Well the season just seems to be getting better and better. Its throwing up more surprises and twists then even a Jeffery Archer thriller. Though this weekend’s Hugaroring GP was made interesting courtesy lady luck, but then we got to revel on yet another jumbled podium. Heikki Kovalainen got his maiden victory (though he may not have deserved it in this race, but his performance this season certainly merited him one sooner than later) , Timo Glock rounded off another strong performance for Toyota – and considering the present scenario, even Kimi Raikkonen’s third place was somewhat unexpected.
Many questions have been raised about the Finn’s motivation and as to whether he is performing to his peak. The speculation was fuelled further as he put in another disappointing qualifying performance managing only the 6th fastest time behind Glock and all the top contenders. No such problem for Hamilton though, who is on a roll and certainly the hottest driver on the grid as of now. His pole combined with Kovalainen’s place alongside him on the first row ensured another McLaren battle won over Ferrari. With Massa in third, the scarlet car seemed to be on cue, leaving Kimi with much to answer.
The race start was perhaps the most exciting of this season. Massa seemed to have shot off the line on rocket fuel and the hapless Kovalainen (who was on the dirty side of the track) could only watch him zoom past. However there was more to follow. By the first corner the Ferrari had cought up with Hamilton’s pole setting McLaren and though on the outside, Massa was charged enough to outwit the Brit and head ahead of him out of the corner. Maybe Hamilton’s move on Massa in the previous race had him charged up and if so it was the perfect payback. Only that Massa move was much better as he did it from the outside and fought off Hamilton as he tried to run the Brazilian off the track (same tactic that he had successfully used against the same driver at Hockenheim). Meanwhile the other Finn on the grid too was disappointing off the block and was jumped by Alonso’s Renault.
Massa and Hamilton thereafter exchanged some real quick laps as the championship leader kept his nearest rival within his reach and seemed to wait for the first pit interval to jump him in the pits. However this was not to happen and there was no drama during the pits with the top drivers concerned. However there was drama elsewhere as Sebastien Bourdais’ refueling rig spilled fuel on the car which caught fire. Though this was instantly put off by the crew, the incident occurred to Barichello, Nakajima and Bourdais (yes, again!). This raised some questions about the FIA provided fuelling rig and would be certainly investigated into.
The second stint was the best for Massa as he consolidated his lead and Hamilton seemed to have resigned to his second place. His Finnish teammate meanwhile was driving contently in third place with Timo Glock’s Toyota comfortably off him. This was when all the drama begun. On lap 41, Hamilton’s front left Bridgestone lost tyre pressure and he had to do almost a third of the lap considerably off the pace in a massively understeering car - the saving grace being that it came at the time of his scheduled second stop. Hamilton has often been blamed of being hard on his tyres and maybe this was the reason for the incident which dropped him down to ninth place – though with rest of the grid yet to stop for the second time.
During the second pit interval Kimi was hot on the heels of Alonso and just when he seemed to get the better of him, he was interrupted by Vettel making a rash exit from the pits. The Finn to back off and lose crucial tenths on the Spaniard. However some slick work by his pit crew saw him still come out ahead of Alonso. Robert Kubica was having a terrible race and slipped off from his fifth place start behind both Kimi and Alonso. With Kimi now having Glock in his sights, for the first time during the weekend he showed the hunger and pace he is known for and starting closing on the Toyota at a rapid pace. The race at the top seemed to be decided – as Massa had an unassailable lead over Kovalainen – which meant an upheaval in the driver’s standings. This is when disaster struck.
With just three laps to go, Massa engine went bust in a large cloud of smoke on the start finish straight. Massa had dropped pace during the preceding laps and maybe the team had discovered something unusual about the engine, thereby prompting him to cruise. It is speculative though, as drivers with a healthy lead do tend to slow down during the final stages of the race. In any case Kimi immediately aborted his pursuit of Glock (who had had an excellent race, more so after his massive crash in Germany) and slowed down to ensure he made it to the finish line hale and hearty. The body language of Massa said it all. He had all the reason to be shattered. This was one of his best performance, he had outwitted two of the best drivers on pure skill and driven an impeccable race. And to lose all this to a cruel turn of fate was a bit unfair – but then this is motor racing. The incident though reminded one of Raikkonen’s suspension failure in the last lap while leading the German GP in 2005 which would eventually cost him the title. Whether Massa would face such a fate, only time will tell.
All this handed the race to Heikki on a salver. But as they say “You’ve to be in it to win it”. The Finn was jubilant and after a long time we saw genuine smiles all round the paddock. Kimi congratulated his compatriot and in total contrast to previous year, both McLaren drivers showed big thumbs up to eachother. Even Ron Dennis was happy as Heikki seemed to have repaid the faith shown in him by the team (his contract was extended recently) in the best possible manner. Massa was probably the only person who was somber (as even for Hamilton it was not as bad as it could have been). This has made the driver’s title even closer. However in the constructors’ ahampionship BMW seem to have run off steam with Renault and Toyota catching them on new found success. For Renault Alonso finished 4th and Piquet put in yet another strong 6th place finish to add to his podium of the previous race. Trulli finished 6th to add to Glock’s effort for Toyota, while an out of sorts Kubica still managed to salvage the last point to keep him fourth in the overall standings.
As we head into the summer break, the pressure will be relentless on everyone. Bridgestone will be concerned after Hamilton’s failure, so will be the Ferrari engine department (who probably had the biggest embarrassment in a long time) – after all this season all teams have been generally very reliable. But one thing is for sure, the last couple of seasons and this one till date have been the best thing to happen to the sport in some time. After the Schumi “processions”, the fans are now being treated to nail biting finishes and a very varied podium in almost every race. Only people who may be worried are the health and safety department, who may not be very amused with such “tense” finishes.
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