Hockenheim, Germany: Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix on Sunday, solidifying his lead in the Formula One standings with two dramatic passes that made up for a strategic blunder by his McLaren team.
Hamilton overtook Ferrari's Felipe Massa and then runner-up Nelson Piquet Jr. of Renault at the same hairpin after a crash involving Timo Glock had brought out a safety car that nearly cost the McLaren driver his fourth victory of the season.
Most teams chose to pit when the safety car was out, but McLaren left its star driver out only to see him fall to fifth place when he pitted with 17 laps to race.
But Hamilton, who now leads Massa by four points in the overall standings, worked his way through the field before nudging past the Ferrari driver from the inside at turn No. 6 and then holding off Massa's outside challenge soon after.
Piquet Jr., who earned his first career podium after starting from 17th, couldn't hold off Hamilton when the 23-year-old Briton closed in at the same corner three laps later.
''Sorry we had to make it a little bit difficult for you,'' McLaren team principal Ron Dennis told Hamilton over the radio. ''Absolutely fantastic job.''
Hamilton, who earned his eighth career win in 27 races, replied with a chuckle. After the race, he admitted being a bit baffled by the call.
''At the end of the day I don't always know what's happening (in the garage). Perhaps we could have done a better job,'' he said. ''It just made my job a little harder.''
In securing Renault's first top-three finish of the season, Picquet Jr. also put two Brazilians on the podium for the first time since 1991, when his father Nelson Piquet finished third at Belgium behind winner Ayrton Senna.
''I was so concentrated, I just wanted to look forward. I didn't want to spend too much time looking at how many laps but just focusing,'' the 22-year-old driver said. ''It was an incredible feeling.''
Ferrari was a step behind rival McLaren all weekend.
''I didn't have the car to fight. It was not possible today,'' Massa said. ''The last stint I had some problems with the brakes. ... That lost performance a lot.''
Nick Heidfeld worked his way up from 12th to finish fourth ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was sixth and is seven points behind Hamilton, while Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber and Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso also earned points.
Glock was accelerating through turn No. 12 when his rear suspension appeared to snap. His Toyota spun across the track and went backward into the opposite wall at high speed. The 26-year-old German emerged clutching his back and was taken to the hospital.
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