Sebastian Vettel is fancied to again cut down Button’s lead

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chickendinner loves a British success story as much as anyone but we weren’t looking forward to the prospect of Jenson Button winning nearly every race with Schumacher style dominance. Sadly for the Brit, his worst result of the season was saved for Silverstone (sixth) and while he is still 25 points ahead of winner Sebastian Vettel, the German is a strong favourite to win on home soil this weekend. Here are five stats about the first German Grand Prix to be held at the Nurburgring (the European and, slightly more dubiously, the Luxembourg Grands Prix have been held there since though) since 1985:

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1. Four of the last seven German Grands Prix have been one by German drivers, as have five of the last eight races at the Nurburgring.

2. On the last three occasions that a British or German driver has triumphed at Silverstone - Michael Schumacher in 2002 and 2004 and Lewis Hamilton in 2008 - they have gone on to win the German Grand Prix.

3. However, over the last six years just seven drivers have recorded victories in successive races: Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Button.

4. The winner at the Nurburgring has gone on the be crowned Drivers’ Champion just twice in the last six years that the race has been held.

5a. The polesitter has won just two of the last 11 races at the Nurburgring (Schumacher in 2001 and 2004) whereas the driver starting second has triumphed in four, including both of the last two.

5b. Barrichello is the only driver to have qualified second twice so far this season. Jarno Trulli,  Alonso, Timo Glock, Vettel, Raikkonen and Button have all done so once.

Posted: July 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn |