLaren brought an extensively upgraded MP4-27 to the tenth race of the season. Jenson Button was fastest in it on Friday but in the Saturday morning session he missed out on a chance to set a quick time on low fuel as the rain returned.

He ended that session slowest, but the work he’d done on race stints stood him in good stead for the race.

Michael Schumacher, qualifying

Michael Schumacher passes one of the vast grandstands at his and Mercedes’ home race.

His weekend got off to a less than ideal start when he crashed his Mercedes at turn 12 during the second practice session on Friday. He then had a scare in qualifying when he only just scraped through into Q2 by beating Jean-Eric Vergne.

But when the rain returned later in qualifying he found his form and set the fourth-quickest time.

Felipe Massa, qualifying

A disappointed Felipe Massa trudges back to the Ferrari pit during qualifying. He went off during his first effort as the rain came down in Q2, and missed a shot at qualifying in the top ten.

Sebastian Vettel, qualifying

Sebastian Vettel had to give best to Fernando Alonso in qualifying for his home race. Although his wet tyres look fresh in this picture, Alonso’s were in even better condition as he’d put on a new set during Q3 to gain better grip and beat Vettel to pole.

HRT, race day

The HRT team including race and test drivers Dani Clos, Narain Karthikeyan, Pedro de la Rosa and Ma Qing Hua send their support to injured Marussia test driver Maria de Villota, who returned home to Spain last week.

Lewis Hamilton, race day

Before the race Lewis Hamilton Tweeted this picture of himself with Karthikeyan, Massa, Alonso and Senna during the drivers’ parade.

Hamilton’s 100th race did not go well – he picked up a puncture on lap two and his race never recovered from there.

Felipe Massa, German Grand Prix

As the field streams out of turn one Massa has already lost his front wing hitting Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso. Behind him are Romain Grosjean and Senna, who are about to get tangled up with Massa and pick up damage which will spoil their races too.

Sebastian Vettel, German Grand Prix

Vettel had plenty of support at home but he wasn’t able to repay it in the way he would have wanted. He snatched second place from Button on the penultimate lap but a few hours later the stewards decided the pass was illegal and relegated him to fifth place.

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, German Grand Prix

On his way back to the pits Vettel told his team he’d “fought like a lion” but was unable to catch and pass Alonso.

As the top three arrived back in the pits Alonso asked Button “You couldn’t beat me?”, referring to the DRS zone, then pointed to Vettel and added “same with him”.

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2012 German Grand Prix

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Images © Williams/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Red Bull/Getty images, HRT F1 Team, Lewis Hamilton via Twitter, Sauber F1 Team, Red Bull/Getty images, Red Bull/Getty images

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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50 comments on “Top ten pictures from the 2012 German Grand Prix”

Girts (@girts)
24th July 2012, 9:39

Wow, that b/w pic of Hamilton’s ‘gang’ must be a candidate for the picture of the year.
1. ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
  24th July 2012, 10:05
  
  @girts I concur, though mainly for Alonso’s expression :P
2. mrjlr93 (@mrjlr93)
  24th July 2012, 10:36
  
  Alonso is just a legend in every way
3. moonlight (@prdsh)
  24th July 2012, 10:38
  
  Hami gang pic looks classic.. the face expression of each driver is just awesome
  1. Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
    24th July 2012, 13:32
    
    I love Hamilton’s black and white pic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many modern drivers looking like a brotherhood all together in the same picture. It genuinely feels like the camaraderie of the older days (and not because it’s black and white :P ).
4. Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
  24th July 2012, 11:29
  
  They look like a freaking boy-band :D Best picture ever.
  1. Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
    24th July 2012, 22:17
    
    Btw. http://c.wrzuta.pl/wi1120/b78d116600143e5f47cd7245/backstreet_boys first thing which came to my mind after seeing the guys’ funny picture.
    1. Girts (@girts)
      25th July 2012, 10:49
      
      @cyclops_pl What about a selection of the best hits?
      
