British Grand Prix 2008

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, Jul 06, 2008

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Lewis won with over a minute
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Heikki Kovalainen fifth
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Lewis leads the championship tied on points with Massa and Räikkönen
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes third in the Constructors’ Championship

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, the first of the team’s two home races. After an eventful race over 60 laps (308.355 kms) in changeable rainy conditions, he had lapped all but two drivers and came home 68.5sec ahead of Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) in second place. Lewis’s team mate Heikki Kovalainen who had started from his first ever Formula 1 pole position ended up fifth. Halfway through the championship, after nine out of 18 Grands Prix, Lewis is back in the lead with 48 points; he is tied on points with Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. Heikki is sixth overall with 24 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is third with 72 points; Ferrari leads with 96 points.

The start:
Heikki started from his first ever Formula 1 pole position whilst Lewis lined up fourth on the grid. On a wet track, Heikki accelerated into an immediate lead whilst Lewis passed Räikkönen and Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault) on the inside and was second after the first corner.

The race:
lap 2: Lewis attacked his team mate on the front straight but remained second.
Lap 5: Lewis passed Heikki for the lead and immediately opened a gap.
Lap 10: Heikki spun at Abbey and dropped to third behind Räikkönen.
Lap 19: Heikki came in for his first pit stop (7.9sec) and dropped from third to sixth place.
Lap 21: Lewis and Räikkönen made their respective first pit stops simultaneously. Lewis was stationary for 8.0sec and maintained a small lead over the Finn.
Lap 23: More rain. Lewis’s advantage over Räikkönen was now 4.6sec. Heikki followed in third place, another 13.5sec behind.
Lap 27: Heikki overtook Räikkönen, but was passed by Heidfeld at the same time. Lewis was in the lead with 29sec ahead of Heidfeld; Heikki was third.
Lap 34: Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) overtook Heikki entering Stowe: the Finn dropped to fourth. At the end of that lap, he came in for his second pit stop (6.6sec) and resumed in ninth place.
Lap 37: In heavy rain, Lewis ran wide into the grass, but maintained a 26sec lead over Heidfeld. One lap later, Lewis pitted for the second time (7.3sec) and stayed in the lead. Heikki was now sixth.
Lap 46: Heikki overtook Fernando Alonso (Renault) and moved up to fifth.
Lap 48: Following Jarno Trulli’s (Toyota) pit stop, Heikki was fourth.
Lap 51: Heikki spun and dropped to sixth place.
Lap 58: Heikki overtook Alonso and improved to fifth place.
Finish (lap 60): Lewis took the chequered flag 68.5sec ahead of Heidfeld; Rubens Barrichello (Honda) came home third ahead of Räikkönen and Heikki.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton
“This was the toughest race, but also one of the best ones I have ever driven. It was so extreme and slippery out there, very similar to the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji last year. I had troubles with my visor and tried to clean it a couple of times. I thank my team for a great job; they did fantastic work and we always made the right decisions with the tyres in the difficult conditions. When I came round the last time, I saw the crowd standing up and I prayed: ‘Just finish, just finish.’ It was a very emotional moment to win my home grand prix and I want to dedicate this victory to my family. As everybody knows I had some troubles over the past few weeks and they have been always there for me and supported me. To pull on another Vodafone McLaren Mercedes rocket red victory T-shirt feels awesome.”

Heikki Kovalainen
“Congratulations to Lewis on his superb home win. I had a good start and, for a few laps, Lewis was really pushing hard – which meant he eventually managed to overtake me on lap five when I ran a little wide. It was an extremely difficult race with lots of things happening. It was so easy to get caught out today by aquaplaning and slippery conditions: I spun twice but I was not the only one. At least I scored four points and helped to increase our constructors’ points total.”

Ron Dennis
"To win your home grand prix is always special, and so today is indeed a special day for Lewis. It's also a special day for all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. But above all it was a magnificent grand prix, full of drama, and it was won by a man who mastered the treacherous conditions faultlessly. Lewis's was one of those drives that will live in the memory for a long time – but it should be remembered that, fabulous though Lewis's performance was, it was also the result of brilliant teamwork by our engineers and mechanics. As for Heikki, he qualified superbly yesterday and clearly showed that he too is truly world-class. He shouldn’t feel too disappointed today because he demonstrated once again that his racing skills are beyond question. His time will come."

Norbert Haug
"Lewis managed a superb and most impressive win and over the 60 laps, he was on average more than one second per lap faster then Nick Heidfeld in second place and he lapped all drivers behind third place. We are back in the title fight and that’s great! Unfortunately Heikki suffered from understeering throughout the longest part of the race. It’s a pity because he had a very good set-up in qualifying which helped him to achieve his first Formula 1 career pole position. Lewis is back in the lead with 48 points; he is tied on points with Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. We are now focusing on our second home Grand Prix in Hockenheim in two weeks’ time. Please come there to the Mercedes grandstand and watch Lewis and Heikki there will be a first class programme for all the visitors behind the grandstand. To all team mates my sincere thanks for achieving this result today – let’s try to do the same at Hockenheim when our next home Grand Prix takes place."