The F1 was back this weekend, and what a race it was. The fun began right from the start, and ended at the Finish line with Alonso and Hamilton taking the top spots. Raikkonen raced a good race, but was not able to get ahead of either of the two Mclaren Mercedes drivers.
The start: Fernando had qualified in second place on the starting grid. At the first corner, he took the lead from pole sitter Felipe Massa (Ferrari). Lewis, fourth in qualifying, overtook Kimi Rà¤ikkà¶nen (Ferrari) in the first corner and then Massa in the second corner to complete the opening lap in second place.
The race: On lap four, Massa attacked Hamilton, but did not get past. On lap six the Brazilian got past. But he ran wide and was immediately repassed by Lewis. Fernando was now running 7.5sec ahead of his team-mate Lewis, Rà¤ikkà¶nen and Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber).
Lap 18: First pit stop for Fernando (8.1sec), Lewis taking the lead and Fernando rejoining in third place ahead of Heidfeld. The Englishman came in for his own first pit stop on lap 20 (7.4sec) and two laps later Lewis posted the fastest lap of the race in 1min36.701sec. One lap later, when the top-six drivers had completed their respective first pit stops, Fernando was back in the lead ahead of Lewis.
Lap 38: Lewis came in for his second stop in 7.6sec, resuming in fifth place. Fernando followed two laps later (7.2sec) and resumed second. After the scheduled stopps for Massa (lap 40), Rà¤ikkà¶nen (41) and Heidfeld (42) Fernando emerged in the lead with Lewis second ahead of Raikkonen, Heidfeld and Massa.
After 56 laps, Fernando scored the first victory for Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes with Lewis in second place to claim a podium place again in only his second Grand Prix.
Comments
Fernando Alonso: “To win today after coming second in Australia with my new team is like a dream come true. I’m so happy and pleased with the progress we as a team have made since we unveiled the MP4-22 in mid-January. We knew the key to victory today was to make a good start and get in front to control the race which we achieved. To have Lewis in second place makes today’s result even better. There was bit of a drama when there was a problem with my radio after about ten laps so I wasn’t sure if the team was ready for me when I came in to pit for the first time. However they were and the radio was fixed during the stop. After that it was a matter of fighting the conditions but as I was not really threatened I could take it a bit easier, however it was tough – really tough. We will now continue our preparations for Bahrain and I can’t wait.”
Lewis Hamilton: “That was the toughest race of my career. I was defending my position for a lot of the time and I’m so pleased that I managed to keep both Felipe and Kimi behind me. However it was hard work and it was just so hot inside the cockpit. A big thank you to the team who have worked so hard both with the car but also preparing me for the past months. Today’s result is super for the entire team. I made a good start and was able to get past Felipe and Kimi to take second. At one point, Felipe was attacking at Turn 4 and ended up going slightly off the track and I was able to keep second. Kimi was catching towards the end as I was struggling with the balance a bit but what a race. I now have experience of racing in these conditions and will be even better prepared next year. I’m now looking forward to Bahrain. Congratulations to Fernando, very well done.”
Ron Dennis, Team Principal:
“I’m delighted for everybody in the team who have worked so hard to achieve this result. There is a new spirit within the team that I believe have been witnessed by anyone who watched us during the course of the weekend. Fernando delivers a wealth of experience and racing capability whilst Lewis continues to demonstrate why he has warranted the enthusiasm of all of us who have worked with him over the years. Everybody throughout our entire organisation deserves to celebrate the success that they have achieved tonight, but of course our attention will quickly turn to the challenge of the next race in Bahrain. We are all looking forward to an exciting championship campaign.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“What a first class race from Fernando and Lewis. Both drivers performed excellently supported by a well executed strategy from the team. All the hard work from everybody in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart has paid off. Well done guys and to the next Grand Prix next weekend.”