The Hungarian Grand Prix 2008 turned out to be one of the most exciting races of the season. Its a known fact that this race has always been a dull affair due to the lack of overtaking opportunities provided to the drivers. Usually the one to qualify upfront wins the race. However, this time the refueling rig fires and technical failures provided the much needed excitement.
McLaren were stronger around this circuit right from the very first day and they confirmed it by locking out the front row of the grid with ease. Lewis Hamilton took the pole position while his team mate, Heikki Kovalainen claimed the second place on the grid. Ferrari had to be content with the 3rd place on the grid for Felipe Massa while the reigning champion, Kimi Raikkonen had to settle for a somewhat distant 6th place.
Its not hard to imagine Felipe leading his much hyped team mate in qualifying and race. Kimi’s off form continues to extend, often raising doubts about his love and dedication towards racing. That may not be the case in real but it seems that the champion is struggling to keep up with expectations. The impressive Robert Kubica secured the 4th slot on the grid with Timo Glock of Toyota in 5th.
The race was an exciting affair, as mentioned earlier. Felipe Massa made sure he took revenge for Hamilton’s overtaking maneuver on him at the last race. Massa literally flew off the line and overtook both the McLarens at one go. He made sure he was leading at the first corner, in a way almost securing a win for himself and Ferrari. His team mate, however, had no such luck to start with and lost a place to Fernando Alonso.
Lewis and his team mate continued their chase for Massa. Lewis suffered a puncture mid way through the race possibly as a result of trying too hard. It certainly discounted all his chances for a win. Kimi continued to chase Alonso but was unable to pass the slower car. Massa dominated throughout the race until a few laps from the finish. His Ferrari gave up and his chances of victory went up in smokes.
Kimi finally was able to pass Alonso at the final pit stop. Massa’s engine failure promoted Heikki Kovalainen to the race lead and put Timo Glock in the second place. Kimi was closing in fast in 3rd but was advised to ease of due to some kind of a technical problem. Heikki claimed his very first win and Glock claimed his first podium finish. Kimi was just lucky to finish third and restore some pride for Ferrari.
Alonso finished 4th for Renault while Lewis finished in 5th. He was followed by Nelson Piquet in 6th and Jarno Trulli in 7th. It certainly turned out to be a good race for both Renault and Toyota. Robert Kubica finished 8th for BMW Sauber. After this round, Lewis still leads the driver’s championship while Kimi is now in 2nd, a few points ahead of his team mate Massa. The final results from this race are as follows -
1 - Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren-Mercedes - 70 - 1:37:27.067
2 - Timo Glock - Toyota - 70 - +11.0 secs
3 - Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 70 - +16.8 secs
4 - Fernando Alonso - Renault - 70 - +21.6 secs
5 - Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes - 70 - +23.0 secs
6 - Nelsinho Piquet - Renault - 70 - +32.2 secs
7 - Jarno Trulli - Toyota - 70 - +36.4 secs
8 - Robert Kubica - BMW Sauber - 70 - +48.3 secs
9 - Mark Webber - Red Bull-Renault - 70 - +58.8 secs
10 - Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 70 - +67.7 secs
11 - David Coulthard - Red Bull-Renault - 70 - +70.4 secs
12 - Jenson Button - Honda - 69 - +1 Lap
13 - Kazuki Nakajima - Williams-Toyota - 69 - +1 Lap
14 - Nico Rosberg - Williams-Toyota - 69 - +1 Lap
15 - Giancarlo Fisichella - Force India-Ferrari - 69 - +1 Lap
16 - Rubens Barrichello - Honda - 68 - +2 Laps
17 - Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 67 - Engine
18 - Sebastien Bourdais - STR-Ferrari - 67 - +3 Laps
Ret - 20 - Adrian Sutil - Force India-Ferrari - 62 - Brakes
Ret - 15 - Sebastian Vettel - STR-Ferrari - 22 - Overheating
