Lewis Hamilton used two dramatic overtaking moves to overcome a McLaren strategy gaffe and win the German Grand Prix Monday, seizing the lead in Formula One's championship race.
McLaren Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain drives during the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone July 6, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Hamilton overtook Ferrari's Felipe Massa and then runner-up Nelson Piquet Jr. of Renault at the same hairpin corner after Timo Glock's earlier crash had brought out a safety car that nearly cost the McLaren driver his fourth victory of the season.
Most teams chose to pit when the safety car was out, but McLaren left its star driver out only to see him fall to fifth place when his turn to pit with 17 laps to race finally came.
But Hamilton, who now leads Massa by four points in the overall standings, worked his way through the field before nudging past Massa from the inside at turn No. 6 and then holding off the Ferrari driver's outside challenge soon after.
Piquet Jr., who earned his first career podium after starting from 17th, couldn't hold off Hamilton as the 23-year-old Briton closed in at the same corner three laps later.
"Sorry we had to make it a little bit difficult for you," McLaren team principal Ron Dennis told Hamilton over the radio. "Absolutely fantastic job."
Hamilton, who earned his eighth career win from 27 races, replied with a chuckle. But he also said he was a bit baffled by the call.
"At the end of the day I don't always know what's happening (in the garage).
"Perhaps we could have done a better job," he said. "It just made my job a little harder."
Piquet Jr. also secured Renault's first top-three finish of the season to put two Brazilians on the podium for the first time since 1991, when his father Nelson Piquet finished third at Belgium behind winner Ayrton Senna.
"I was so concentrated, I just wanted to look forward. I didn't want to spend too much time looking at how many laps but just focusing," the 22-year-old driver said. "It was an incredible feeling."
Ferrari was a step behind its rival all weekend.
"I didn't have the car to fight. It was not possible today," Massa said. "The last stint I had some problems with the brakes...that lost performance a lot."
Germany's Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber worked his way up from 12th to finish fourth ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen of Finland.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen of Finland was sixth and is now seven points behind Hamilton, while Poland's Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber and Germany's Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso also earned points.
Hamilton now has 58 points to Massa's 54. World champion Raikkonen has 51.
Glock was accelerating through turn No. 12 before his rear suspension appeared to snap.
The 26-year-old German's car spun across the track and went backward into the opposite wall at high speed, with the Toyota driver emerging clutching his back before going to hospital.
It was McLaren's first victory at Hockenheim since Mika Hakkinen triumphed here a decade ago.
Hamilton dominated the first half of the race after powering away from the ninth pole position of his career. "It's a good feeling to come off that strong win at Silverstone and win here. It's great to see the pace we have," Hamilton said.
"We have to make sure that we can continue with this performance," the Briton added.
(Shanghai Daily July 21, 2008)