Category: Motor Racing

This is the moment in which the most entertaining and dramatic Formula One race this season ended up the most controversial.

Entering the Bus Stop chicane on lap 42, championship leader Lewis Hamilton was alongside his race rival Kimi Raikkonen after getting a good slipstream from exiting Stavelot. The world champion in the leading Ferrari was struggling for grip in the treacherous conditions as rain fell on the Spa Francorchamps circuit and he was about to get overtaken.

Lewis was in a determined mood to retake the lead after losing it on the second lap at the La Source hairpin. The McLaren had a good run from Stavelot and through Blanchimont, and he was ready to make the manoeuvre. Kimi held his line and braked early for the chicane, forcing Lewis to take the outside line.

The Finn then edged his Ferrari out wide in a bid to stay in front… Pushing your rival wide was not very clever and it shows how much Kimi Raikkonen didn’t wanted to concede the race victory…

At this point, Lewis had to make a quick decision. Either crash into Kimi or take the escape route. The Briton took the latter and even though cutting the corner is against the strict Formula One rules, he had no choice but to avoid the collision with the red car.

Hamilton rejoined the circuit and he let through Raikkonen on the start/finish straight, in fear that he might get a penalty for missing out a corner. Immediately afterwards, he attacked the Ferrari into the hairpin with a bold pass down the inside on Kimi.

This series of events didn’t go down well with the race stewards, who decided that Lewis Hamilton ‘gained an unfair advantage’ by missing out the chicane. To throw out the winner of the race over this racing incident is simply ridiculous and it was no surprise to see the uproar of Formula One fans from around the world when the news broke out that the McLaren driver had been penalised and Felipe Massa (who finished second on the track) was awarded the race win.

Obviously McLaren are appealing over this decision as it won the race fair and square. It’s quite surprising that Ferrari didn’t lodge the complaint but it was the race stewards who did…

It shows the inconsistency of the FIA. Why is that Ferrari always seem to escape heavy punishment while the other teams get the full wrath of the sport’s governing body? Case in point, Malaysian Grand Prix 1999 (Ferrari ran illegal barge boards but allowed to keep the win), Felipe Massa running off the road in his duel with Robert Kubica in Fuji last year and more recently, Felipe’s near collision with Adrian Sutil in the pits at Valencia that resulted in just a small Euros fine…

It is completely ludicrous that during the same Grand Prix at Spa, Heikki Kovalainen received a drive-through penalty after his collision with Mark Webber, while Kimi Raikkonen, who forced Lewis wide at the same corner didn’t get any punishment whatsoever…

There is a running joke in Formula One, that the FIA stands for ‘Ferrari International Aid’ as the sport’s governing body is biased towards the Italian team. And if the sport is rigged, then what is the point of racing?

As a passionate fan of the sport (I’ve been following Formula One since the late 1980s), this decision is by far the most disgusting. I am deeply worried that the general image of Formula One has been corrupted by dirty politics and I wonder what the sport could do to get out of this messy situation in the long term…

Lewis Hamilton edges closer to winning the drivers’ championship after snatching victory from Kimi Raikkonen in the dramatic closing moments at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps.

Raikkonen was on course to take his long-awaited race victory at his favourite circuit after leading the race from lap two, benefitting from Hamilton’s spin at the La Source hairpin at the end of the opening lap. The Ferrari driver had been under pressure to perform after a series of poor results and race victory would have kick-started his title ambitions.

But during the final three laps, the Finn was uncomfortable in the wet conditions and lost the lead when Hamilton caught and passed him. In fact, the race stewards are investigating a situation at the Bus Stop chicane when the pair may have broken the strict FIA rules on cutting corners…

The incident happened on lap 42 with Hamilton drew alongside his rival on the approach to the chicane. Neither wanted to give way and Lewis was forced off the track by Kimi.

Hamilton arrived on the start/finish straight ahead of Raikkonen and having gained an unfair advantage by cutting the previous corner, the McLaren driver let his rival by. But then he re-passed the Ferrari at the following corner at the La Source hairpin.

Later on that dramatic lap, Raikkonen ran wide at Pouhon but managed to recover with more speed over Hamilton. Then Lewis came across a spinning Williams (Nico Rosberg) and took evasive action! Raikkonen also avoided the backmarker and in the process seemed to have hit his rival… But as soon as Kimi was back in the lead, he spun his Ferrari exiting the corner and Lewis was back in front!

The drama didn’t end there, as Raikkonen tried in vain to regain lost ground on Hamilton, he unfortunately lost control coming out of Blanchimont which resulting in his car and the world championship smashed to pieces against the barrier…

It was crude luck for the reigning world champion as Raikkonen was driving superbly in the leading Ferrari. After inheriting the lead from the spinning McLaren at the end of lap one, the Finn was on course in achieving his fourth successive victory at Spa Francorchamp but that late rain changed the fortune for the Finn.

