Good call and fun battles lead to top-10 finish for Hartley

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Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley doubled his championship points tally on Sunday thanks to a good weather call and a spirited drive among the midfield contenders in the German Grand Prix.

The Kiwi launched his race from P16 but a laborious start saw him struggle in the first half of the race, only coming into his own when changing track conditions set in.

Hartley dwelled on his vast wet weather experience, collected during his endurance racing years, to sidestep the chaos that emerged with the sporadic rain showers.

German GP: Sunday's action in pictures

"I’m happy with how today went. I lost some time behind the Williams at the beginning but I had some fun battles out there," Hartley said.

"The team called me to box under the rain to pit for intermediates, but I just had a feeling to go one more lap.

"It's fine margins we work with, but it worked out today. Really happy with my race today."

Sitting ninth with six laps to go, Hartley was chased down by Haas' Romain Grosjean and Renault's Carlos Sainz.

The latter however would be hit with a 10-second time penalty for overtaking under the safety car, subsequently elevating the Toro Rosso driver back to tenth.

"I was disappointed to lose a place to Grosjean but he had a lot more pace than me. I kept it clean and we made the right call to brave it and stay out when the rain came," added Hartley.

"The team and myself had great communication during the changing conditions and in the end it paid off.

"I also used some of my experience from endurance racing to help make the call, so I’m really happy with the race I did and to bring home one point."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.