Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship to 19 points after winning the German Grand Prix with ease on Sunday, as Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg toiled to fourth.
Home hero Rosberg surrendered his lead from pole with a dreadful start to the Briton, who stormed away to claim his sixth win in seven races and strengthen his grip in the title chase.
Second was Daniel Ricciardo, with Max Verstappen, his young Red Bull team-mate, third.
Reigning world champion Hamilton took full advantage of the poor start by Rosberg, who also received a five second pit-stop penalty for an over-aggressive passing move, to deliver a flawless drive.
"I had a great start and my engineers gave me a perfectly balanced car," Hamilton, who started second on the grid, told the Hockenheim crowd from the podium.
"I am so happy to be here and to win for Mercedes Benz -– I have been with them since I was 13.
"Today it was about staying cool and I didn’t make any mistakes and in my heart I felt I did a great job. For me, yesterday wasn’t perfect, but you learn from those things."
For Rosberg, who was seeking to repeat his 2014 triumph, it ended up as a day of bitter disappointment.
"A tough one, yes, very tough,” said the 31-year-old. "Really difficult. For me, the start went completely wrong –- none of it was good. There was a lot of wheel-spin and it caught me by surprise.
"It was not like that in the practice starts before the race and it was very difficult for me after that."
The home fans had another German to cheer as four-time champion Sebastian Vettel finished fifth ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and compatriot Nico Hulkenberg, who was seventh on home turf for Force India.
Briton Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, finished eighth ahead of Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Mexican Sergio Perez of Force India.
Rosberg toils
In front of a big race-day crowd who had come to see Rosberg grab back the title lead, it was Hamilton who was to seize the initiative from the off.
As the lights went out, the 31-year-old produced a perfect departure to dash past his team-mate.
The German’s poor start also allowed both Red Bulls to surge past him with Verstappen squirming wide to the left to pass Ricciardo and take second as they rushed into the sweeping right-hander Turn One.
Down in fourth after the 320 metres rush down the straight, Rosberg battled to regain a place on lap one without reward as the field stretched and settled.
For the championship leader Hamilton, who has grasped the impetus in the title race in recent weeks, it was a dream start to the race. For his team-mate Rosberg it was a nightmare.
Rosberg was soon tussling with Verstappen.
The Dutch teenager had to run wide and off the circuit as he attempted -- and failed -- to stave off a charging Rosberg.
Verstappen defended aggressively and retaliated, a characteristic that has earned him a reputation, but he lacked the pace needed.
"He pushed me off the track,” said Verstappen over the radio. The stewards investigated, agreed and handed Rosberg a five-second stop-go penalty to be taken at his next pit stop.
"I was very surprised to get that penalty," a downbeat Rosberg said later.
To make matters worse for the luckless Rosberg, Mercedes team manager Ron Meadows had a problem with his stop watch and the team held him by more than eight seconds instead of just five.
"That cost me dearly. It didn’t make any difference that I was held longer than needed as I couldn’t challenge the Red Bulls after the penalty," Rosberg said.
"When a day goes completely wrong, all those things come together.
"Being 19 points behind Lewis now is not tough -– tough is losing the race in the way that I did.
"That will take me some time to digest.”
AFP
Sun Jul 31 2016
Hamilton of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team leads at the Hockenheim circuit, southern Germany, on July 31, 2016 during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany. - AFP Photo
ANALYSIS - What could happen if Trump rejects the US election results
If Trump seems to be losing, the delay could let him claim fraud and undermine confidence in election officials.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.