With Kimi out, it was left for team-mate Felipe Massa to pick up the points and by finishing in second position, the Brazilian is still within touching distance of championship leader Lewis Hamilton in the remaining five races.

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld gambled on a last-gasp change to intermediate tyres to grab third place on the last lap, ahead of Renault’s Fernando Alonso and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel.

Team-mate Robert Kubica completed the top six, ahead of the unfortunate Sebastien Bourdais – who stayed out on slicks and was briefly in third, only for a group of intermediate-shod cars to cruise past him on the final lap… Toyota’s Timo Glock completed the points scorer with eighth place.

As for Heikki Kovalainen, this was a race to forget. The Finn made a poor start from third on the grid and he was forced wide at the La Source mayhem caused by Jarno Trulli fast-starting Toyota hitting the back of Bourdais.

That left Kovalainen down ten places in the first corner chaos and in the following laps, the Finn slowly made his way back up the field only for a tangle with Mark Webber at the Bus Stop chicane meant he received a drive-through penalty for punting the Red Bull car into a spin.

That incident cost him track position and although he recovered, the Finn was forced to retire on the final lap.

As for the other McLaren, it was an incredible race from Lewis Hamilton. He recovered from his mistake on lap two when he lost control of his car under braking. Lewis chased after Raikkonen lap after lap and with help from the fickle Belgian weather, the Briton was able to snatch the lead and take his fifth Grand Prix victory this season. Hamilton extends his points lead to eight over title rival Felipe Massa, who finished second in the 44-lap race.

Poor Raikkonen. He had the race in his hands and yet the late rain disrupted his winning performance and ended with a smashed Ferrari on the exit of Blanchimont… This non-finish for Kimi means he is now a massive 23 points behind Lewis in the drivers’ standings and Ferrari may well request the Finn to play the supporting role to aid Felipe Massa in the remaining Grands Prix.

The next race will be the glorious Monza circuit next week. This is Ferrari’s home race and the Italian team will be determined to score a good result in its battle for the world championship against Lewis Hamilton and McLaren-Mercedes.

Race results from Spa Francorchamps – 44 laps:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h22.44.933
2. Massa Ferrari +14.461
3. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +23.844
4. Alonso Renault +28.939
5. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari +29.037
6. Kubica BMW Sauber +29.498
7. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +31.196
8. Glock Toyota +56.506
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault +57.237
10. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
11. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault +1 lap
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1 lap
13. Sutil Force India-Ferrari +1 lap
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1 lap
15. Button Honda +1 lap
16. Trulli Toyota +1 lap
17. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +1 lap
18. Raikkonen Ferrari +2 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:47.930

Not classified/retirements:

Barrichello Honda 21 laps
Piquet Renault 14 laps

World Championship standings, round 13:

Drivers:

1. Hamilton 80
2. Massa 72
3. Kubica 58
4. Raikkonen 57
5. Heidfeld 47
6. Kovalainen 43
7. Trulli 26
8. Alonso 23
9. Webber 18
10. Glock 16
11. Vettel 13
12. Piquet 13
13. Barrichello 11
14. Rosberg 9
15. Nakajima 8
16. Coulthard 6
17. Bourdais 4
18. Button 3

Constructors:

1. Ferrari 129
2. McLaren-Mercedes 123
3. BMW Sauber 105
4. Toyota 42
5. Renault 36
6. Red Bull-Renault 24
7. Williams-Toyota 17
8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 17
9. Honda 14

Next race: Italian Grand Prix, Monza, September 12-14

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton scored his eleventh career pole position at the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit edging out his main title rival Felipe Massa in qualifying.

The McLaren driver set a lap time around the challenging 4.352-mile Belgian race circuit with one minute, 47.338 seconds. This was three tenths of a second quicker than Massa in the Ferrari. Their team-mates will line up directly behind with Heikki Kovalainen ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

It was another disappointing performance from the reigning world champion. Kimi Raikkonen really needed a good result at Spa to kick-start his title campaign following a series of poor races. The Finn is a past winner of the Belgian Grand Prix – he won this event three times – but starting from fourth, Kimi will have a difficult task in achieving his fourth consecutive victory. He will need to display his race-winning pace on Sunday or else he will play the supporting role of Felipe Massa in the remaining Grands Prix.

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld is another driver under pressure for results. The German had suffered the problem of not setting quick lap times compared to team-mate Robert Kubica in qualifying. Heidfeld seems to be having trouble in maintaining good tyre pressure during his timed runs. But he responded with a fine fifth position at Spa. Indeed his time of one minute, 48.315 seconds was better than Kubica, who could only manage eighth position with one minute, 48.763 seconds.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso will line up sixth for Renault. A great result for the Spaniard and he had a chance of a strong finish in Sunday’s Grand Prix. His ambition is to help the team finish fourth in the constructors’ standing by out-qualifying and out racing Toyota. With sixth position, Alonso has the opportunity to close the points gap.

