JOIN USSebastian Vettel finally won a race on his home soil on Sunday when he survived spells of intense pressure to steer his Red Bull to victory in the German Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old German, who also had never won a race in the month of July, came home narrowly ahead of fast-closing Finn Kimi Raikkonen and his Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean of France.
Vettel's win was his fourth this year and the 30th of his career and it lifted him 36 points clear of nearest rival, Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, in the drivers championship.
Alonso came home fourth ahead of Britons Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Jenson Button of McLaren with Australian Mark Webber seventh in the second Red Bull.
Mexican Sergio Perez finished eighth for McLaren ahead of Germans Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.
Vettel became the first German to win a German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in the history of the Formula One world championship.
After the drama of four exploding tyre blowouts in last Sunday's British Grand Prix, the race was run without similar incidents other than when an errant wheel flew off Webber's car during a pit-stop and struck a tv camerman in the back.
He was taken to the circuit medical centre, but later said to be bruised and shocked, but not seriously injured.