03/08/2008
NEWS STORY
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Anyone who is hopes that the heavens might open up this afternoon and thereby prevent the Hungarian Grand Prix becoming a snooze-fest, would be well advised to find some other way of spending their Sunday.
This morning's GP2 race was held in searing heat, and the signs are that this afternoon's race will be even hotter.
Therefore, with no hope of a cloudburst, our only hope, other than the extreme heat and humidity springing a surprise, is that Lewis and Heikki go at it hammer and tongs.
Most people are predicting that barring some real silliness the podium will reflect the order the cars emerge from Turn 1, as has pretty much become the norm.
Hamilton has looked supreme all weekend and looks set to take his third straight victory, the first Englishman to do so since Damon Hill. While McLaren insists that there are no team orders, it would be madness to allow the Woking drivers to take one another out, therefore, unless Kovalainen makes a blinding start we expect his teammate to sail off into the distance.
While the Finn will not be expected to ride shotgun, McLaren will be no doubt hoping that in addition to taking maximum points from the is race, Ferrari continues to crumble and that Massa will have his afternoon taken up with Kubica.
Following today's race, F1 takes a three week break before we head to Valencia, however, it is unlikely that the boffins, particularly at Maranello, will be applying the sun-screen and sipping the Prosecco. The Italian team is losing ground, a situation not helped by the fact that Kimi Raikkonen appears to be giving up the fight.
We could be wrong, but it seems as though the Finn's heart is no longer in it, though quite why we do not know. Maybe he has already decided to retire at the end of the season, or perhaps he is aware of changes to the team's line-up for 2009 - either way, Kimi is not the driver he was. Not by a long way.
Assuming that Massa will be Ferrari's sole representative in the fight for the other podium spot, the Brazilian will have his hands full with Kubica this afternoon, as the Pole seeks to keep pace with the title fight and further establish his own credentials as contract talks get underway in earnest.
A fantastic performance from Timo Glock yesterday, especially in light of his heavy crash at Hockenheim two weeks ago. After all the years of waiting, Toyota is finally making significant progress, and if the German can start picking up points at the same rate as his Italian teammate, the Japanese team could be on its way to becoming the best of the rest behind McLaren, Ferrari and BMW.
After his overdriving at Hockenheim, wee expect Fernando Alonso to deliver an impressive performance today, the Spaniard having looked good for much of the weekend so far. Furthermore, with Piquet having finally got the monkey off his back perhaps we can see both Renault drivers challenging for points.
One man who would dearly loved to have seen rain here is 2006 winner Jenson Button, however, all Honda can do is count off the months until its unveils its 2009 car, sadly, Williams appears to be adopting the same attitude as it continues to lose ground.
Bourdais has been penalised following his adjudged hampering of Heidfeld yesterday, therefore, Toro Rosso will have to rely on Sebastian Vettel this afternoon. We are confident that the German youngster can add at least one point to his tally.
Red Bull has taken a brave gamble by running Coulthard with the same engine he used at Silverstone and Hockenheim. It's a brave gamble, carried out for strategic purposes with an eye on Spa and Monza, however, it will be interesting to see how the Renault performs in these conditions. While Webber can usually be trusted to give a good account of himself and score the odd point or two, the Toro Rosso appears to be performing better, therefore it will more likely be that Vettel edges out his future teammate for the final point.
Because of the lack of overtaking possibilities (yawn) we do not expect any of the front runners to be running heavy, though we wouldn't be surprised to see Heidfeld switch to a fuel strategy that might enable him to move up to a point-scoring position.
Thus far, there has not been any significant difference between the two tyre options, however, it was careful management of his tyre situation that helped Hamilton take pole. That said, in today's extreme heat, and over the course of the 70 laps - as opposed to the 2/3 lap runs in qualifying - it will be interesting to see how the two different compounds work, and how the teams get the most out of them.