Australian Mark Webber will start in seventh for Red Bull Racing, ahead of Kubica and the Toro Rossos of Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel respectively. Bourdais even set the fastest time in Q1, which was a fantastic achievement for the Champ Car champion.

So yet again the two championship contenders are on the front row. Can Lewis Hamilton extend his lead in the drivers’ standings with race victory? Or will Felipe Massa score another decisive win for Ferrari? What about Raikkonen? This is Kimi’s final chance to win at his favourite circuit and he needs a good result if he wants to challenge for title honours this year.

In addition the weather on Sunday could prove tricky for the twenty Formula One drivers. Let’s hope the racing will be better than the previous Grand Prix at Valencia a fortnight ago.

Starting grid for the Belgian Grand Prix:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.338
2. Massa Ferrari 1:47.678
3. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.815
4. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:47.992
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:48.315
6. Alonso Renault 1:48.504
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:48.736
8. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:48.763
9. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:48.951
10. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:50.319
11. Trulli Toyota 1:46.949
12. Piquet Renault 1:46.965
13. Glock Toyota 1:46.995
14. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:47.018
15. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:47.429
16. Barrichello Honda 1:48.153
17. Button Honda 1:48.211
18. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:48.226
19. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:48.268
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:48.447

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa celebrated his 100th Grand Prix with victory after a commanding performance on the streets of Valencia. The Brazilian made up for his late-race disappointment in Hungary by taking Sunday’s European Grand Prix in style – leading from start to finish.

However, his victory was only confirmed once race stewards had investigated his second pit stop on lap 37. Massa nearly crashed with Force India’s Adrian Sutil in the pit lane following his stop and the stewards deemed his release had been unsafe.

As a result of the incident the Brazilian has been reprimanded and Ferrari fined 10,000 Euro for the “unsafe release from pitstop, although no sporting advantage was obtained.”

That was one of many incidents for Ferrari at Valencia. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had a messy situation in the pits on lap 43, when he was pulled away prematurely while the refuelling hose was still attached to his F2008… In the melee, a race mechanic was struck by the red car’s rear wheel. He was stretchered to the medical centre for further checks.

To compound the Finn’s misery, his engine blew shortly afterwards, ensuring he left Valencia empty-handed. The world champion is now 13 points off the championship pace.

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica continues to impress with another strong podium finish with third. The Pole is still within 15 points off Hamilton in the title race. As for Heikki Kovalainen – who finished in fourth – McLaren may focus its resources by asking Kovalainen to support his team-mate in the remaining races of the season. Heikki has fallen 27 points behind in the drivers’ standings after this event.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli finished in a solid fifth with team-mate Timo Glock again scoring some championship points with seventh. This was an impressive result by the German after running a one-stop strategy to haul himself up from P13 on the grid.

In between the pair was Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel. The youngest was the star of the weekend and to finish in sixth is a great achievement.

The final championship point went to Williams’ Nico Rosberg, who led home BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais and Renault’s Nelson Piquet.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Honda’s Jenson Button, Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima, Honda’s Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull’s David Coulthard all finished the European Grand Prix a lap down.

As for the double world champion and home crowd favourite Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard was unlucky to get involved in the opening lap shunt with Nakajima. He had to retire when the Japanese hit the back of his R28, ripping off the rear wing and damaging the suspension.

It was a disappointing result for Alonso as the massive ranks of Spanish fans alongside the harbour-side grandstands were left with no hero to cheer on.

But it was a good day for race winner Felipe Massa. Despite that pit lane controversy, the Brazilian drove a superb and commanding race from the front. Massa now has the momentum to lead Ferrari to championship success. Can Lewis Hamilton keep hold of his points lead as Formula One travels to the majesty Spa-Francorchamps? We will find out in two weeks’ time.

Race results from Valencia – 57 laps:

1. Massa Ferrari 1h35:32.339
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +5.611
3. Kubica BMW Sauber +37.353
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +39.703
5. Trulli Toyota +50.684
6. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari +52.625
7. Glock Toyota +1:07.990
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1:11.457
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1:22.177
10. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1:29.794
11. Piquet Renault +1:32.717
12. Webber Red Bull-Renault +1 lap
13. Button Honda +1 lap
14. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +1 lap
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1 lap
16. Barrichello Honda +1 lap
17. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault +1 lap

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:38.708

Not classified/retirements:

Raikkonen Ferrari 46 laps
Sutil Force India-Ferrari 42 laps
Alonso Renault 1 lap

World Championship standings, round 12:

Drivers:

1. Hamilton 70
2. Massa 64
3. Raikkonen 57
4. Kubica 55
5. Kovalainen 43
6. Heidfeld 41
7. Trulli 26
8. Alonso 18
9. Webber 18
10. Glock 15
11. Piquet 13
12. Barrichello 11
13. Vettel 9
14. Rosberg 9
15. Nakajima 8
16. Coulthard 6
17. Button 3
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors:

1. Ferrari 121
2. McLaren-Mercedes 113
3. BMW Sauber 96
4. Toyota 41
5. Renault 31
6. Red Bull-Renault 24
7. Williams-Toyota 17
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 11

Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, September 5-7.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa produced a perfect lap around the challenging new street track in Valencia, edging out championship leader Lewis Hamilton for pole position.