      Shape of My Car (a dedication to the ‘beauty’ of the 2012 cars)
      Incomplete (dedicated to HRT, originally sung by Narain during the FP1 session at the Australian GP)
      Drowning (Massa solo)
      Quit Playing Games With My Car (Hamilton solo)
      The Wall (Maldonado theme)
5. GeeMac (@geemac)
  24th July 2012, 11:42
  
  Poor Narain…he’s even at the back of the field in photos. ;)
  1. Dj xo2 (@dj-xo2)
    24th July 2012, 13:08
    
    What …they’re human! Nice pic!
6. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  24th July 2012, 13:54
  
  @girts One of the best for sure. I saw it when he originally posted it on Twitter, it’s a brilliant picture.
7. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  24th July 2012, 14:30
  
  wonder who took the pic :P
  1. Slowhands (@slowhands)
    24th July 2012, 19:20
    
    It’s a self-pic– Bruno’s holding the camera in his left hand
8. Mark Thomson (@melthom)
  24th July 2012, 15:31
  
  The usual suspects
9. JorgeGarcia1987
  24th July 2012, 16:44
  
  Yes, who took the picture? Let’s ask Hami in Twitter.
  1. Slowhands (@slowhands)
    24th July 2012, 19:25
    
    Bruno (see comment above)… but with Lewis’ camera, I guess, since it showed up on Lewis’ Twitter feed.
10. Shane (@shane-pinnell)
  24th July 2012, 18:00
  
  The Rat Pack!
11. James Brickles (@brickles)
  24th July 2012, 19:37
  
  Nice to see some light-hearted-ness in F1. Plus that photo looks as if the Massa-Hamilton rift has ended. ;)
12. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
  24th July 2012, 20:53
  
  The Reservoir Dogs
  Alonso – Mr White (Harvey Keitel). Cool, calm and collected, always see’s the bigger picture.
  Massa – Mr Orange (Tim Roth). One of the good guys, willing to take a bullet for the team.
  Hamilton – Mr Blonde (Michael Madson). He’s a cool guy but has a dark side to his personality.
  Vettel – Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn). Runs the whole operation with his dad. His brash personality gets him killed.
  Horner – Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney). Vettel’s Dad :P
  1. Vincenzo Paolo LEONE (@tifoso)
    24th July 2012, 22:35
    
    you are a genious
    1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
      24th July 2012, 23:33
      
      @tifoso
      Thanks mate, I try my best. :-)
13. suka (@suka)
  25th July 2012, 2:59
  
  I like Massa’s “Wazzaaaaap” expression.
sumedh
24th July 2012, 10:44

Wow! Amazing pics Keith.
Alonso making fun of Button and Vettel was too much!!
1. Shane (@shane-pinnell)
  24th July 2012, 18:02
  
  I don’t think he was making fun, I think he was amazed! He has fallen prey to tire degradation & DRS late in the race a number of times this year. This time he was able to hold them off, even if just barely.
Fernando (@alonso2012)
24th July 2012, 10:59

Alonso duckface XD
1. James Brickles (@brickles)
  24th July 2012, 19:38
  
  Doing an impression of the 2012 cars ;)
gameprotage (@kvothe)
24th July 2012, 11:29

Keith I feel the need to point out that Alonso has been misquoted as saying to both Button and Vettel that they couldn’t beat him. It was in the room just before the podium ceremony and what Alonso actually asks is ‘you couldn’t catch me? He couldn’t either.’ which is a direct reference to the DRS zone, because he follows up with that it was too short.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  24th July 2012, 12:32
  
  @kvothe I just rewatched the pre-podium footage, he definitely said ‘beat’. Though it looked like he was referring to the DRS zone. I think that’s needed for context, also the second part of the quote is slightly different, so I’ve amended the text accordingly.
  1. sunnymir (@sunnymir)
    24th July 2012, 13:20
    
    @keithcollantine .U r right .First Jenson said something like ‘I couldn’t cath u’ to Fernando,then fernando said that”u couldn’t beat me” and then pointed to vettel and said “same with him”.
    1. Frain stermin (@fanser)
      25th July 2012, 21:49
      
      Fernando si God
  2. gameprotage (@kvothe)
    24th July 2012, 16:30
    
    Hi @keithcollantine
    My bad, thanks for the response:)
2. vho (@)
  24th July 2012, 18:50
  
  I think Alonso’s comment was in amazement that his car couldn’t be caught under DRS. Alonso made sure he had good traction out of the last corner before the DRS zone and each time, no matter if it was Vettel, Button, or Lewis, they couldn’t get him under DRS. It shows how good the Ferrari has been, either the set up for race day, or the fact that it now has an advantage over its competitors.
  
