Nature intervened during the German Grand Prix, raining on what was sure to be a victory parade for home hero Sebastian Vettel and opening the door for Lewis Hamilton.
Victories rarely come more unexpectedly than this – Hamilton, who suffered a hydraulic failure in qualifying and started from 14th on the grid, charged back into contention. Sitting in fifth place, he was in a position to take advantage of a hectic final stint.
Vettel had controlled the race from pole. He was imperious in the lead and looked destined to claim his first win at Hockenheim. However, as the rain fell he pushed a fraction too hard. Locking his rear brakes into the perilous Sachskurve, he bounced across the gravel and into the barrier.
The resulting safety car was perfectly timed for Hamilton to gain track position over those ahead needing to pit. Successfully defending from team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the restart before team orders put an end to the fight, Hamilton won a race from outside the top six on the grid for the first time in his F1 career.
From heartbreak to elation in 24 hours, the German Grand Prix highlighted just how unpredictable motosport can be.
Here are our DRIVER RATINGS for a thrilling German GP.
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