Reverend
August 24th, 2008, 19:38 PM
Ferrari's Felipe Massa became Lewis Hamilton's closest championship challenger with a copybook victory in the European Grand Prix at Valencia.
The Brazilian held off the challenge from Hamilton's McLaren throughout the race on the new Spanish street track.
Massa survived a stewards' inquiry after being released into the path of another car after his second pit stop.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was third, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen saw his title hopes dented with retirement.
Hamilton's lead is a point bigger than it was at the start of the race - he now leads by six points from Massa, while Raikkonen's deficit following his engine failure has grown from five points to 13.
Massa's victory was allowed to stand after an inquiry into an incident at his pit stop on lap 37, when he was released illegally into the path of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Unusually, the stewards decided they would investigate at the end of the race - a move that will be met with cynicism in the F1 paddock given the potential impact on the title battle.
Officials eventually chose to reprimand and fine Ferrari 10,000 euros (7, 981 pounds), ruling that the incident was unsafe but that Massa had not gained a sporting advantage.
Massa's near-miss with Sutil may have been influenced by Ferrari's pit-stop system, in which the team do not have a "lollipop man" controlling the driver. Instead, they use a system of lights, which are operated by the crew doing the pit stop.
Out on the track, Massa and Hamilton staged their own private battle at the front of the field, but the Ferrari driver was always just that bit too fast for his rival.
Massa consolidated his pole position into a lead on the first lap as Hamilton, starting on the dirty side of the track, was forced to defend his second place from Kubica.
Massa then proceeded to edge away from Hamilton until he had a lead of nearly five seconds by the time of his first pit stop on lap 15, two laps earlier than Hamilton's first stop.
But despite two superbly quick laps from the McLaren driver before he came into the pits, the margin between the two was reduced by only a second when Hamilton rejoined.
And Massa was even stronger in the second stint, pulling away from Hamilton in a more convincing fashion to be more than eight seconds in front by the time of his second stop on lap 37.
The Ferrari driver regained his lead when Hamilton stopped two laps later and cruised to his fourth victory of the year - the same number as Hamilton.
European Grand Prix Result:
1. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
4. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren- Mercedes
5. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
6. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso- Ferrari
7. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota
8. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota
Championship standings:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 64
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 57
4. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 55
5. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren- Mercedes 43
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 41
7. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 26
8. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 18
Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 121 pts
2. McLaren-Mercedes 113
2. BMW Sauber 96
4. Toyota 41
5. Renault 31
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7579769.stm)
The Brazilian held off the challenge from Hamilton's McLaren throughout the race on the new Spanish street track.
Massa survived a stewards' inquiry after being released into the path of another car after his second pit stop.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was third, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen saw his title hopes dented with retirement.
Hamilton's lead is a point bigger than it was at the start of the race - he now leads by six points from Massa, while Raikkonen's deficit following his engine failure has grown from five points to 13.
Massa's victory was allowed to stand after an inquiry into an incident at his pit stop on lap 37, when he was released illegally into the path of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Unusually, the stewards decided they would investigate at the end of the race - a move that will be met with cynicism in the F1 paddock given the potential impact on the title battle.
Officials eventually chose to reprimand and fine Ferrari 10,000 euros (7, 981 pounds), ruling that the incident was unsafe but that Massa had not gained a sporting advantage.
Massa's near-miss with Sutil may have been influenced by Ferrari's pit-stop system, in which the team do not have a "lollipop man" controlling the driver. Instead, they use a system of lights, which are operated by the crew doing the pit stop.
Out on the track, Massa and Hamilton staged their own private battle at the front of the field, but the Ferrari driver was always just that bit too fast for his rival.
Massa consolidated his pole position into a lead on the first lap as Hamilton, starting on the dirty side of the track, was forced to defend his second place from Kubica.
Massa then proceeded to edge away from Hamilton until he had a lead of nearly five seconds by the time of his first pit stop on lap 15, two laps earlier than Hamilton's first stop.
But despite two superbly quick laps from the McLaren driver before he came into the pits, the margin between the two was reduced by only a second when Hamilton rejoined.
And Massa was even stronger in the second stint, pulling away from Hamilton in a more convincing fashion to be more than eight seconds in front by the time of his second stop on lap 37.
The Ferrari driver regained his lead when Hamilton stopped two laps later and cruised to his fourth victory of the year - the same number as Hamilton.
European Grand Prix Result:
1. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
4. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren- Mercedes
5. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota
6. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso- Ferrari
7. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota
8. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota
Championship standings:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 70 pts
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 64
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 57
4. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 55
5. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren- Mercedes 43
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 41
7. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 26
8. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 18
Constructors' championship:
1. Ferrari 121 pts
2. McLaren-Mercedes 113
2. BMW Sauber 96
4. Toyota 41
5. Renault 31
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7579769.stm)