Felipe Massa and Ferrari dominated Sunday’s French Grand Prix and took charge of this year’s Formula One world championship with their third double of the season.
The 27-year-old Brazilian’s third win this year and eighth of his career lifted him back on top of the drivers’ title race and increased Ferrari’s lead in the constructors’ championship after eight of this year’s 18 Grands Prix.
The Brazilian trailed team mate Kimi Raikkonen for the first 38 of the 70 laps, but moved ahead decisively as the Finn’s F2008 developed an exhaust problem. The latter cost Raikkonen the win, but nobody else ever got close enough to the red cars for this to be a problem to the team.
The exhaust pipe on the Finn’s Ferrari cracked mid-way through the race at Magny-Cours and the World Champion was only just able to limp home in second.
“It was disappointing in the end,” he shrugged. “We had a good car all weekend. I was on pole and leading quite easily and then I had problem with the car. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes. We were still lucky to finish the race and get the eight points.”
“I suspect two more laps and we would have not finished the race. Like I said before it’s disappointing but still eight points is good for the championship and good for the team. Everybody did their best but unfortunately these things happen in racing.”
Jarno Trulli was third in a Toyota, the team’s first podium in more than two years, as rain threatened in the closing stages.
“Second place would have been good, first is even better. It was fantastic. I didn’t expect it,” admitted Massa.
The 2007 Magny-Cours winner Raikkonen did not know what to make of the result after failing to finish in the previous two races.
“It is disappointing not to win but the eight points are good. I am in a more comfortable position in the championship,” he said. “I lost massive power and was lucky to have a big gap.”
Massa is the first Brazilian to lead the title race since the great three-times champion Ayrton Senna in 1993.
He said: “It’s nice to lead the championship, but that is not my dream. My dream is to win the championship and that’s what I’m working for.
“It is too early to talk about the championship, but I know we are going in the right direction. We just need to keep working a lot.”
“Today I had a lot of luck with Kimi having his exhaust problem, but fortunately for the team he could finish - so this was a good present for me.
“I was actually happy to have a comfortable second and he (Raikkonen) was very quick and it is so difficult to pass him.
“But this was a great race and we showed what we can do with this performance. I know our main competition were a long way behind, but we are going in the right direction and the team did a fantastic job.”
LEWIS Hamilton finished outside the points in today’s French Grand Prix.
Herts hero Hamilton could only cross the line a distant 10th following a deeply disappointing race around the Magny-Cours circuit.
As well as having to contend with a 10-place demotion down the grid, Hamilton also picked up a drive-through penalty which effectively scuppered his chances of finishing in the top eight and collecting any points.
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver is now 10 points behind new World Championship leader Felipe Massa.
Starting from 13th on the grid following his 10-place punishment after a pit-lane collision with Raikkonen in Montreal at the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton incurred another penalty in the opening laps of the French race.
The Tewin 23-year-old made an aggressive and perhaps over-eager start and overtook Sebastian Vettel on the approach to the chicane on lap one.
However, he ran wide and was subsequently investigated by stewards.
While the move was probed, Hamilton climbed up to 10th in the race on the second lap.
He then passed McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen on lap five to take ninth place and was hunting down Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr when news of his drive-through penalty for cutting the chicane was confirmed.
Officials felt Hamilton had used the run-off area to his advantage as he overtook Vettel and didn’t take turn seven properly, so had to come into the pit lane.
Hamilton returned to the race back down in 13th and never really recovered.
Behind them, Robert Kubica clung on for second place in the championship chase thanks to a fifth place finish, well ahead of the scrap for the final points between Mark Webber’s Red Bull and the Renault drivers. When Fernando Alonso slid wide lapping Giancarlo Fisichella with three laps left, Nelson Piquet moved ahead of his team leader and was hounding Webber by the flag in a drive that gave him his first championship points and might arguably have saved his career.
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