  Watching the replays, nobody got close enough under DRS to get side by side with Alonso. They caught onto the back of him but he was able to build up a gap again through the tigher part of the circuit.
Traverse Mark Senior (@)
24th July 2012, 11:33

It’s a shame that both McLaren and Ferrari’s official caps are devoid of their respective team logo’s.
1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  24th July 2012, 13:56
  
  @tmcs88 ALl McLaren teamwear is pretty much devoid of their logo. It’s just a t-shirt emblazoned with some not very exciting looking sponsors. You could be forgiven for thinking their fans work at Vodafone or Mobil1.
  1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
    24th July 2012, 21:41
    
    @andrewtanner
    Lol. That’s why I refuse to buy McLaren merchandise (apart from the keyring I bought, which as mysteriously vanished in to thin air), I don’t want to look like an advertising hoarding as I walk down the street. Plus I hate Vodafone, they ripped me off by charging me for calls I didn’t make!
2. Ads21 (@ads21)
  24th July 2012, 15:48
  
  The Ferrari badge is on both sides of the cap.
3. I Love the Pope
  24th July 2012, 20:58
  
  I agree. I wish race teams would put out swag with their actual name and logo on them, instead of just billboards.
frazbox (@frazbox)
24th July 2012, 11:38

Hamilton pic….. Pic of the year?!?!
Estesark (@estesark)
24th July 2012, 11:38

It’s always nice to see rivals – or at least, drivers from different teams – seemingly having fun together. Great pic.
antonyob (@)
24th July 2012, 12:54

hmm, like the ssideways one of Lewis’ car but yawn, bit dull. i dont get why photographers dont try and capture cars power sliding, opposite locking, whatever you want to call it. There are great examples in f1 these days. just watch a Grosjean or a Lewis. These hand pan shots are fine but all a bit samey. As for the matey shots or pics of an entire team. nurborering.
1. dkpioe
  24th July 2012, 16:19
  
  i think photos of a car sideways powersliding do not represent the real f1. in rally yes, but in f1 it is usually only now and then that it happens, and typically represents a driver error more than anything – no f1 driver tries to powerslide, they do not want opposite lock – its slows them down and they try to avoid it. so even though it looks good, it creates a false romantic glamour of beyond traction racing that is not what f1 is about.
  1. antonyob (@)
    24th July 2012, 16:42
    
    eh? so we only take pics of something that is typical not something that makes you go wow! im afraid where sport is concerned you are exactly wrong.
2. MJ4
  24th July 2012, 18:32
  
  I think both views have something to it.
  
  A F1 car driven properly is, in itself, a very stationary-looking, uneventful (thus boring) spectacle in a photo. The motion of these cars is way too clean for exciting, dramatic, gritty pictures.
  
  On the other hand, professional photographers do not seem to exert themselves finding angles and settings that even begin to convey the real experience.
  
  Indeed, 99% of F1 pictures is lifeless, cookie-cutter stuff; no creativity whatsoever. Perhaps they think “formulaic” is OK for Formula 1.
  
  Then again, the b&w group shot being “boring”???
OmarR-Pepper (@)
24th July 2012, 16:18

So curious for me to see Massa having fun alongside Hamilton, after the hard times they had last year and in 2008. These guys (not just the one in the pic, I mean F1 drivers in general) must be more open-minded about “this is part of the game” than what I generally thought. Great pic. Photo of the year as people are saying.
Dejan (@jo95de)
24th July 2012, 16:25

THIS PICTURES MUST BE IN TOP 10 https://www.racefans.net/2012/07/21/2012-german-grand-prix-qualifying-pictures/gp-germania-f12012-19/
xeroxpt (@)
24th July 2012, 16:55

No sympathy for Bruno Senna Lalli.
1. I Love the Pope
  24th July 2012, 20:59
  
  Um, okay.
bpacman (@bpacman)
24th July 2012, 21:39

I love the shot of Vettel’s car in the pit lane with the water spraying off his tyres. Fantastic composition.

The great photos are one of the many things I love about this site!
1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
  24th July 2012, 21:52
  
  I agree. Today was very hot and humid (in London) but I managed to quench my thirst just by looking at that picture, it’s a very refreshing photo, you can almost taste the ice cold spray from the Pirelli rubber. :-)
2. IDR (@idr)
  25th July 2012, 8:35
  
  I agree also. Red Bull pics are usually the best ones. And big thanks to Keith for providing this excellent graphic material!
  
  I’ve made a “Three in one” composition:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/idrs/7637364544/in/photostream/lightbox/