F1 German Grand Prix – Hamilton & Rosberg Go Head To Head At Hockenheim

German Grand Prix Preview

Watch the Santander German Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday

In sporting terms Germany as a nation is currently wearing a broad grin, akin to that of a Cheshire Cat. The national side went to Brazil and conquered, returning to Deutschland with the World Cup in hand. And on Sunday Germans will be hoping for success on home soil, too, in the Formula One arena.

Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel will primarily be representing Mercedes and Red Bull respectively in the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim this weekend, but they will also be representing Germany. Make no mistake, winning this race will be as much about pride as points for that duo.

In terms of achievements to date, Vettel’s CV is the more compelling by far. He’s a four-time champion and has won 39 races in total, including this event last year when staged at the Nurburgring. However, the 27-year-old hasn’t enjoyed much success so far this season.

Indeed, Vettel has struggled to match burgeoning teammate Daniel Ricciardo, finishing behind the Australian in all five of the races that they’ve both completed in 2014. Although there’s still a long way to go, Vettel is now 28 points adrift of Ricciardo – and some 95 points behind current table-topper Rosberg – so he has a mountain to climb.

Rosberg, on the other hand, has won a comparatively meagre six GPs and has yet to be crowned champion, but it’s surely only a matter of time before he puts that right. His lead was cut to just four points when Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious at Silverstone, though, and if the bookies’ assessment is correct the Brit will come out on top again this weekend.

Hamilton odds-on to hose up in Hockenheim

Hamilton is a top-priced 4/6 with Betfair at the time of writing (as short as 8/15 in a place) ahead of Rosberg who can be backed at a standout 2/1 with Betfred. The Stevenage man has been throwing fuel on the flames on the rivalry with his Mercedes stablemate recently.

Speaking to the media, Hamilton said, in a poke at Rosberg: ‘undoubtedly he’s German, but he’s German, Finnish from Monaco or whatever’. But Rosberg tends to steer clear of the media banter and will be on a high, having signed a new contract with Mercedes and married his childhood sweetheart during the past week.

The fearsome long straights of the Hockenheim circuit will play to the strengths of the Silver Arrows team, and this very much reflected in the betting with some firms going 25/1 bar Hamilton and Rosberg. Even Fernando Alonso, who has won the last two renewals if this race when staged at Hockenheim, is a 50/1 shot. It’s set to be a two-horse race, but which will come out on top?

German Grand Prix betting advice

The 2/1 on offer about Rosberg is tempting all things considered. The 29-year-old was forced to retire due to a gearbox problem at Silverstone last time out, but will be extremely keen to quickly bounce back on home terrain. However, Hamilton has momentum on his side and essentially rates a worthy favourite.

Needless to say, the Briton is no betting proposition in the outright market, but if in the same form as he was in the British GP, backing him in the fastest lap market at 13/8 with William Hill could prove lucrative. Hamilton beat the next best by fully two seconds when clocking the fastest lap at Silverstone and could do so once again at Hockenheim.

Tip: Lewis Hamilton in the fastest lap market – 13/8 (William Hill)