REACTION: Lewis Hamilton happy with third
The world championship leader never looked in danger of giving up his pole position at Hockenheim, but his serene dominance from the front of the grid was in stark contrast to the pulsating, unpredictable race that unfolded behind him.
Williams' Felipe Massa flipped out on the very first turn after being clipped by McLaren's Kevin Magnussen - the Brazilian's second successive retirement after his puncture at Silverstone a fortnight ago.
That incident cost Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, with the Red Bull young gun dropping from fifth to 15th on the first corner. He eventually fought back to finish sixth.
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But Rosberg's Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who began the day just four points behind the German in the standings, took full advantage of the ensuing mayhem to force his way relentlessly up the field.
Hamilton started 20th on the grid after a crash in qualifying and a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox, but a display of controlled aggression saw him storm through to second inside the first 16 laps.
The 2008 world champion was forced to pit three times, but his duel for second spot with Williams' Valtteri Bottas became the grand prix's most intriguing battle.
The pair swapped places regularly, but Bottas kept his cool to hold off Hamilton and ensure Rosberg's advantage at the top of the standings was extended to 14 points.
Red Bull's reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel finished fourth ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and team-mate Ricciardo.
Nico Hulkenburg in the Force India, McLaren duo Jenson Button and Magnussen and the second Force India of Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 in a race that also saw Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat and Adrian Sutil retire.
The grand prix began in the most dramatic of circumstances, as the collision between Magnussen and Massa resulted in the safety car being brought out immediately.
Hamilton was the main beneficiary, as he charged through and put himself in contention for a podium finish within the first quarter of the race.
His progress was checked somewhat by the damage caused to his front wing as he made contact with former McLaren team-mate Button in the hairpin on lap 30.
A game of cat-and-mouse with Bottas ensued, while the fight for fourth place between Vettel and Alonso heated up behind the leading group.
Hamilton looked set to benefit from a second safety car when Sutil span out - shortly after Kvyat's Toro Rosso had caught fire.
That did not happen, but Hamilton continued closing the gap on Bottas until he found himself right behind the Finn with just a handful of laps remaining.
However, Bottas managed the remainder of the grand prix expertly, fending off the Mercedes to deservedly claim second place - 20.7 seconds behind Rosberg.