The GP of Europe was held again at the Nurburgring circuit and has been the most dramatic one so far. During the qualification session, at the speed of 200 kph L.Hamilton crashed into the tire barrier. The accident, caused by a technical problem on the car, looked horrible, however he survived shaken, but otherwise unharmed and the circuit doctor allowed him to start in the race. K.Räikkönen gets into the lead after the start, followed by Alonso and Massa, who passes on him, however, right after the beginning. Unfortunately, K. Räikkönen retires because of a technical problem. It was the rain that turned the race into a drama. The downpour over the circuit sent several drivers into the gravel, from whom only Hamilton could resume with the help of a crane, as he managed to keep his engine running. The Safety Car was deployed and finally, the race was suspended because of rain. It of interesting, that the forecast said the rain would come in 3 minutes, and in 3 minutes, it was really raining. The pit stops were crowded with cars. The new Spyker driver Winkelhock, did not enjoy his ride too much, both their cars retired. V.Liuzzi is the man with the worst luck this season, he did not finish the race for the eighth time.
Starting grid of the GP of Europe:
| F. Alonso |
K. Räikkönen |
| F. Massa |
N. Heidfeld |
| R. Kubica |
M. Webber |
| H. Kovalainen |
J. Trulli |
| R. Schumacher |
L. Hamilton |
| N. Rosberg |
A. Wurz |
| G. Fisichella |
R. Barrichello |
| A. Davidson |
T. Sato |
| J. Button |
S. Speed |
| V. Liuzzi |
D. Couldhard |
| A. Sutil |
M. Winkelhock |
Massa was leading, but he did not do very well on the water towards the end of the race. Before that, dry tires were put on cars but as the rain started again, they all used wet tires in the end. 6 laps before the finish Alonso caught up with Massa and passed him, whereas there was even a contact between the cars. After the finish, their exchanged their opinions, Alonso apologized to Massa at the press conference. F.Alonso won before Massa, the third place was an amazing success for Webber. As the 9th Hamilton did not reach any points, the leading drivers got closer to one another. Nevertheless, Hamilton is still the first.
Championship standings after 10 races:
| 1 |
L. Hamilton |
McLaren-Mercedes |
70 |
| 2 |
F. Alonso |
McLaren-Mercedes |
68 |
| 3 |
F. Massa |
Ferrari |
59 |
| 4 |
K. Räikkönen |
Ferrari |
52 |
| 5 |
N. Heidfeld |
BMW Sauber F1 |
36 |
| 6 |
R. Kubica |
BMW Sauber F1 |
24 |
| 7 |
G. Fisichella |
Renault F1 |
17 |
| 8 |
H. Kovalainen |
Renault F1 |
15 |
| 9 |
A. Wurz |
Williams F1 |
13 |
| 10 |
D. Coulthard |
Red Bull Racing |
8 |
| 10 |
M. Webber |
Red Bull Racing |
8 |
| 12 |
J. Trulli |
Toyota |
7 |
| 13 |
N. Rosberg |
Williams F1 |
5 |
| 14 |
T. Sato |
Super Aguri F1 |
4 |
| 15 |
R. Schumacher |
Toyota |
2 |
| 16 |
J. Button |
Honda Racing F1 |
1 |
| 16 |
S. Vettel |
BMW Sauber F1 |
1 |
| 18 |
R. Barrichello |
Honda Racing F1 |
0 |
| 18 |
A. Davidson |
Super Aguri F1 |
0 |
| 18 |
S. Speed |
Scuderia Toro Rosso |
0 |
| 18 |
C. Albers |
Spyker |
0 |
| 18 |
V. Liuzzi |
Scuderia Toro Rosso |
0 |
| 18 |
A. Sutil |
Spyker |
0 |
| 18 |
M. Winkelhock |
Spyker |
0 |
A. Sutil |
|
F. Alonso |
|
F. Alonso |
|
M. Webber |
|
N. Rosberg |
|
R. Denis, M. Schumacher |
|
|
