- Lewis Hamilton wins the German Grand Prix for McLaren
- British driver holds off fierce competition from Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber
- Championship leader Sebastian Vettel finishes fourth with Felipe Massa fifth
- Red Bull's Vettel leads the drivers' championship by 77 points from Webber
(CNN) -- McLaren's Lewis Hamilton fought off fierce competition from Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber to secure his second Formula One victory of the season at the German Grand Prix.
The British driver stole the lead from Red Bull's Webber off the grid, and though it changed hands several times during the race, his final pit stop was timed perfectly as he took the checkered flag 3.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Alonso.
Webber was close behind in third and his teammate and championship leader Sebastian Vettel finished an error-laden afternoon in fourth place -- his worst finish of the season.
But his lead in the drivers' championship is still 77 points over Webber, with Hamilton now third, 82 behind after his win at the Nurburgring.
Latest F1 standings after German Grand Prix
Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, told reporters at a press conference: "That was one of the best races that I have ever done. We didn't expect to come here and be so fast and really I just could not be feeling any better.
"It was just great and we have to keep pushing. These are the results that we can get - the car was really nice to drive. A fantastic job and fantastic win."
--Lewis Hamilton
On a cool day in Germany, Hamilton started second on the grid but breezed past Webber to lead into the first corner and though the Australian passed him a few laps later the Briton regained the lead immediately.
Vettel toiled on the damp track, spinning out of control as his prospects of joining the leading pack receded, while Webber again edged in front after his first pit stop saw his speed pick up.
The second round of stops saw Webber push to the front again, before Alonso rounded him, only for the Spaniard to see Hamilton overtake on the outside to regain first place.
Hamilton was the first into the pit lane to make the required switch onto hard tires late in the race, Alonso leading for two laps before deciding to come in.
Webber led briefly, but was losing pace on his soft tires, and was forced to stop leaving Hamilton clear to take the flag and record the 16th grand prix victory of his career.
Vettel struggled with his brakes for most of the race -- his home grand prix -- but was able to salvage fourth place by passing Ferrari's Felipe Massa on the penultimate lap.
After the race he told reporters: "I think fourth was probably our maximum today, which is not satisfying. We need to work harder on our car to get back on to the podium, and maybe on to the top step again."
Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, was forced to retire for the second race in a row after his car suffered hydraulic difficulties.
The next race in the Formula One calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix next Sunday.
Meanwhile in MotoGP, Casey Stoner won the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway to consolidate his lead in motorcycling's world championship standings.
The Australian, riding for Repsol Honda, finished more than five seconds ahead of Jorge Lorenzo of Spain, while Dani Pedrosa was third.
Stoner now has 193 championship points, 20 ahead of Lorenzo, with eight races remaining.
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