The duo battled fiercely in Q3, with the Brazilian initially taking the top spot by half a second after the McLaren driver made a mistake in the final sector of his lap.

Undaunted, Hamilton responded with a second attempt that was error-free and went quicker than Massa (by a small margin of two tenths of a second). But Felipe was able to resist and recorded his fourth pole position of the season with a time of one minute, 13.989 seconds.

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica will start the race in third with the current world champion Kimi Raikkonen alongside for Ferrari. Hungarian Grand Prix winner Heikki Kovalainen could only manage fifth for McLaren.

But the real star of qualifying was Sebastian Vettel, who was fastest of all in Q2. The German was driving superbly in the Toro Rosso and to be rewarded with sixth position on the grid is a fantastic achievement for the talented driver. Team-mate Sebastien Bourdais also produce a good result for the team, with his best grid slot in Formula One with tenth.

After setting the fastest time in Q1, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli will start the European Grand Prix in seventh, ahead of BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Williams’ Nico Rosberg. The former was fortunate to reach Q3 after having to take to the asphalt run-off in the first qualifying session due to a misunderstanding with Timo Glock’s Toyota in traffic.

As for home crowd favourite Fernando Alonso, the double world champion was unable to produce a result for Renault after making a mistake at turn 14. Alonso comprised his final Q2 lap when he ran wide over a kerb and thus had to settle with P12. Nelson Piquet, in the sister R28 also had a bad qualifying session and will start the Valencia race down in P15.

But the most disappointing driver of all was Jenson Button. The Honda star was showing strong pace during the run-up to the all-important qualifying session but was shocked to be knocked out as early as Q1. Jenson will start the race down in P16 with team-mate Rubens Barrichello even further behind.

Even though the drivers have no prior knowledge around this new street circuit, it’s incredible that nobody had any significant incidents during the past two days at Valencia. This might change on Sunday with the possibility of rain and safety car periods.

Starting grid for the European Grand Prix:

1. Massa Ferrari 1:38.989
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.199
3. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:39.392
4. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:39.488
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.937
6. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.142
7. Trulli Toyota 1:40.309
8. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:40.631
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:40.721
10. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.750
11. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:38.428
12. Alonso Renault 1:38.435
13. Glock Toyota 1:38.499
14. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:38.515
15. Piquet Renault 1:38.744
16. Button Honda 1:38.880
17. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:39.235
18. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:39.268
19. Barrichello Honda 1:39.811
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:39.943

Heikki Kovalainen claimed a surprising victory for McLaren after the dominant Felipe Massa suffered a late engine failure and Lewis Hamilton’s hopes were dashed by a puncture.

It was a lucky win for the Finn, as Massa was poised to take the chequered flag after making an excellent start off the grid. The Brazilian jumped both McLarens into the first corner and maintained a small gap over Lewis Hamilton in the first part of the race.

Massa was steadily pulling away at the front and appeared to have the Hungarian Grand Prix in the bag following Hamilton’s front-left puncture. But as he powered down the main straight on lap 68, his Ferrari V8 let go spectacularly and Massa grounded to a halt in front of the pits… That late retirement was a cruel blow to the Brazilian as race victory would have placed him in the lead of the drivers’ championship.

Instead, it was Kovalainen who took the chequered flag and the Finn becomes the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. In addition, he is the second driver to take his first win this year after Robert Kubica in the Canadian Grand Prix. Heikki’s maiden victory comes after Vodafone McLaren Mercedes extended his contract to the end of the 2009 season.

Finishing in second went to Timo Glock. This was a fantastic result for the Toyota driver as it was only two weeks ago that he was hospitalised following his enormous Hockenheim accident. To take second position was a great achievement, especially as he finished ahead of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

It was another lacklustre race for Raikkonen, as he struggled to find a right balance in the Ferrari. Third place was a good result for the Finn but questions will need to be answered as to why he lacked the speed in qualifying and the race compared to team-mate Felipe Massa.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso came home in a solid fourth for Renault, after spending most of the race battling with Raikkonen. His team-mate Nelson Piquet again finished in the points with a fine sixth place. These two points finishes means Renault move into fifth place in the constructors’ standings and are now four points behind Toyota.

