OMNISPORT

Sunday's dramatic German Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton emerge a somewhat controversial winner after a weekend of twists and turns.

The defending Formula One world champion had problems in qualifying that forced him to start from 14th, before rallying spectacularly to capitalize on Sebastian Vettel's crash and claim victory. Yet Hamilton benefited from the latest pit-stop mishap in F1 when Mercedes called for him to pull into the pit lane and then, when Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen did likewise, changed their minds.

With Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas both pitting under the safety car following Vettel's crash, Hamilton was left to lead until the finish line. Although the Briton was reprimanded by stewards for crossing the line into the lane, no harm was done by the team's mix-up.

That is far from the most shocking incident in the high-pressure world of pit-stops, though, as these examples show...

TUERO'S TEAM TAKE THEIR TIME

Both Hamilton and rival Vettel have endured difficult home races this year, but they are not the first drivers to have suffered a rough ride in their own country. Teenager Esteban Tuero was certainly not helped by Minardi in Argentina in 1998 when his pit stop lasted an extraordinary 42 seconds. The tyres were not ready, the fuel hose would not connect and then, to make matters worse, Tuero had to be manually pushed back into action.

A WHEEL PROBLEM

Both Eddie Irvine and the Ferrari mechanics were to blame for this one at the European Grand Prix in 1999 - and team chiefs made sure they knew it. Irvine changed his mind about what kind of tyres he wanted shortly before pulling into the pit lane, meaning the mechanics were not set and spent several seconds searching for a missing fourth tire. President Luca di Montezemolo called all involved parties in for a two-and-a-half-hour meeting.

KOVALAINEN'S FLAMETHROWER

Knowing that Raikkonen emerged unharmed - and finished sixth - means this particular incident can be enjoyed as a spectacle, even if it was hugely dangerous. At the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen was signaled to leave the pit lane prematurely and set off with the fuel hose spewing fuel back in the direction of Raikkonen. The Ferrari man was briefly and spectacularly engulfed in flames, but thankfully there was no lasting damage.

RABBLE RETIREMENT

The pit lane at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2010 was chaos after an early safety car was deployed. Most of the field headed for the pits, where Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil collided, while Nico Rosberg's right-rear wheel became detached and careered into a mechanic. Said mechanic escaped serious damage but the three cars did not, with the trio soon retiring from the race.

OLD HABITS DIE HARD

Hamilton has been involved in mix-ups in the pit lane before, and it was his mistake in 2013 that had F1 fans in stitches. The Briton, having just switched from McLaren to Mercedes, pulled into the wrong box in Malaysia. Hamilton pulled up alongside the McLaren mechanics before quickly realizing his error and moving on to join his Mercedes team.