Championship thrown open as Hamilton gets stuck in gravel
Raikkonen wins in China with Alonso second
The battle for the Formula One drivers’ crown was dramatically thrown wide open on Sunday when championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren put a foot wrong for the first time this season, getting stuck in gravel in the pit lane during the Chinese grand prix.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen won the race with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso coming in second.
Although Hamilton retains his lead, Alonso is now just four points behind and Raikkonen seven points, with 10 points to play for.
Hamilton had led for almost all the race but appeared to take less care of his tyres in the changing track conditions than his more experienced title rivals and was passed by Raikkonen only a couple of laps before he headed for the pits. Incredibly he slid into the gravel as he slowed. Marshals tried to push him out, but he was stranded just a metre from the tarmac which would have been his salvation. In the garage he admitted his mistake.
“It was my fault, the battle continues in Brazil” he commented. He said his mirrors were dirty and he could not properly see the condition of his rear tyres. The team later admitted it kept Hamilton out too long.
This was Hamilton'sfirst retirement this season, but he still managed to smile, sheepishly, at the reporters!
The race started in uncertain weather conditions. It was windy and rain drops started falling just a few minutes before the start as a typhoon heralded its arrival.
Most of the drivers were on intermediate tyres at the start as the rain got heavier in the formation lap.
Hamilton had an excellent start with Raikkonen in pursuit. Alonso gained a position from Massa but the Brazilian was able to retake it after a couple of turns.
Ralf Schumacher was seen to spin further down the grid and fell back to the last position. Team-mate Barrichello and Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri also spun out of the increasingly slippery track but were able to rejoin.
Vettel (Toro Rosso) moved to 12th from 17t on the start, effectively wiping out the penalty he suffered for impeding during the qualifying session.
This stage of the race saw other overtaking moves. Rosberg passed Fisichella for 16 and then team-mate Wurz for P15 and within a couple of laps, Sato (Super Aguri) while Vettel battled Kovalainen for tenth place and eventually gained the upper hand..The Finn was then overtaken by Trulli (Toyota) for 11th on lap 9 and reported understeer problems. Of course, no one was really worried at Renault – they waved goodbye to this season quite some weeks ago.
Hamilton was gaining on every lap from Raikkonen, an indication perhaps that he was lighter. By Lap 12 he was seven seconds ahead.
The rain had stopped by now and some drivers were seeking standing water to keep the right temperature on their tyres. Red Bull radio forecast rain in three minutes. They were right.
Schumacher was coming up from the back of the grid and passed Wurz for P15. Anthony Davidson retired with technical problems on lap 13.
On lap 15 Rosberg overtook Button after a short battle.
Hamilton as expected was the first of the leaders to pit. His was a quick stop on lap 15 and he did not change his tyres. He rejoined in fourth behind Raikkonen, Massa and Alonso. Raikkonen sought to profit by posting some fastest laps but Hamilton retook the lead and the order was unchanged after the first stops although Hamilton’s lead had narrowed to four seconds.
Schumacher, in this his penultimate race for Toyota, was becoming aggressive, overtaking Kovalainen on lap 18 and then Button soon after. On lap 21 he started to battle Rosberg for P12. It was a battle which was to continue for some time before the German spun out after contact with Liuzzi (Toro Rosso) losing positions before rejoining.
Hamilton again started to gain on Raikkonen and again posted the fastest lap, despite rapidly deteriorating tyres. Sections of the track was drying now, with more rain expected within minutes. Yet Webber (Red Bull), who came in on lap 24, took on dry weather tyres.
Wurz (Williams) also on the softer dry tyres now set the fastest lap. The teams now faced a dilemma. Should they switch tyres when rain could be on the horizon? Some teams hedged their bets, changing tyres on only one of their cars.
On Lap 27 Alonso managed at last to pass Massa. The Brazilian went into the pits but emerged still on intermediate tyres. Hamilton, meanwhile appeared to be slowing and Raikkonen started to gain rapidly. The Briton went wide, they came wheel to wheel, but Hamilton kept his position, just. But was the Finn on better tyres? They came side by side on the straight, but Hamilton held on, only to lose the lead on turn nine on lap 29. Raikkonen almost immediately started to stretch out a lead and Hamilton was stuggling with his left rear tyre clearly in poor condition.. Alonso too now quickly closing in on him.
And then the championship was thrown wide open as Hamilton entered the pit lane on lap 31 but ran into the gravel. Marshals tried to help him out, but he was stuck just a metre from the tarmac. He had left it too late And his championship was stalled at best. A despondent Briton left the cockpit wondering if his inexperience in taking care of the tyres had taken its toll. Had Alonso got the miracle he prayed for? The last race in Brazil will tell.
As the leaders went into the pits Kubica (BMW) took the lead but later slid onto the grass. Raikkonen was now in front 10 seconds ahead of Alonso with Massa pressuring him.
Jenson Button, meanwhile, now set the fastest lap in a Honda! He was now fourth.
Further back Liuzzi, Fisichella and Wurz were engaged in a battle for sixth. Wurz went into the pits and Fisichella got the better of Liuzzi.
Alonso started gaining on Raikkonen who at one time put two wheels on the grass. Now it was Fisichella who performed the fastest lap in his Renault as the track dried.
By lap 40 Alonso was eight seconds off Raikkonen. Both traded fastest laps but the Finn retained his control of the race and it finished with him on the top step of the podium with Alonso second and Massa third.
Vettel (Toro Rosso) made it to fourth place and team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi was sixth. Toro Rosso were in seventh heaven.
Jeson Button was fifth in Honda having at one time set the fastest lap. That lifted the team above Super Aguri in the constructors’ table. Nick Heidfeld was seventh for BMW and David Coulthard took the last point, for Red Bull.
