Mercedes ran a special livery to mark their 125th year of motorsport competition and their 200th Formula One start. Racing Point brought a two-step upgrade package to the weekend, and Williams also arrived with an upgrade. Haas were forced to split their car setups for the second consecutive race following an inter-team crash at the previous British round, with Kevin Magnussen's car also carrying additional upgrades.
Heading into the weekend, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes led the drivers' and constructors' championships by 39 and 164 points respectively — margins large enough that both remained leading after the race regardless of the result.
Hamilton took pole position. Lando Norris was relegated to 19th after taking a third MGU-K, a third Energy Store, and a third Control Electronics; because Norris had set a qualifying time whereas Sebastian Vettel had not, Norris dropped only three places rather than to the back outright. Vettel failed to set a Q1 time within the 107% threshold but was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion. He also received a 10-place grid penalty for a third Control Electronics change, though his starting position was unaffected as he was already starting from the back.
The race was scheduled for 67 laps. Because track conditions were declared unsuitable due to heavy rain, all 20 cars started on wet-weather tyres. Following the formation lap and three additional laps behind the safety car, a standing start was ordered, reducing the race distance to 64 laps.
At the standing start, Verstappen and Pierre Gasly lost several places each. Kimi Räikkönen reached third by the end of lap one. Both Ferrari drivers gained positions: Charles Leclerc rose from 10th to 6th, and Vettel moved from 20th to 14th. Sergio Pérez spun out of turn 10 and hit the wall, retiring on lap two and bringing out the first safety car.
During the first safety car period, Vettel and Alexander Albon pitted for intermediates, with most of the field following on the next lap. Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Norris, George Russell, and Robert Kubica stayed out on wets and were quickly overtaken before all eventually pitting for intermediates. Daniel Ricciardo suffered an exhaust failure on lap 14, causing a virtual safety car. On lap 18, Carlos Sainz lost control of his McLaren at turn 16, aquaplaning on the dragstrip section, but avoided the barriers.
By lap 22 the track had dried sufficiently for teams to attempt slick tyres. Magnussen in the Haas was the first to attempt them on softs, followed shortly by Vettel. Verstappen pitted from third for mediums; Valtteri Bottas pitted from second on lap 27, also taking mediums. Almost immediately after Bottas pitted, Verstappen spun 360 degrees at turn 14 but recovered.
Norris's car lost power on lap 26, triggering a second virtual safety car. Leclerc and Hamilton pitted for dry tyres. As Hamilton left the pits, Leclerc spun into the tyre barrier at turn 17 and was beached, ending his race. At the end of the same lap, Hamilton — now race leader behind the safety car — also lost control at turn 17, damaged his front wing on the wall, and cut back across the track into the pit lane. His Mercedes team was unprepared, producing a 50.3-second stop in which his front wing was replaced and he switched back to intermediates. All teams reverted to intermediates before the second safety car period ended at lap 34.
At the restart, the top five were Verstappen, Nico Hülkenberg, Bottas, Albon, and Hamilton. Vettel, who had started last, was eighth. Hamilton was subsequently penalised five seconds for having entered the pit lane on the wrong side of a safety bollard on lap 27. Bottas and Hamilton moved through to second and third behind Verstappen. Räikkönen narrowly avoided a gravel trap at turn 17 on lap 39 but lost several positions. One lap later, Hülkenberg was not so fortunate and slid into the same trap, bringing out the third safety car.
During the third safety car period, Verstappen pitted and set the fastest pit stop time in Formula One history at 1.88 seconds, beating the previous record of 1.91 seconds set at the 2019 British Grand Prix. Stroll was the only driver to fit slick tyres during this period. The safety car ended on lap 46.
With the rain stopped and a dry line formed, half the field pitted on lap 46 for dry-weather tyres, including Verstappen and Bottas. Hamilton took the lead ahead of both but was obliged to serve his five-second penalty, dropping him to 12th after his lap 47 stop. Stroll briefly inherited the race lead before Verstappen and then Daniil Kvyat passed him within a lap.
Verstappen extended his lead beyond ten seconds. Hamilton spun at turn 1 on lap 53 and fell to 13th. Bottas, running fourth, slid off at turn 17 on lap 56 in a near-identical incident and suffered front suspension damage that ended his race, bringing out the fourth and final safety car. Vettel, who had worked up to fifth, was well-placed for an attack on the frontrunners in the closing laps.
The final safety car ended on lap 60. Gasly's car was damaged terminally after a collision with Albon two laps later. Verstappen ultimately won by more than seven seconds, also setting the fastest lap and receiving the spectator-voted Driver of the Day award. Red Bull team chief mechanic Phil Turner joined him on the podium to accept the winning manufacturers' award. Vettel passed Sainz, Stroll, and Kvyat to finish second despite having started last. Kvyat's third place was Toro Rosso's first podium since Sebastian Vettel's victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. It was also Kvyat's final career podium.
Alfa Romeo drivers Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi were each penalised 30 seconds for use of driver aids at the start, dropping them to 12th and 13th respectively. This moved Hamilton to ninth, preventing Mercedes from leaving pointless for the first time since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. It also allowed Kubica, moved to tenth, to score Williams's first — and what proved to be their only — point of the 2019 season. It was Kubica's final career point. Alfa Romeo lodged an appeal against the penalties, which was subsequently dismissed by the FIA World Council.
As of 2026, this is the last German Grand Prix held in Formula One, the last Formula One race at the Hockenheimring, and the last time a Russian driver stood on a Formula One podium.
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