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After the terrible
Massa incident on
Saturday, Kimi
Raikkonen delivered
Scuderia Ferrari a
fantastic morale
boosting second
place podium finish
in the Hungarian
Grand Prix, his
second podium of the
season and the
team’s third. Once
again, KERS played a
decisive role, as
the Scuderia Ferrari
Marlboro man was
able to move up
three places at the
start. The race was
won by Lewis
Hamilton, taking his
and the
McLaren-Mercedes
team’s first victory
of the year. Joining
them on the podium
was Mark Webber for
Red Bull Renault.
The eight points
that come with
second place, see
Scuderia Ferrari move into
third place,
overtaking Toyota in
the Constructors’
Championship.
Sporting Director
Stefano Domenicali
dedicated the second
place result to
Felipe Massa.
As
the cars lined up on
the grid, the
Scuderia Ferrari
team went
through its pre-race
preparation with its
usual
professionalism and
commitment, however,
everyone’s thoughts
were with Felipe
Massa, in hospital
in Budapest , after
his accident in
qualifying. In fact,
the team lined up on
the side of the grid
with a pit board,
wishing the
Brazilian luck and
saying their
thoughts were with
him. Kimi Raikkonen
was on the clean
side of the grid in
seventh spot, with
the temperature
hovering around 25
degrees.
Alonso led from pole
and the effect of
the clean side of
the track and the
power boost of KERS
combined to produce
the following order,
Webber, Hamilton,
Kimi, Rosberg,
Kovalainen, Vettel
who dropped from
second after making
contact with the
Ferrari driver,
Nakajima, Button and
Trulli rounding off
the top ten. On lap
5, Hamilton passed
Webber for second
and Vettel was
challenging
Kovalainen for
sixth. Kimi was just
under a second
behind the Red Bull
and the same
distance ahead of
Rosberg.
Hamilton
was the fastest man
on track and began
closing the 2.1
second gap to leader
Alonso. These two
were pulling away
from the field so
that on lap 8 third
placed Webber was
four seconds off the
leader. Lap 9 and
Hamilton was 1.2 off
the leading Renault
and Kimi had dropped
to 1.5 behind
Webber, but two laps
later the Finn had
reduced it to 0.7.
It was on this lap
that the Stewards
announced that “an
incident involving
car 4 (Raikkonen)
would be
investigated after
the race,” a
reference to the
wheel banging in the
opening moments
after the start. In
the end, no action
was taken.
Alonso was the first
to refuel, coming in
on lap 12, but the
Spaniard immediately
appeared to slow and
after a few corner,
the front right
wheel fell off and
he drove slowly
round to the pits on
three wheels, lucky
to get back in the
race. Kimi was
therefore third now,
behind leader
Hamilton and one
second behind
Webber. Alonso
retired in the pits
on lap 16,
presumably because
of his previous
problem.
Kimi
came in on lap 19
for his stop as did
Webber and the Red
Bull crew nearly
released the
Australian into the
Ferrari man’s path.
Hamilton stopped on
lap 20, as did
Rosberg. Kovalainen
and Vettel came in
on lap 21. Kimi was
down in sixth but
three cars ahead of
the F60 had yet to
visit pit lane.
Button brought the
Brawn in on lap 25,
leaving Trulli,
behind leader
Hamilton the only
front runner not to
have refuelled. Kimi
was back to third at
this point, seven
seconds behind the
leader. Trulli
finally brought the
Toyota in for tyres
and fuel on lap 28,
Kimi now second, 6.5
behind Hamilton.
Second in the
championship, Vettel
made two unscheduled
visit to the pits,
retiring there on
lap 30.
At
half distance (lap
35,) Kimi trailed
Hamilton by 6.6,
with a comfortable
12.0 cushion to
third placed Webber,
who had Kovalainen
right on his tale.
Behind them came
Rosberg, Glock,
Trulli, with Button
in the last point
position, eighth.
Kovalainen initiated
the second series of
pit stops coming in
from fifth on lap 44
and Kimi came in
next time round, the
Finn taking his time
to get going again,
because of a problem
with the right hand
exhaust on his F60,
rejoining fourth,
while leader
Hamilton pitted on
lap 46. Lap 49 saw
Hamilton still in
the lead, 1.4 ahead
of Webber, yet to
make his final pit
visit, then Kimi in
third, with Glock’s
Toyota just half a
second behind him.
Webber came in on
lap 50, which meant
Kimi was back in
second place, 16.2
behind Hamilton with
19 laps remaining.
After Glock pitted,
dropping to sixth,
the order remained
unchanged to the
flag: Hamilton,
Raikkonen, Webber,
Rosberg, Kovalainen,
Glock, Button and
Trulli taking the
final point for
eighth.
Today Ferrari
Chairman Luca di Montezemolo will be in Budapest to be close
to Massa and his family. "I hope I will have good news,"
Montezemolo said on the Ferrari website. "Today's result,
the best in this difficult season so far, is for Felipe!
Compliments to Kimi for a great race and to the Team, for
working well and very concentrated despite these very
difficult circumstances."
Stefano Domenicali: “We
dedicate this result to Felipe: at this
time, all our thoughts are with him and
his family and I think this sentiment
also applies to those who are close to
him and to fans all over the world. Kimi
drove a great race and the team worked
in impeccable fashion, concentrating on
the job despite what happened yesterday.
We got the best result we were capable
of. Please allow me on behalf of
everyone at Ferrari to send our best
wishes to Felipe. We love you and we are
all thinking of you.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “Today’s
result is very important for the team in
such a difficult weekend because of what
happened to Felipe yesterday. I am
pleased with second place, even if it is
not completely satisfying as I always
race to win. On this type of track, we
are certainly closer to the best than at
other circuits and today, honestly we
were actually even closer than we had
expected to be. I got a good start,
ending up fourth after the first few
corners. We knew it would be crucial to
make up places at the start to be in
with a chance of fighting for the
podium. After the first pit stop we
began to have problems with the right
hand exhaust and so, at the second stop,
the team asked to leave using a
different procedure to usual. It lost me
a bit of time but I still had a
reasonable advantage over Webber so I
could manage the situation. Today, the
car wasn’t bad, but it was not quick
enough to go for the win.”
Chris Dyer: “A super
result on a difficult weekend for the
whole team. Kimi drove a great race,
starting with a really fantastic opening
lap, followed by a very good second
stint on the softer tyres. In between
those phases, the team pulled off a
great pit stop to put Kimi ahead of
Webber. We were a bit worried about a
problem with an exhaust and so we told
the driver to be very careful at the
second pit stop. We lost a bit of time
and then in the final part, we had to
deal with a fast closing Webber, who was
very quick, but all the same, we managed
to respond well enough to comfortably
manage the situation to the finish.”
Race Details:
K. Raikkonen: 2nd 1:38.35.405, +
11.529 70 laps, Chassis 279
Weather: air temperature 23 °C, track
temperature 36 °C, sunny
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