OMNISPORT

Sebastian Vettel's seemingly comfortable stroll to victory at the German Grand Prix ended in disaster on Sunday as he crashed out, handing Lewis Hamilton the win and the championship lead.

The Ferrari driver had seized pole on Saturday after posting a new lap record in qualifying, with his day boosted further as Hamilton suffered with a hydraulic problem, however it turned sour for Vettel 24 hours later.

Hamilton began Sunday's race in 14th but made swift work of getting himself into the points, his Mercedes slicing through the field with ease in the early stages.

At the front, Vettel had beaten Valtteri Bottas to the first corner and began to open up a nice cushion to collect maximum points and extend his championship lead.

A brief rain shower caused chaos late on, though, as Vettel – who had just been let through by teammate Kimi Raikkonen – went crashing out.

Vettel cautiously made his way towards Hockenheim's hairpin due to the earlier rain but as he looked to turn in his Ferrari had other ideas, the SF71H careering into the barriers and ending his hopes.

That left Hamilton to take the race win, Raikkonen and Bottas having both pitted under safety car conditions following Vettel's accident. 

A brief drag race between the Mercedes pair threatened more drama but it was soon ended by team management, allowing Hamilton to retake the lead in the drivers' standings.