Reverend
July 23rd, 2007, 16:54 PM
Lewis Hamilton's championship lead was slashed as he failed to score points in a dramatic European Grand Prix won by his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard took the lead from Felipe Massa's Ferrari with five laps left in a race defined by rain showers.
Hamilton finished ninth and is now just two points ahead of the world champion, with Massa a further nine behind.
Mark Webber's Red Bull was third as Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen retired, dealing his title hopes a heavy blow.
The Finn was in third place at Germany's Nurburgring behind Massa and Alonso when his engine started to cut out shortly after half distance and he was forced to retire.
Raikkonen remains 18 points behind Hamilton with a maximum of only 70 still available in the remaining seven races.
Hamilton's hopes of scoring points were dashed in a torrential early shower of rain.
After starting 10th following his crash in qualifying, he was up to fourth after the first few corners. But it was pouring down by the time the cars were halfway around the first lap.
Debutant Markus Winkelhock in the Spyker, who had started from the pit lane on wet-weather tyres, assumed the lead as everyone else pulled into the pits to change tyres.
But the rain was soon so hard that cars were spinning off all over the place and the race was stopped after four laps.
Hamilton was among six drivers - including Honda's Jenson Button - to go off at the first corner, where the track was under water, but he kept his engine running and was able to rejoin the race at the back of the field.
The re-start took place under blue skies on a still-damp track, and Massa and Alonso wasted no time in passing Winkelhock.
But Hamilton gambled on using dry-weather tyres at the re-start, and initially it did not pay off - he ran off the track and into the gravel on the first racing lap.
He managed to rejoin, though, and was soon setting fastest laps as he attempted to make up lost ground, prompting the other leading runners to come in to the pits to follow his lead in fitting dry tyres.
Hamilton drove flat out for the rest of the afternoon and had hauled himself up into eighth place when a late shower of rain hit with nine laps to go.
While the other drivers immediately pitted to change tyres, Hamilton stayed out on his dry-weather tyres, hoping to benefit from the others' stops.
But his second gamble of the afternoon also failed to pay off - the rain continued and Hamilton was forced to stop with five laps to go, dropping him to 10th.
European Grand Prix result:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
3. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
4. Alexander Wurz (Aut) Williams-Toyota
5. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
8. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
Championship standings:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 68
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 59
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 52
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 36
6. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 24
7. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 17
8. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 15
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 138 pts
2. Ferrari 111
3. BMW Sauber 61
4. Renault 32
5. Williams-Toyota 18
Full race report: BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6910755.stm)
The Spaniard took the lead from Felipe Massa's Ferrari with five laps left in a race defined by rain showers.
Hamilton finished ninth and is now just two points ahead of the world champion, with Massa a further nine behind.
Mark Webber's Red Bull was third as Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen retired, dealing his title hopes a heavy blow.
The Finn was in third place at Germany's Nurburgring behind Massa and Alonso when his engine started to cut out shortly after half distance and he was forced to retire.
Raikkonen remains 18 points behind Hamilton with a maximum of only 70 still available in the remaining seven races.
Hamilton's hopes of scoring points were dashed in a torrential early shower of rain.
After starting 10th following his crash in qualifying, he was up to fourth after the first few corners. But it was pouring down by the time the cars were halfway around the first lap.
Debutant Markus Winkelhock in the Spyker, who had started from the pit lane on wet-weather tyres, assumed the lead as everyone else pulled into the pits to change tyres.
But the rain was soon so hard that cars were spinning off all over the place and the race was stopped after four laps.
Hamilton was among six drivers - including Honda's Jenson Button - to go off at the first corner, where the track was under water, but he kept his engine running and was able to rejoin the race at the back of the field.
The re-start took place under blue skies on a still-damp track, and Massa and Alonso wasted no time in passing Winkelhock.
But Hamilton gambled on using dry-weather tyres at the re-start, and initially it did not pay off - he ran off the track and into the gravel on the first racing lap.
He managed to rejoin, though, and was soon setting fastest laps as he attempted to make up lost ground, prompting the other leading runners to come in to the pits to follow his lead in fitting dry tyres.
Hamilton drove flat out for the rest of the afternoon and had hauled himself up into eighth place when a late shower of rain hit with nine laps to go.
While the other drivers immediately pitted to change tyres, Hamilton stayed out on his dry-weather tyres, hoping to benefit from the others' stops.
But his second gamble of the afternoon also failed to pay off - the rain continued and Hamilton was forced to stop with five laps to go, dropping him to 10th.
European Grand Prix result:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
3. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
4. Alexander Wurz (Aut) Williams-Toyota
5. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
8. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault
Championship standings:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 68
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 59
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 52
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 36
6. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 24
7. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 17
8. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 15
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 138 pts
2. Ferrari 111
3. BMW Sauber 61
4. Renault 32
5. Williams-Toyota 18
Full race report: BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6910755.stm)