UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Massa heads Ferrari 1-2

Trulli a jubilant third

The French Grand Prix got off to a good start when the expected rain did not arrive, a clean start for all seeing the Ferrari pair capitalise on their front row as Kimi Raikkonen led Felipe Massa away from the pack. That was the last chance anyone else had of passing the Ferraris, but the Maranello team would not be without their own drama over the next 70 laps.

Behind the red cars Jarno Trulli had made a blinder of a start, slotting the Toyota into third from his fourth place starting position, and heading a mighty scrap behind dim as Fernando Alonso was slow away in the Renault and found himself behind Robert Kubica as well as Trulli.

Some great action – an unexpected bonus at Magny Cours – saw Alonso attack the BMW with determination and take the place back at the hairpin; later it would become clear the Renault was running somewhat lighter on fuel than those around him.

As the Ferraris marched serenely away, Lewis Hamilton had come across an obstacle in the form of his own team mate Heikki Kovalainen, the Finn in turn finding it very difficult to deal with Nelson Piquet in the Renault. The French car was very fast in a straight line, hence practically impossible to pass here. Hamilton became increasingly frustrated and eventually lunged down the inside of Kovalainen in what was clearly a team-orchestrated move. The lighter McLaren now set about the Renault ahead of him.

Up front the Ferraris were easily in control – Raikkonen eking out a slim lead of Massa – while Trulli was looking equally composed behind them, with Alonso and Kubica following. Timo Glock ran sixth in the second Toyota, with Mark Webber in the Red Bull and the Piquet-Hamilton-Kovalainen train next. The McLaren’s could do nothing about the Renault still, and Hamilton’s day was about to take a turn for the worse with the news that he was under investigation for an incident on lap one.

This had occurred at Turn Seven when the Englishman made a successful dive down the outside of the STR driven by Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton made the pass, but went in deep and cut the apex – the Stewards deemed an unfair advantage and duly applied a stop-go penalty. The debate about the penalty will rage for weeks to come – it may well be a deciding factor in the race for this years title – but suffice to say there are those who saw it as unjust, others vice versa. Nevertheless, Hamilton came in almost straight away, releasing him from the back of Piquet and also from the unfavourable softer compound tyre that he alone had started the race on.

This was hardly a turning point in the race for victory, however, as that was Ferrari’s for the taking, the two red cars motoring on with great pace at the front of the pack. Trulli still trailed them in third – by an ever-increasing distance – and Alonso confirmed the suspected light fuel load by pitting on lap 15.

Renault filled the car with more fuel than had been intended, apparently switching from a planned three stop to a two stop strategy, while Hamilton made his second visit to the pits for his first scheduled stop on lap 19. It was really the end of any chance of points for Hamilton as he emerged at the very back of the pack, which was now one car down having lost the Honda of Jenson Button.
The front runners began their stops on lap twenty, with Trulli and Kubica – third and fourth – pitting together, just a few seconds apart. The Toyota and BMW teams both turned their men around in style, and the two emerged in similar positions relative to each other as before. This would be the beginning if a very tough race by Trulli, one in which the Toyota would come under relentless pressure from quicker cars behind.

Next to pit a couple of laps later were leader Raikkonen and Glock, Massa and Webber next, and Kovalainen and Piquet a couple of laps later again. This one was significant, as Piquet appeared to have a problem exiting the pits, allowing the McLaren to pass him before they rejoined the track proper. A great relief for Kovalainen, this, as the Renault was easily a match for the McLaren in a straight line.

When we got to lap thirty the majority had made their first stops, and Raikkonen led Massa by around six seconds, with Trulli half a minute back followed closely by Kubica, a few seconds to Alonso, Webber, Kovalainen and Piquet.

At around this point things took a strange turn at the front when Raikkonen began to lose pace, his teammate taking chunks out of the Finn’s lead. It was clear Kimi had a problem of some sort, and became clearer still when one of his exhaust could be seen flapping around at the rear of the car, burning holes in the engine cover as it did.

Massa sailed past the lead Ferrari after a few laps and took on the lead, while concern – later proved unfounded – that Raikkonen may not make the finish abounded. The world champion eventually got to grips with the problem, settling down into lap times that would not challenge Massa but would not be challenged by the following pack.

Kovalainen was going great guns now, passing Webber for sixth position, and a quiet middle portion of the race was enlivened when Alonso began the second round of pit stops. He came out ahead of Hamilton, outside the top ten. It took a couple of laps for Hamilton to pass the heavier Renault, but it was fruitless as he had yet to make a necessary second pit stop – this would come on lap 53, putting him way back from any points scoring positions.

With sixteen laps remaining, leader Massa made his – and the –final stop of the afternoon, emerging comfortably ahead of Raikkonen. The order behind the Ferrari’s – twenty second behind the second one – read Trulli, who was closely accompanied by Kovalainen and Kubica. Kovalainen had used the McLaren’s superior pace and a late, short stop to jump the BMW at the final round of stops, and now the McLaren and the BMW closed in fast on Trulli’s Toyota.

This was not helped – from Jarno’s perspective – by the appearance of the one thing the Italian had feared the most – it had begun to rain.

It was light, but it was significant enough to slow the lap times noticeably. Up front Massa and Raikkonen had enough pace to take things easy without risk, but Trulli not. Behind him – right behind him – was Kovalainen in a car much better suited to the conditions, with Kubica taking a watching brief in fifth.

Thus began what may have been Trulli’s greatest drive, and an excellent performance from Kovalainen, too, as the McLaren dived left, right, every possible chance to try and pressure Trulli into a mistake. It was nail biting stuff, and a welcome addition to what may have been a largely dull race, as Trulli kept to the line and did not put a foot wrong.

On the very last lap Kovalainen made a last gasp effort and got alongside the Toyota – the two cars touched briefly, the red and white one keeping to the line, forcing the McLaren wide; the podium was Trulli’s, and much deserved, too.

Massa crossed the line a jubilant winner – and new head of the championship standings – with Raikkonen no doubt ruing a mechanical failure that cost him a certain victory.

Trulli was jubilant in third, the podium a just reward on a weekend when cars and drivers carried black stripes in memory of Ove Andersson, former Toyota boss, and Kovalainen had done all he could to score vital points for McLaren from n unlikely starting position.

Fifth went to Kubica, the car a far cry from the winning machine in Canada two weeks, sixth to Webber for Red Bull, and seventh and eighth to the Renaults of Piquet, and Alonso –the youngster sailed past his team leader on the penultimate lap when Alonso ran wide.

The rest were also-rans, with David Coulthard ninth, Lewis Hamilton a creditable tenth, and only one retirement in the shape of Jenson Button’s Honda.

Much will be made of the controversy over the Hamilton penalty, and much will also be made over whether a flailing exhaust should have been considered dangerous enough for the authorities to call for Raikkonen to pit. But for Massa this was a vital win, one that secures his stature as a serious contender for the 2008 world championship.

Written: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:49:21