If the GP2 boys can get through Turn 1 without any problems, then surely their 'big brothers' in F1 will set a similar example. That said, there is sure to be some argy-bargy, and while we don't expect anything serious, we could well see some silliness, especially with Glock ahead of some much faster drivers/cars.
On the other hand, we know from (bitter) experience that after Turns 1 and 2 of the first lap here, the overtaking possibilities are severely limited. And if we are aware of that. So are the drivers.
As the cars prepare to head off on the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 29 degrees C, while the track temperature is 44 degrees. Humidity is 39 per cent.
We will hereafter refer to the tyre options as hard and soft, the hard actually being soft while the soft refers to the super-soft compound.
The field heads away on the warm-up lap, most drivers appearing to be on the hard (soft!) option. The sole exception being David Coulthard, who is on the soft (super-soft!) compound.
The grid forms, the field seeming to take an eternity to line up behind Hamilton.
A poor start from Kovalainen but an absolute blinder from Massa, who sticks with the McLaren and despite being on the outside at Turn 1 sticks with Hamilton and actually moves ahead taking the lead. Wow! That was not on the script.
At the end of the first lap it's Massa, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Glock, Kubica, Alonso, Raikkonen, Webber, Trulli and Piquet. We have a race. Good starts from Alonso and Trulli also. The same cannot be said of Vettel, Button or Rosberg, who all lose positions.
On lap 3, Hamilton posts the fastest lap (22.617), as he attempts to hold on to the tail of Massa. Kovalainen is already 3s behind, under pressure from Glock.
Next time around, Massa responds with a new fastest lap (22.359) as he opens up a 'lead' of 1.1s. Further back, Raikkonen is under pressure from Webber, who is, in turn, being hassled by Trulli.
Another fastest lap from Massa (22.213) as he extends the gap to 1.7s. However, the big question is, is the Ferrari running light, and if so, how much lighter than the McLaren?
Raikkonen gets clear of Webber and closes in on Alonso, as Heidfeld moves up to twelfth. The German is 7.1s down on Coulthard but under pressure from Button.
The replay shows absolute euphoria in the Ferrari garage as Massa took the lead, the Italian outfit's press office Luca Colajanni clearly ecstatic at his driver's move.
As Sutil goes off, Massa extends his lead to 2.8s as Kovalainen falls to 4.9s behind Hamilton. Raikkonen continues to harry Alonso. Glock, concerned at his tyre pressures, is told that he is matching Kovalainen for pace.
After 12 laps, Massa and Hamilton are the only drivers running in the 1:21s, the gap between the two hovering at 3s. Webber is told that he's taking 0.3s a lap from Trulli - who is 1.4s behind - the Milton Keynes outfit confident it can maintain the lead at the pit stop.
Timo Glock, 3.8s behind Kovalainen, goes fastest in the final sector, as Massa raises the benchmark with a 21.414.
At the end of lap 18, Massa pits, rejoining in fourth. The McLaren crew also come out into the pitlane but then return to their garage. Kubica and Webber also pit.
Hamilton leads, but long before he stops, was that 'false alarm' for him or his teammate?
We have the answer, next time around Hamilton pits. 9.4s later he's heading down the pitlane, rejoining behind Raikkonen. This hasn't worked out well for the Englishman. That said, the drivers separating him from Massa - Alonso and Raikkonen - both have to stop.
At the end of lap 20, Glock pits, rejoining in ninth. It was a long stop for the German, who took on a lot of fuel.
Next time around it is Kovalainen who pits, rejoining in sixth behind Piquet.
At the end of lap 22, Alonso and Raikkonen both pit, thereby handing the lead back to Massa. The Spaniard and Finn leave the pits as though tied together with a length of string. Everyone so far has stuck with the harder tyre, opting to leave the super-softs for the final stint.
At the end of lap 23, Trulli and Vettel both pit, the German making his second stop of the afternoon.
Consequently, it is now Massa, 2.6s ahead of Hamilton, with Piquet third, ahead of Kovalainen, Glock, Coulthard, Alonso and Raikkonen. However, Piquet and DC have yet to stop.
