McLaren's Fernando Alonso won a thrilling and chaotic European
Grand Prix yesterday while championship leading team mate Lewis
Hamilton's run of nine consecutive podium appearances came to an
end.
The double world champion's victory, after a wheel-banging
thrust past Ferrari's Felipe Massa just four laps from the finish,
left the Spaniard two points adrift of the British rookie in the
standings.
Massa finished second with Mark Webber of Australia third for
Red Bull. Hamilton finished ninth, off the podium and out of the
points for the first time in the 22-year-old's extraordinary debut
season.
He has 70 points, Alonso 68 and Massa 59. Ferrari's Kimi
Raikkonen, who started on pole position, failed to finish and has
52 points.
In a race halted in a downpour after four laps and then
re-started behind the safety car, with Germany's Markus Winkelhock
leading astonishingly on his debut for struggling Spyker, Alonso
showed all his fighting spirit.
He took the chequered flag 8.1 seconds ahead of Massa, who left
the Spaniard in no doubt about his feelings in a heated exchange
before the two stepped onto the podium. To rub further salt in the
scowling Brazilian's wounds, the winning team's trophy was
presented to McLaren boss Ron Dennis by Ferrari's retired seven
times champion Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton, who crashed heavily in qualifying on Saturday, skidded
off on the third lap but kept the engine running and was able to
continue for the re-start -- albeit a lap down on the leaders.
In the circumstances, his final position was still a magnificent
result for the rookie, who set a series of fastest laps in fighting
back from last place.
"It's a new experience for me, not having to find my way to the
podium," he said.
(China Daily via Agencies July 23, 2007)