Finishing in between the Renaults was Lewis Hamilton. The pre-race favourite was on course in achieving his hat trick of race victories with a front row start, but as the five red lights went out, he was out-accelerated by Massa into the first corner. The McLaren driver did his best to maintain within touching distance with the Ferrari during the first rounds of pit-stops but on lap 37, he suffered a front-left puncture.

Lewis was able to return back to the pits and he did well to recover from this incident. Finishing in fifth wasn’t so bad as those four points will be crucial in the remaining races in this year’s championship.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli finished seventh with BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica claiming the final point with eighth.

The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was also notable for a number of minor fuel fires in the pits. Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso), Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) and Rubens Barrichello (Honda) were all delayed in pit-stops after small amounts of fuel leaked onto their cars as the fuel nozzle was withdrawn. It caused a brief but ultimately harmless fires – for the case of Bourdais, it happened twice! All three were able to continue and finished the race.

Formula One now takes a three-week summer break where no testing will be allowed. It will be fascinating how the other teams can develop their cars in the search for performance and reliability without pounding around test tracks. The next Grand Prix will be Valencia, a new street circuit at the home of the America Cup yacht race.

Race results from Hungaroring – 70 laps:

1. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1h37:27.067
2. Glock Toyota +11.061
3. Raikkonen Ferrari +16.856
4. Alonso Renault +21.614
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +23.048
6. Piquet Renault +32.298
7. Trulli Toyota +36.449
8. Kubica BMW Sauber +48.321
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault +58.834
10. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1:07.709
11. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault +1:10.407
12. Button Honda +1 lap
13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1 lap
14. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1 lap
15. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +1 lap
16. Barrichello Honda +2 laps
17. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +3 laps
18. Massa Ferrari +3 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:21.195

Not classified/retirements:

Sutil Force India-Ferrari 63 laps
Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 23 laps

World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers’

1. Hamilton 62
2. Raikkonen 57
3. Massa 54
4. Kubica 49
5. Heidfeld 41
6. Kovalainen 38
7. Trulli 22
8. Alonso 18
9. Webber 18
10. Glock 13
11. Piquet 13
12. Barrichello 11
13. Rosberg 8
14. Nakajima 8
15. Vettel 6
16. Coulthard 6
17. Button 3
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors’

1. Ferrari 111
2. McLaren-Mercedes 100
3. BMW Sauber 90
4. Toyota 35
5. Renault 31
6. Red Bull-Renault 24
7. Williams-Toyota 16
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8

Next race: European Grand Prix, Valencia, August 22-24

Lewis Hamilton will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole position for the second year in succession.

His time of one minute, 20.899 seconds was comfortably the fastest around the dusty and twisty Hungaroring circuit. By grabbing pole position – his tenth in Formula One – Lewis is on target in achieving a hat-trick of race victories.

McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen qualified alongside earning the team’s first front row since Monza 2007. The silver cars clearly have the speed advantage over their rivals and it will be fascinating if Ferrari can keep up in the 70-lap race.

Championship rival Felipe Massa will start in third while Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen again struggled with set up issues and could only manage sixth.

Robert Kubica heads BMW Sauber’s challenge with a solid fourth while Timo Glock enjoyed his best-ever qualifying to take fifth for Toyota. This was a fine effort from the German following his massive crash in Hockenheim last month.

Even though Kubica will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from row two, his BMW Sauber team-mate Nick Hedifeld will have to make do with only P15. The reason for his low grid position? He was caught out by a controversial incident during Q1 involving the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Bourdais…

Heidfeld’s first qualifying lap wasn’t quick enough and he needed more to be sure of going through into Q2. Unfortunately, the German felt he was impended by Bourdais in the final corner.

The Toro Rosso driver had just lost momentum after letting Giancarlo Fisichella’s Force India by. It was at this moment, the fast charging BMW was approaching… Heidfeld ran wide exiting the final corner and he vent his frustration by gesturing at the Frenchman.

Heidfeld complained to the race stewards and after observing the video replays, they found that the Toro Rosso driver was deemed to have impeded the BMW Sauber during the first round of qualifying.

And so, Sebastien Bourdais will be moved back five places on the grid for tomorrow’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Rounding out the top ten, double world champion Fernando Alonso will start in seventh ahead of Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli and Renault team-mate Nelson Piquet.

Sunday’s Grand Prix might be a procession due to the lack of overtaking opportunities in this twisty and narrow race track. McLaren has the speed advantage over Ferrari, but can the Italian team challenge for the race win?

By starting on pole position, Lewis Hamilton has the best opportunity in extending his points lead in the championship standings with race victory. But can Heikki Kovalainen prevent Lewis by claiming his maiden win? What about the tyre situation? Do the super-soft Bridgestone have the durability to survive seventy punishing laps around the Hungaroring? Let’s find out on race day.

Starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.899?
2. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.140?
3. Massa Ferrari 1:21.181?
4. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.281?
5. Glock Toyota 1:21.326?
6. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:21.516?
7. Alonso Renault 1:21.698?
8. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.732?
9. Trulli Toyota 1:21.767?
10. Piquet Renault 1:22.371?
11. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.144?
12. Button Honda 1:20.332?
13. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:20.502?
14. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:20.748
15. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.045?
16. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.085?
17. Barrichello Honda 1:21.332?
18. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:21.670?
19. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.963*?
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:22.113

*Five place-penalty for impeding Nick Heidfeld in Q1

Lewis Hamilton scored his fourth Grand Prix victory of the season with a sensational drive at Hockenheim.

The McLaren driver was clearly the fastest around the German circuit after setting the pace all weekend. Even though he missed the opportunity to pit during the safety car period – as a result of Timo Glock’s crash on the main straight – Lewis was able to showcase his supreme race craft by overtaking his fellow championship rival Felipe Massa and surprising race leader Nelson Piquet, in the final stages to take the chequered flag in style.

It was a great drive by Lewis, as he had to fight hard for the win. In the first half of the race, it was so easy for the McLaren star. He made a clean getaway off the grid and was steadily pulling away from second-place man Felipe Massa at a rate of a second a lap.

But then the race took a dramatic turn on lap 35. Exiting the final corner, Timo Glock suffered a right-rear suspension failure on his Toyota and he slammed hard into the pit wall backwards. The German escaped unharmed but the safety car was summoned while the debris was cleared up.

While the field was running under the full course yellow, the pit lane was opened and practically everyone came into the pits for a change of Bridgestones and fuel. Well, apart from Lewis, BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Renault’s Nelson Piquet. Suddenly the easy Sunday drive for Lewis became a tense affair as McLaren decided not to pit the race leader during the caution period.

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis admitted later they underestimated how long the safety car would stay out for. It was a big mistake by the team but Lewis had the speed and confidence to regain lost ground.

By the time Hamilton pitted for his final stint, he lost track position to Heidfeld, Piquet, Massa and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen. If he wanted to win the race, Lewis would have to drive hard to reclaim it from his fellow rivals.

This he did with fine style. First Lewis was let through by his McLaren team-mate Kovalainen. He was up to fourth. This became third when Nick Heidfeld made his pit stop on lap 53. Only Massa and Piquet stand in his way of claiming this German Grand Prix victory.

Lewis was catching the Ferrari at an alarming rate, over a second per lap and on the 57th tour; the McLaren was in the slipstream of the red car. Lewis dived down the inside of the Brazilian into the hairpin and second place was his! Next up was race leader Piquet in the Renault.

Nelson Piquet was driving a beautiful race in the R28. Even though he started from a lowly seventeenth on the grid, the Brazilian benefited significantly during the safety car period. He made his only pit stop at half distance and when Timo Glock slammed into the pit wall, Piquet gained track position from the others.

Piquet did well to defend his race lead but against the mighty McLaren from his old GP adversary, the Brazilian didn’t stand a chance. Lewis was in a determined mood and made the decisive pass down the inside at the hairpin. Still, second position is quite an achievement for Nelson, especially after a difficult start to his Formula One career this season.

Ferrari was outclassed by archrival McLaren on race day and Felipe Massa was the best finisher for the Scuderia. He had the opportunity to win during the safety car period but the F2008 wasn’t fast enough to challenge Lewis. Third was the best for Massa while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had a dismal weekend. The world champion struggled with the car’s balance throughout the German Grand Prix and to finish sixth was another disappointing result.

Nick Heidfeld finished fourth for BMW Sauber, edging out the Finns of Kovalainen and Raikkonen. Team-mate Robert Kubica was down in seventh.

The final point went to Sebastian Vettel after a feisty run for Toro Rosso saw him see off the likes of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Renault’s Fernando Alonso, who were ninth and eleventh after the latter spun at the hairpin late in the race (it was a frustrating race for the double world champion). Nico Rosberg finished tenth for Williams.

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais took twelfth, with David Coulthard finishing thirteenth after a poor start and a later tangle with Rubens Barrichello that ended the Honda’s race.

The only non-finisher was Mark Webber, whose Red Bull expired in a cloud of smoke while running behind the safety car.

What had looked set to be a low-key race literally exploded into life due to Glock’s crash and McLaren’s gamble in keeping Hamilton out when everyone else pitted. Luckily for McLaren, Lewis had the ability to make sure the gamble paid off and he now leads the championship with 58 points.