Piquet pits at the end of lap 25, rejoining behind Raikkonen, making the Finn the meat in a Renault sandwich.
Coulthard, who has yet to stop, is up to fifth, the Scot posting a string of personal best times.
The gap between the leaders remains almost static at 3s, with Kovalainen almost 10s behind. Behind Alonso, Raikkonen heads a string of cars which includes Piquet and Trulli. Kubica has fallen some way behind and is running tenth, under increasing pressure from Webber. Heidfeld continues to sustain pressure from Button, which won't please Mario Theissen.
At the end of lap 29, Coulthard finally pits, leaving Heidfeld, Button, Barrichello, Bourdais, Rosberg, Nakajima and Sutil as the other drivers still to stop.
Next time around, Rosberg and Sutil both pit. Button pits one lap later, as does Bourdais. Replay shows there was a minor fire during the Frenchman's pit stop which leaves the Toro Rosso covered in fire extinguisher foam.
Barrichello and Nakajima both pit at the end of lap 33, however, there's a problem with the Brazilian's refuelling rig costing him precious seconds.
Replays show minor fires during Nakajima's pit stop and Rubens Barrichello's. The FIA will need to investigate this.
Back on track, at half-distance, Massa leads Hamilton by 4s, with Kovalainen a further 14.4s down the road. Glock is 4.5s behind the second McLaren and 13s ahead of Alonso. Raikkonen is sixth, 0.9s behind Alonso, ahead of Piquet, Trulli, Kubica and Webber.
Massa and Hamilton are both lapping in the 22.2s as Kovalainen runs at 22.5. The rest of the field is in the 1:23s - 1:24s.
After 38 laps, Heidfeld is up to eleventh, though the German has yet to stop.
Rosberg is told to pull out of Fisichella's slipstream in an attempt to cool his car.
On lap 42, Hamilton runs wide, but as he rejoins the track it is clear why, he has a puncture. The McLaren driver heads back to the pits, where his crew check the car. With softs fitted, Hamilton rejoins in tenth, just ahead of Coulthard. Almost unnoticed, Heidfeld also pitted.
Whereas it appeared to be a mere formality that Hamilton would take a win, the Englishman now has to pull out all the stops if he is to score a point. A situation not helped by the fact that he has to make his super-soft tyres last for another 27 laps.
At the end of lap 44, Massa pits. With soft boots on, the Brazilian rejoins in second, ahead of Glock. Kovalainen leads but has still to stop.
Far from falling behind Massa, Glock hangs on to the back of the Ferrari. The German is aware that third place, maybe even second, is there for the taking.
At the end of lap 46, Sutil and Bourdais both pit, followed, a lap later, by Glock. The German rejoins in fifth. Webber also pitted, and again there is a problem resulting in the fire extinguisher going off.
At the end of lap 48, Kovalainen pits, rejoining in fourth, behind Raikkonen but ahead of Glock.
Raikkonen goes wide losing ground to Alonso, the back end of the Ferrari swinging out under braking.
Alonso pits at the end of lap 50, thereby making it a Ferrari 1-2, but Raikkonen still has to stop. Elsewhere, Hamilton is running in ninth, 3.2s behind Kubica.
Next time around Kubica and Raikkonen both pit. The Finn rejoins ahead of Alonso despite that minor off and having been behind the Spaniard prior to the second round of stops. With Piquet and Trulli still to stop, it is entirely possible that the World Champion will finish fourth.
At the end of lap 53, Trulli and Coulthard both pit, followed, shortly afterwards by Piquet.
Therefore, with 16 laps remaining, Massa leads Kovalainen by 14.4s, with Glock a further 8s behind. However, 9s behind the Toyota is Raikkonen, who is currently the fastest man on track.
When Trulli makes a move on Piquet, the Brazilian is having none of it, forcing the Italian veteran wide. Hard but fair, and definitely exciting to watch.