Felipe Massa near the end of the race set the fastest time of 1:27.989
The showdown race in Brazil is in two weeks’ time.Hamilton needs to be at least third to win the crown.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen won the race with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso coming in second.
Although Hamilton retains his lead, Alonso is now just four points behind and Raikkonen seven points, with 10 points to play for.
Hamilton had led for almost all the race but appeared to take less care of his tyres in the changing track conditions than his more experienced title rivals and was passed by Raikkonen only a couple of laps before he headed for the pits. Incredibly he slid into the gravel as he slowed. Marshals tried to push him out, but he was stranded just a metre from the tarmac which would have been his salvation. In the garage he admitted his mistake.
“It was my fault, the battle continues in Brazil” he commented. He said his mirrors were dirty and he could not properly see the condition of his rear tyres. The team later admitted it kept Hamilton out too long.
This was Hamilton'sfirst retirement this season, but he still managed to smile, sheepishly, at the reporters!
The race started in uncertain weather conditions. It was windy and rain drops started falling just a few minutes before the start as a typhoon heralded its arrival.
Most of the drivers were on intermediate tyres at the start as the rain got heavier in the formation lap.
Hamilton had an excellent start with Raikkonen in pursuit. Alonso gained a position from Massa but the Brazilian was able to retake it after a couple of turns.
Ralf Schumacher was seen to spin further down the grid and fell back to the last position. Team-mate Barrichello and Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri also spun out of the increasingly slippery track but were able to rejoin.
Vettel (Toro Rosso) moved to 12th from 17t on the start, effectively wiping out the penalty he suffered for impeding during the qualifying session.
This stage of the race saw other overtaking moves. Rosberg passed Fisichella for 16 and then team-mate Wurz for P15 and within a couple of laps, Sato (Super Aguri) while Vettel battled Kovalainen for tenth place and eventually gained the upper hand..The Finn was then overtaken by Trulli (Toyota) for 11th on lap 9 and reported understeer problems. Of course, no one was really worried at Renault – they waved goodbye to this season quite some weeks ago.
Hamilton was gaining on every lap from Raikkonen, an indication perhaps that he was lighter. By Lap 12 he was seven seconds ahead.
The rain had stopped by now and some drivers were seeking standing water to keep the right temperature on their tyres. Red Bull radio forecast rain in three minutes. They were right.
Schumacher was coming up from the back of the grid and passed Wurz for P15. Anthony Davidson retired with technical problems on lap 13.
On lap 15 Rosberg overtook Button after a short battle.
Hamilton as expected was the first of the leaders to pit. His was a quick stop on lap 15 and he did not change his tyres. He rejoined in fourth behind Raikkonen, Massa and Alonso. Raikkonen sought to profit by posting some fastest laps but Hamilton retook the lead and the order was unchanged after the first stops although Hamilton’s lead had narrowed to four seconds.
Schumacher, in this his penultimate race for Toyota, was becoming aggressive, overtaking Kovalainen on lap 18 and then Button soon after. On lap 21 he started to battle Rosberg for P12. It was a battle which was to continue for some time before the German spun out after contact with Liuzzi (Toro Rosso) losing positions before rejoining.
Hamilton again started to gain on Raikkonen and again posted the fastest lap, despite rapidly deteriorating tyres. Sections of the track was drying now, with more rain expected within minutes. Yet Webber (Red Bull), who came in on lap 24, took on dry weather tyres.
Wurz (Williams) also on the softer dry tyres now set the fastest lap. The teams now faced a dilemma. Should they switch tyres when rain could be on the horizon? Some teams hedged their bets, changing tyres on only one of their cars.
On Lap 27 Alonso managed at last to pass Massa. The Brazilian went into the pits but emerged still on intermediate tyres. Hamilton, meanwhile appeared to be slowing and Raikkonen started to gain rapidly. The Briton went wide, they came wheel to wheel, but Hamilton kept his position, just. But was the Finn on better tyres? They came side by side on the straight, but Hamilton held on, only to lose the lead on turn nine on lap 29. Raikkonen almost immediately started to stretch out a lead and Hamilton was stuggling with his left rear tyre clearly in poor condition.. Alonso too now quickly closing in on him.
And then the championship was thrown wide open as Hamilton entered the pit lane on lap 31 but ran into the gravel. Marshals tried to help him out, but he was stuck just a metre from the tarmac. He had left it too late And his championship was stalled at best. A despondent Briton left the cockpit wondering if his inexperience in taking care of the tyres had taken its toll. Had Alonso got the miracle he prayed for? The last race in Brazil will tell.
As the leaders went into the pits Kubica (BMW) took the lead but later slid onto the grass. Raikkonen was now in front 10 seconds ahead of Alonso with Massa pressuring him.
Jenson Button, meanwhile, now set the fastest lap in a Honda! He was now fourth.
Further back Liuzzi, Fisichella and Wurz were engaged in a battle for sixth. Wurz went into the pits and Fisichella got the better of Liuzzi.
Alonso started gaining on Raikkonen who at one time put two wheels on the grass. Now it was Fisichella who performed the fastest lap in his Renault as the track dried.
By lap 40 Alonso was eight seconds off Raikkonen. Both traded fastest laps but the Finn retained his control of the race and it finished with him on the top step of the podium with Alonso second and Massa third.
Vettel (Toro Rosso) made it to fourth place and team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi was sixth. Toro Rosso were in seventh heaven.
Jeson Button was fifth in Honda having at one time set the fastest lap. That lifted the team above Super Aguri in the constructors’ table. Nick Heidfeld was seventh for BMW and David Coulthard took the last point, for Red Bull.
Felipe Massa near the end of the race set the fastest time of 1:27.989
The showdown race in Brazil is in two weeks’ time.Hamilton needs to be at least third to win the crown.