Race results from Hockenheim – 67 laps:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h31:20.874
2. Piquet Renault +5.586
3. Massa Ferrari +9.339
4. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +9.825
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +12.411
6. Raikkonen Ferrari +14.403
7. Kubica BMW Sauber +22.682
8. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari +33.299
9. Trulli Toyota +37.158
10. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +37.625
11. Alonso Renault +38.600
12. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +39.111
13. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault +54.971
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1:00.003
15. Sutil Force India-Ferrari +1:09.488
16. Button Honda +1 lap
17. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +1:24.093*

*Received a 25-second penalty for unlapping himself when he was not allowed to, demoting him from 14th to 17th.

Fastest lap: Heidfeld, 1:15.987

Not classified/retirements:

Barrichello Honda 52 laps
Webber Red Bull-Renault 41 laps
Glock Toyota 37 laps

World Championship standings, round 10:

Drivers’

1. Hamilton 58
2. Massa 54
3. Raikkonen 51
4. Kubica 48
5. Heidfeld 41
6. Kovalainen 28
7. Trulli 20
8. Webber 18
9. Alonso 13
10. Barrichello 11
11. Piquet 10
12. Rosberg 8
13. Nakajima 8
14. Vettel 6
15. Coulthard 6
16. Glock 5
17. Button 3
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors’

1. Ferrari 105
2. BMW Sauber 89
3. McLaren-Mercedes 86
4. Toyota 25
5. Red Bull-Renault 24
6. Renault 23
7. Williams-Toyota 16
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8

Next race: Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring, August 1-3

Lewis Hamilton continued his impressive form by outdueling championship rival Felipe Massa in a tense fight in Q3 at Hockenheim. The British Grand Prix winner set an impressive pace around the 2.841-mile race track with a time of one minute, 15.666 seconds. This was Hamilton’s ninth career pole position in Formula One.

Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen will line up in third after a mistake on his first flying lap. The Finn went off on his approach to the stadium section during his timed run but he did well to recover, unlike fellow countryman Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari.

The world champion seems to be having great difficulty in his F2008. From turn-in understeer to oversteer on the exit of corners, Kimi just lacked the confidence and speed compared to team-mate Massa. To qualify in only sixth place was a major disappointment for the ‘Iceman’ but the team remain optimistic that Kimi will be a big factor in the race despite a poor start to his German Grand Prix weekend.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli achieved another excellent qualifying run with fourth. The Italian hope his high grid position will result in a podium finish just like he did at Magny-Cours last month. This can be achievable providing Jarno doesn’t get left behind by the faster McLarens and Ferraris on race day.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso will start in fifth for Renault. The Spaniard was quite surprised to be in the top six after admitting the team might struggle in making through to Q2. This was proven by team-mate Nelson Piquet, who will start in lowly seventeenth position. Even though Alonso is happy to be in the top half of the grid, I reckon he will have great difficulty in keeping up with the faster cars in the 67 laps race.

Canadian Grand Prix winner and championship contender Robert Kubica could only manage to qualify his BMW Sauber in seventh. It wasn’t the best result for the Polish driver, who suffered a drive-shaft failure leading up to qualifying. At least, he did a better job than team-mate Nick Heidfeld. The German made a costly error during his timed run in Q2 and will start his home race down in twelfth position.

The present and future Red Bull trio of Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso) and David Coulthard completed the top ten.

Rain is expected in Sunday’s German Grand Prix and we all know what kind of action and drama that will bring when the track is wet! Lewis Hamilton will have the clear advantage with his front row slot but can Felipe Massa challenge him for the race victory? Let’s find out on race day.

Qualifying times from Hockenheim:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.666
2. Massa Ferrari 1:15.859
3. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.143
4. Trulli Toyota 1:16.191
5. Alonso Renault 1:16.385
6. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:16.389
7. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:16.521
8. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:17.014
9. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.244
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:17.503
11. Glock Toyota 1:15.508
12. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:15.581
13. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:15.633
14. Button Honda 1:15.701
15. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:15.858
16. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:16.083
17. Piquet Renault 1:16.189
18. Barrichello Honda 1:16.246
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:16.657
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:16.963

Lewis Hamilton achieved his lifelong ambition by winning the British Grand Prix in style with a commanding drive in the tricky wet conditions. The McLaren driver was under heavy criticism over the last couple of weeks from the press following two disappointing races, so to win at Silverstone in front of the passionate home crowd was a perfect result for Lewis.

Hamilton’s victory margin was simply stunning as he lapped nearly every car in a dramatic 60-lap race at the former RAF airfield. Only Nick Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello (second and third respectively) finished on the lead lap as everyone else was struggling in the tricky conditions.

It was Heidfeld’s third visit to the podium. The German even pulled off some beautiful overtaking moves all in the Luffield corner. First, he passed Timo Glock’s Toyota around the outside and then inside Fernando Alonso in one go. Several laps later, Heidfeld did it again when battling with Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen. Second place was a great achievement for the BMW Sauber driver.

