Good afternoon, all, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the German Grand Prix. As we head towards the halfway point in the championship, you'd be forgiven for feeling as though this is Nico Rosberg's year, and as if the odds are stacked against Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes team-mates deny any accusations of a rift between them, but Hamilton could easily be forgiven for feeling that life can be very unfair sometimes. After five races, he must have thought he was set to claim the title; then there were questions about team tactics as well as the state of his car. He was delighted to secure first place at Silverstone (while Rosberg quietly fell away and failed to finish); but this weekend has not continued that resurgence - at least not so far. Hamilton starts from 20th on the grid - although he may end up starting from the pit lane - after his gear box had to be changed following accident damage yesterday. Meanwhile, Rosberg starts from pole, and looks to extend his lead in the

Formula 1 | German Grand Prix

Hockenheimring | 20.07.2014

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Race

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Live Updates

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 20/07/2014 at 13:48 GMT

Stop-go penalty for Vergne, for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

26/67

Bottas is back into second, and Hamilton is about to head into the pits.

25/67

Raikkonen is quickest out there at the moment, but obviously he has the newest tyres.

Perez replies that he wants rain at the end then to help him save fuel. His engineer doesn't seem impressed with that as a strategy.

24/67

Sergio Perez has been told very firmly over the radio to "lift and coast" - and has that suffixed with "It's the last time I'm going to ask you." Not happy campers in the Force India gang so far today, evidently.

23/67

Bottas is lapping faster than Hamilton, and that is obviously concerning the Mercedes driver.

22/67

With the slow-motion replays, it's evident that Hamilton's tyres are suffering.

21/67

Kimi Raikkonen pits, and he comes back out into 14th, ahead of Maldonado and Kyvat, who are really fighting it out.

20/67

Ricciardo is holding off Magnussen in ninth and trying to pull away with fervour.

Rosberg has made one stop; Hamilton hasn't pitted as yet, so the decision needs to be considered - when should they bring him in, and where do they want him to get back out on to the track.

19/67

Valtteri Bottas is fretting about the rain - it's still only spitting for the time being.

18/67

Now we get into the detail of pit-stop strategy. Word seems to be that the tyres are expected to last around 25 laps.

17/67

Rosberg still has around an eight-second advantage, with Bottas a second and a half behind Hamilton.

16/67

Hamilton is up into second now, right behind his team-mate, past the Williamses. What an impressive drive so far.

Poor Kimi Raikkonen's car is falling apart before his very eyes - he, Vettel and Alonso replicate the clash in a hairpin turn, and something else flies off his bodywork.

15/67

Quick pit stop for Sebastian Vettel, who heads back out into traffic.

14/67

Now Hamilton is past Sergio Perez as well - and that means he's up into fifth. He's stuck to his task admirably so far.

Hamilton forces his way past Ricciardo and Raikkonen in a hairpin turn, and something goes flying off someone's car as the Mercedes locks up.

13/67

And the tyre changes begin, with Fernando Alonso the first real contender to put on the soft compounds.

Bottas is now eight seconds behind leader Rosberg.

12/67

Ricciardo is past Raikkonen, and Hamilton's still frustrated.

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