So relief for Lewis Hamilton after a worrying few hours. But the stewards have given him just a reprimand when a five-second penalty would have left him second and a ten-second penalty would have dropped him to fourth.

Instead, we can now focus once more on his incredible drive that saw him take the victory after starting 14th to retake the lead at the top of the drivers' championship.

So, for a second and hopefully final time today, we say goodbye and that is where we will end this live page. Join us later this week for all the action and more fun and games in Hungary. See you then.

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Baker‏: Not a Hamilton fan boy, but this is the right decision. A time penalty would only ruin the taste of a great and exciting race.

Jeremiah Kariuki‏: This must have been the luckiest day for Hamilton!

Euan‏: That is a revolting decision by the stewards. It doesn't matter how chaotic the race was, a driver cannot cross the white line unless forced to (which Hamilton wasn't). Absolutely outrageous decision.

Here are the stewards' reasons for letting off Lewis Hamilton with a reprimand, despite crossing the white line separating the pit entry and the track, a verdict which means he kept his German Grand Prix victory.

The official statement from the FIA said...

"The stewards reviewed video and audio evidence, heard from the driver of car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) and the team representative. It was clear that there was an infringement of the above mentioned rule - the driver clearly crossed the line separating the pit entry from the track.

"In deciding on the penalty for the infringement, we took into account the following mitigating factors.

"i) The driver and the team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion within the team as to whether to stay out or to enter the pits and that led to the infringement.

"ii) The fact that the infringement took place during a safety car period

"iii) At no time was there any danger to any other competitor and the change in direction was executed in a safe way."

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Hamilton keeps the win. Just a reprimand.

Image source, .

Listen again to BBC Radio 5 live commentary of the incident that is under investigation as Hamilton and Mercedes race engineer Pete Bonnington are not sure whether Hamilton should come in to the pits or stay out on the track.

In the end Hamilton stayed out, but the stewards are still checking to see if his move which saw him cut back across the grass separating the pits and track was a legal one.

Not Lewis Hamilton related, but Esteban Ocon is one happy chap. From 15th at the start to eighth at the end. A decent day for the lad.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton gave some quotes to reporters about the moment he started to come into the pits and then decided not to.

"I started turning in, then they asked me to box and then I said 'Kimi is pitting' and then they said 'Stay out' and I was already in the lane," said Hamilton.

"So I started turning out and trying to go over the grass and then they said 'no, stay in!' and I was already back on track.

"It was really confusing because they were all panicking on the pit wall, I was probably the only relaxed one," he said. "They were shouting 'yes, no, come in, don't come in'. It was exciting."

Still we wait. James Roberts, from F1 Racing magazine, has tweeted some quotes from Charlie Whiting, the FIA Formula One race director...

We have had incidents before like this. During the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan in June 2016, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was given a five-second penalty for starting to go into the pits and then not doing so.

However, on that occasion the penalty did not affect the result, which saw Raikkonen come fourth behind winner Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel in second and Sergio Perez in third.

If Hamilton gets a five-second penalty then he would lose the race win, and be demoted to second with Valtteri Bottas, who was 4.535 seconds behind Hamilton, given the victory.

Image source, .

This was the incident that has caused all the controversy. On lap 53, under the safety car, Lewis Hamilton was called in to the pits.

He was on his way in, but at the last minute saw Kimi Raikkonen had not gone in himself and Hamilton cut across the grass separating the pit lane and the track and Hamilton came back on to the track.

Mercedes race engineer Pete Bonnington was heard on the team radio saying 'in, in, in, in, in' before Hamilton decided to stay out, out, out, out, out.

We are still waiting to see what happens next. A five-second penalty would drop him down to second, a ten-second punishment would bump him down to fourth.

There will be some nervous faces in the Mercedes camp at the moment. We wait.

As soon as we know, you will know.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Lewis Hamilton could lose his victory in the German Grand Prix after being summoned to the stewards to explain a driving misdemeanour.

The Mercedes driver aborted a decision to pit to change tyres under a late-race safety car and cut across the grass to rejoin the track and take the lead.

The F1 rules dictate that "crossing the line separating the pit entry and the track by a car entering the pit lane is prohibited".

His win gave him a 17-point championship lead over rival Sebastian Vettel.

Well, it has been a dramatic day.

And it might not be over yet. Breaking news incoming...

Enjoy that? What a race. Lewis Hamilton starts 14th and wins it as Sebastian Vettel's title lead vanishes as he crashes into a barrier when leading.

Thank you as always for joining us and for all your comments.

There is not long to wait for the next race with the Hungarian Grand Prix taking place next weekend. Hope you can join us for that one.

Until next time, thanks and goodbye.

Image source, Getty Images

And our winner has posted this message on Twitter...

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton took a sensational victory in a thrilling, rain-hit German Grand Prix as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crashed out to gift the Mercedes driver a 17-point lead in their championship battle.

Vettel had been cruising to victory ahead of Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas until rain started to fall with about 25 laps to go.

The downpour, affecting only part of the track, turned the race on its head and brought Hamilton into the mix when he had been looking at a fourth-place finish after starting 14th following a hydraulic failure in qualifying.

Hamilton began to carve into the advantage of the three leading drivers - Vettel, his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Bottas - as chaos erupted down the field.

And then, as the rain became heavier, Vettel lost control at the Sachs Kurve hairpin in Hockenheim's Stadium section in front of tens of thousands of his home fans, bringing out the safety car. The four-time champion swore over the radio as he took in the potential damage to his title hopes.

Hamilton pulled away at the front following the safety car period, but only after Bottas was told to back off an initial challenge and hold position. It was a remarkable result in a remarkable race, which had started as a damage-limitation exercise and ended with his 66th career victory - and one of his best.

It wasn't a good day for Germany's Sebastian Vettel, but Nico Hulkenberg, the other German in his home race, had a great time, finishing fifth.

Fernando Alonso failed to finish and he was left ruing a gamble that went wrong.