As for Rubens Barrichello, it was a super drive from the Brazilian. The team and driver made a good call by switching onto the Bridgestone extreme wets during the heavy rain shower. By running on this tyre, he was able to pass cars left, right and centre with ease. In fact Rubens was even quicker than race leader Lewis Hamilton at this point of the race! To finish third is fantastic result for the Honda driver, especially when you consider he started way down in P16.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen could only manage fourth for Ferrari but it should have been a lot more. The team made a tactical error during its first pit-stop by not opting to change the immediates Bridgestone for Kimi. The heavy rain shower that followed meant the Finn lost so much speed and time over Lewis Hamilton.

Pole-sitter Heikki Kovalainen must be feeling disappointed to finish the race down in fifth. The Finn actually made contact with his McLaren team-mate on the opening lap exiting Copse in a desperate bid to stay in front. He lost the lead soon after when Hamilton lunge down the inside into Stowe.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso finished sixth for Renault and he too was a victim by staying out on worn Bridgestones during the heavy rain shower. Alonso struggled badly on pace and was passed by the recovering Kovalainen (who spun his McLaren during the wet stages of the race). The Spaniard managed to hold off Jarno Trulli’s Toyota and Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams in the closing laps of the Grand Prix though.

Even though Nakajima made a few trips off the road, he drove another impressive race to score some valuable points for the Williams team. As for Trulli, the Italian at one point was up to third before making his final pit-stop; still it was a good result for team and driver. Not so in the sister Toyota of Timo Glock, who went around in circles(!) and finished down in twelve.

Nico Rosberg did well in the difficult handling Williams to finish in ninth, though he had to make an unscheduled pit-stop after colliding into the back of Glock. Without that incident – the German was running on the same tyres as Barrichello (the extreme wets) – he would have finished higher.

Poor old Mark Webber. The Australian made a bad start and was immediately overtaken by the fast starting Lewis Hamilton down the inside into Copse. To make matter worse, he spun exiting Becketts… The Red Bull Racing driver was able to recover but more spins followed and in the end, Webber finishing in a depressing tenth.

At least he was ahead of Felipe Massa, who had a nightmare weekend at Silverstone. First off, he crashed his Ferrari after slipping up on Alonso’s oil in the opening practice session. Then he had that wheel-nut problem in qualifying, missing out on a run to do a fast lap. And in the race he spun no less than five times!

He was the last remaining runner in the British Grand Prix, behind Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais and Timo Glock.

As for the other title contender, Robert Kubica had the opportunity to move into the points lead but he lost control of his BMW Sauber under braking for the Abbey chicane.

In terms of the list of retirements, Jenson Button was unable to stay on the road despite running the same tyre as team-mate Barrichello. Nelson Piquet was in a potential point scoring position but lost control of his Renault and headed into the Abbey gravel trap. Both Force Indias ended up in the gravel too with Adrian Sutil aquaplaning (almost hitting Bourdais along the way) and Giancarlo Fisichella spinning while being lapped by the fast Hamilton. As for David Coulthard, the Scot’s final race in front of home fans didn’t even lasted a single lap as he collided into Sebastian Vettel at Priory.

But the day belonged to Lewis Hamilton. His victory at Silverstone was the perfect answer to his race critics. He didn’t put a foot wrong in the wet conditions and it will be fascinating if he can keep up this winning momentum in the second half of this exciting Formula One season. The result means he is now the joint leader in the standings with both Ferrari drivers on 48 points. Kubica is only two points behind!

British Grand Prix, Silverstone:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h39:09.440
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1:08.500
3. Barrichello Honda +1:22.200
4. Raikkonen Ferrari +1 lap
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
6. Alonso Renault +1 lap
7. Trulli Toyota +1 lap
8. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1 lap
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1 lap
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault +1 lap
11. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Glock Toyota +1 lap
13. Massa Ferrari +2 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:32.150

Not classified/retirements:

Kubica BMW Sauber 40 laps
Button Honda 39 laps
Piquet Renault 36 laps
Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 17 laps
Sutil Force India-Ferrari 11 laps
Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1 lap
Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1 lap

World Championship standings, round 9:

Drivers:

1. Hamilton 48
2. Raikkonen 48
3. Massa 48
4. Kubica 46
5. Heidfeld 36
6. Kovalainen 24
7. Trulli 20
8. Webber 18
9. Alonso 13
10. Barrichello 11
11. Rosberg 8
12. Nakajima 8
13. Coulthard 6
14. Vettel 5
15. Glock 5
16. Button 3
17. Piquet 2
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors:

1. Ferrari 96
2. BMW Sauber 82
3. McLaren-Mercedes 72
4. Toyota 25
5. Red Bull-Renault 24
6. Williams-Toyota 16
7. Renault 15
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7

Next race: German Grand Prix, Hockenheim 18-20 July