Hamilton is up to sixth, running 3.5s behind Alonso. Elsewhere, Fisichella pits.
The best scrap at present, is for eleventh, and sees Heidfeld under intense pressure from David Coulthard. With Kubica running in ninth, this has been a poor race for BMW.
Raikkonen remains the fastest man on track, reducing the gap to Glock to 6.7s. Indeed, clearly feeling the heat, Glock runs wide, allowing the World Champion to draw ever closer.
A 21.267 sees Raikkonen claim the fastest lap of the race, the Finn clearly sensing a podium finish. The expression 'better late than never' springs to mind.
With 10 laps remaining, Vettel remains the only retirement.
The conditions clearly suit the Ferraris, as Raikkonen posts another fastest lap, crossing the line at 21.195. The gap to Glock now down to 4.2s.
Sutil goes off after what appears to be a problem with his rear brakes. The German heads slowly back to the pits.
As Raikkonen closes to within 2.1s of Glock, Trulli goes quickest in the final sector.
With 5 laps remaining, Raikkonen loses grip at the final corner, losing 0.5s but giving Glock a breather, albeit a temporary one. It isn't long before the Ferrari is all over the back of the Toyota again. On lap 66, the duo's lap times are just three-thousandths of a second apart. Brilliant stuff.
Disaster for Massa, as his engine blows on the main straight, handing the lead, and almost certain victory, to Kovalainen.
As the heartbroken Brazilian climbs over the pit-wall, Raikkonen eases off, probably under orders from his team.
As Kovalainen begins his final lap, Hamilton closes to within 1.9s of fourth-placed Alonso.
"Well done Heikki, well done mate," says a McLaren crew member as Kovalainen takes the chequered flag. "Welcome to the world of winning," adds Ron Dennis.
Well, a win is a win is a win, and though Kovalainen certainly lucked into this one, the fact is that he was there when he needed to be. Much as he'll smile and spray the champers on the podium, we know that Heikki, while grateful of the ten points also, will be the first to admit that this afternoon belonged to Felipe Massa.
As the drivers walk on to the podium, it's hard to believe that we're not imagining it all, Kovalainen, Glock and Raikkonen… where is Massa, where is Hamilton.
If nothing else, today's result tells us that perhaps we jumped the gun, maybe the championship isn't a foregone conclusion.
While there were only two retirements, it is a race we shall talk about for some time, and a race that may play a significant part in the outcome of the championship.
Having suffered so much bad luck, it is only right that Heikki should make full use of a little good luck, though try telling that to Felipe.
A stupendous performance from Timo, who has hopefully dome enough this afternoon to warrant a place on the 2009 grid. As we said earlier, this weekend's performance - which wasn't about luck - comes two weeks after that Hockenheim crash.
Kimi needs to spent the next couple of weeks thinking long and hard about where he goes from here. His performance during those final laps was almost classic, but where was he the rest of the weekend, where has he been for the last few races?
A good solid drive from Fernando, who, courtesy of Nelson Piquet, gives Renault a double-points finish. One tends to forget just how good a driver the Spaniard is, however, when you look at a performance such as today's you wonder what he might achieve in a winning car.
Following the race, Hamilton was philosophical, then again, why shouldn't he be. Back-to-back wins and that pole yesterday, had it not been for that puncture, and a blinding start by Massa, it would surely have been three out of three. While Ferrari has fought back today, Lewis knows that he and his team have the edge.
Another points finish for Jarno Trulli while BMW leaves Hungary with a point, the German team one of several that needs to do some serious work over the holidays.
In the Drivers' Championship, Hamilton leads Raikkonen by 5 points, with Massa just another point behind. Kubica remains in fourth as Kovalainen closes the gap to Heidfeld.
As for the teams, McLaren leapfrogs BMW, closing to within 11 points of the World Champions. While, Toyota opens up a 4 point advantage over Renault in the hotly contested scrap for the best of the rest.