It was a race that featured spectacular engine failures, blazing fuelling rigs, sudden punctures and Formula One’s 100th winner – a busy afternoon, but we’ve summarised every team and driver in just six words each.
Overall race report
Massa’s misfortune is Kovalainen’s breakthrough win
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Drivers
- 1: Heikki Kovalainen
- Made his own luck, deserved win
- 2: Timo Glock
- Clung to podium like a limpit
- 3: Kimi Raikkonen
- Needs to perform for full weekend
- 4: Fernando Alonso
- Setting out stall for 2009 contract
- 5: Lewis Hamilton
- Win looked doubtful even without puncture
- 6: Nelson Piquet Jr
- Gradually maturing before our very eyes
- 7: Jarno Trulli
- Traffic delays prevented performance like Glock’s
- 8: Robert Kubica
- Couldn’t salvage anything from team’s weakness
- 9: Mark Webber
- Lacked speed, was never in hunt
- 10: Nick Heidfeld
- One-stopper helped him achieve respectability
- 11: David Coulthard
- Tried different tyre strategy, gained little
- 12: Jenson Button
- Happier with car than with result
- 13: Kazuki Nakajima
- Tried a one-stopper but struggled
- 14: Nico Rosberg
- Started badly and slipped back further
- 15: Giancarlo Fisichella
- Pleased with lap times and performance
- 16: Rubens Barrichello
- Couldn’t run competitively after pitlane blaze
- 17: Sebastien Bourdais
- Was on fire out there. Literally.
- DNF: Felipe Massa
- Was remarkably philosophical, given what happened
- DNF: Adrian Sutil
- Brake problems and puncture finished him
- DNF: Sebastian Vettel
- Overcommitted in race, overheated in pits
Teams
- Ferrari
- Catching McLaren, though events disguised it
- McLaren
- Will never have a luckier victory
- BMW Sauber
- A mere dot in leaders’ mirrors
- Toyota
- It’s taken years – finally they’re arriving
- Renault
- Quietly moving up the midfield pack
- Red Bull
- Fouth place seems long ago now
- Williams
- Early season form looks sadly illusory
- Honda
- Starting to see some developmental improvements
- Toro Rosso
- Nightmare pitstops killed hopes of success
- Force India
- Quietly improving their car without reward
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