Two weeks have flown by since Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix, and we head straight to Germany, where Nico Rosberg will hope to do the same on his home turf. Hockenheim alternates hosting duties with the Nürburgring but steps up to the plate for this year's German Grand Prix. With the weather expected to be changeable, and a lot of pressure still on the shoulders of many in the paddock, it should be a tense and interesting weekend.

Event schedule

The Mercedes boys continue to dominate the races and the headlines, and it's no wonder. With just four points between them, they head to Germany with the battle well and truly on. They're not the only ones looking to impress, however. Jenson Button would like very much to repeat his good finish from Britain to take the heat away from him, whilst the Williams team will be looking for another strong finish in Germany. Ferrari also have a lot of pressure on them to turn things around.

At the rear of the field, Caterham are still dealing with the fallout from their sale - particularly as there were a few shakeups this week, and many employees lost their jobs. It may be a sombre weekend for them, as Marussia continue to take strides forward.

For all involved, the prospect of protests lingers, as FRIC suspension continues to be up for debate in terms of legality.

Support racing for this event includes GP2, GP3 and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Expected conditions

Whilst the early forecasts suggest sun for Free Practice Friday and qualifying on Saturday, there's the ominous spectre of rain on race day. And if there's rain in the air it could hit at any time. Tucked away amongst the trees, the Hockenheimring can see changeable conditions throughout the weekend. Friday and Saturday however, look ideal for plenty of F1 running.

Track information

The track was originally a lot longer, sweeping through the countryside, until safety concerns saw the length shortened and the remaining tarmac redesigned. There are always complaints about a lack of character in the revised track, but the German fans make up for that. Vibrant and engaged, they have plenty to cheer about with a four times world champion in the Red Bull, and an on form racer in the fastest car searching for his first title.

The lap opens with a fast corner leading to the bumps of the second turn. The speed in the early section of the lap means there isn't always the first corner chaos we've come to expect. The old circuit veers off to the left leaving the class of 2014 to head to the right. Hermann Tilke's hand is clear to see with straights ending abruptly with tight turns, and just a handful of overtaking opportunities.

Circuit history

The current alternating schedule was introduced in 2008/9, with the two German tracks sharing the costs associated with hosting an F1 race. Until 2013, Sebastian Vettel hadn't managed to win a German Grand Prix, but he put that annoying statistic to bed quite easily. It's Fernando Alonso who tends to do well at Hockenhim, winning in both 2010 and 2012, although one of those may or may not have been at the expense of his teammate.

Of the last eight Hockenheim events (on the most recently designed track), the pole sitter has won five times, with two victories secured by the second place man on the grid. The only time someone outside the front row has won was in 2005, when Fernando Alonso took the chequered flag from a whopping... third place.

Tyre compounds

Pirelli are bringing the soft and supersoft compounds to Hockenheim, the two softest available rubber selections for the weekend. It's hard for the Italian manufacturer to know exactly which compounds to bring, as the track is twisty in one section and supremely fast in another, making it hard to strike the right balance. They believe they've done the right thing, but are keeping quiet on how many pit stops may be ideal until after practice data has been looked at.

It’s a pleasure to go back to Hockenheim after two years away, but this increases the workload for ourselves and the teams as the only concrete F1 data we currently have is two years old – when the cars and the tyres were very different. So we expect the Friday free practice sessions to be extremely important, as the teams use the time to assimilate as much relevant information as they can.

- Paul Hembery

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.