The unexpected is always a welcome addition to any Grand Prix, and when it occurs more than once in a give race, even more so.
The Belgian Grand prix at Spa Francorchamps promised much, looked set not to deliver, then took one of those unexpected turns that stand everything on its head.
At the start pole sitter Lewis Hamilton spun his wheels on the wet track, but so did everyone else, some more than most. He led into La Source from front row partner Kimi Raikkonen, with behind them a melee of huge dimensions as cars headed out onto the wide run off en masse. The order, when it settled down, saw the front two lead away, with Hamilton pulling out a huge gap up the hill from Eau Rouge, and behind them Felipe Mass led a fast starting Fernando Alonso and an equally stellar Sebastien Bourdais in the ever improving STR.
Further back – somewhere around 13th at this point – came Heikki Kovalainen, the second McLaren driver having got the start completely wrong and found him comprehensively swamped. The likeable Finn would now begin a fight back of epic proportions, but it would all go to waste when he tangled with Mark Webber – the McLaren went in too late, too fast – and was handed a perfectly fair drive through penalty.
Another victim of the messy first corner was Nick Heidfeld, the German failing to capitalise on his fifth place grid position and being nudged out in a three wide manoeuvre involving what appeared to be a Toyota and Red Bull. He settled in tenth position or so, and could have no idea of what was to come later on.
Up front, however, and the first of our surprises hit home; the race leader, Hamilton, spun at La Source, rejoining right ahead of Raikkonen who simply glued the Ferrari to the back end of the McLaren and dragged past up the hill. As Kimi began to edge away from Lewis, and Felipe behind him dropped back tenth by tenth, we considered that that might be it, at least until the first round of pit stops.
Hamilton pitted at the end of lap 11, and took on another set of softs, and Kimi came in a lap later. Massa and the rest followed over the next couple of laps, and the order settled down as before.
During the middle stint the front three lapped in times absolutely equal, and despite losing Nelson Piquet – who had been the only driver to start on intermediates – and Kovalainen relentlessly clawing back through the field nothing much happened for the next few laps.
On lap 25 the two leaders came in for their final pits- for the hard tyre this time – and when they settled back into position there was three and a half seconds between them. Massa sat a few seconds back and making no impression, and when Robert Kubica made a lengthy final stop Alonso settled in fourth, the two STR’s of Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel followed in the next two places, and Heidfeld was elevated to seventh ahead of his team-mate.
At this point of the race Hamilton began to reel Raikkonen in by a tenth or two here and there, and likewise Massa was on the same course behind, but seemingly out of contention.
Then, with about fifteen laps left, race control indicated that they were expecting rain within the next twenty minutes. Quick calculations gave that as two to three laps before the end.
They were absolutely spot on.
As the clock ticked down three laps to go, suddenly the cars looked twitchy and difficult, and with the gap down to just one second to the leader by now Hamilton must have been praying for more. He got a little crossed up at the Bus Stop that lap, but next time around he was right on the back of the Ferrari with the lap times having fallen considerably and Raikkonen not enjoying himself at all.
Into the Bus Stop Lewis put the McLaren alongside the Ferrari, the rd car nudged the silver one onto the grass and Hamilton had to take evasive action in order to cede the place and any unfair advantage.
Across the line they went with Kimi ahead, but immediately Hamilton jinked right and braked as late as possible, snatching the lead as the rain began to hammer down harder on the pit lane.
The cars were on tiptoes now, and with two laps – over eight and a half miles – left to run in the rain, a number of cars took the option of pitting for intermediates. They included Heidfeld and Alonso, the latter having had a moment and found himself down the order, and they had nothing to lose.
Up front Hamilton fended off an initial challenge back from Raikkonen but soon began to extend his lead by a fraction, as the cars on dry tyres were now playing a dangerous game in treacherous conditions.
And it was to be Raikkonen who was caught out, the Ferrari slewing one way then another on the water and slamming into a barrier at what looked like walking pace. Raikkonen climbed from the car – a few miles earlier a sure fire and deserved victor, yet now facing a long stroll back to the garage, and no points.
Hamilton and Massa were finding things so difficult now that their lap times had dropped off by forty seconds or so, but then all they had to do was cruise around and finish in their given positions.
This they did, two professionals on top of their game taking the top two slots on the podium.
The mix up had left Bourdais a no doubt astonished third – and a great race he had driven – but we had reckoned without the sheer speed difference that Heidfeld and Alonso would find from the wet tyre.
Indeed, the German in the BMW passed car after car with absolute ease on the final lap, and emerged a surprised and no doubt delighted third, the Spaniard in the Renault an equally astonished fourth, with Vettel heading Kubica and Bourdais, the latter getting the worst of the last few laps, and Timo Glock in the final points paying positions.
The drama may not be yet over as I write this, however, for the stewards have indicated they would be investigating the incident in which Hamilton went by Raikkonen on the grass.
We wait to see whether they accept that he gave the place back, and expect the victory to stand.
Written: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:09:19
[ Print View ][ E-Mail Article ]
- March 13, 2010Alonso ahead in final practice
- March 12, 2010First blood to Rosberg
- March 11, 2010Longer circuit disappoints drivers
- March 10, 2010Vettel and Webber 'get on well'
- February 10, 2010New Red Bull RB6
- February 08, 2010Webber to debut RB6
- November 04, 2009F1 news briefs: Wednesday
- November 01, 2009Vettel wins Abu Dhabi
- October 31, 2009Brits on top in P3
- October 30, 2009McLaren on form in Abu Dhabi
- (September 07, 2008)View all headlines from this date
