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British GP: Just as the British Want It to Be

As Lewis Hamilton sums up himself, it has been a tough weekend, but it has all worked out fine. He now joins the rank of British drivers to win at the British GP.

In a race constantly battered by rain, there were class manoeuvres right from the beginning of the race when Lewis Hamilton got off the grid and usurping Mark Webber's hard-earned second position, even leap-frogging third placed Kimi Räikkönen. Battling for the top position with Heikki Kovalainen, the two came close to clashing and would have ended the day in tears for McLaren if there were any ill-timed moves. Fortunately the two didn't take any unnecessary risk and it wasn't long before Hamilton snatched the front position from Kovalainen. Meanwhile, Mark Webber finds himself slipping further down the order and the spin he had certainly did nothing to help him get back on.

Nick Heidfeld was the luckier BMW today with his car having no problem, and eventually finishing 2nd. His teammate Robert Kubica wasn't as lucky however, and had to retire from the race after spinning off the track. A few other drivers suffered the same predicament with only 13 drivers completing the race today.

Rubens Barrichello might be the unsung hero for Honda as his impressive third place finish would possibly be eclipsed by Lewis Hamilton's home race victory. However, the Honda team would certainly be pleased to score a podium finish after such a difficult start to the season.

From left: Nick Heidfeld, Lewis Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello. Copyright AP Photos/Lefteris Pitarakis

Felipe Massa must be a man who set some new record today when he spun a grand total of 5 times throughout the race. Losing control the first time he found himself further down the pack from his starting position of 9th. He was determined to get back on but ultimately lost control of his car again and again, and again and for a 5th time. Surely his confidence will be shattered after this race, and going into the next race sharing the Championship lead with the other two drivers Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen would do nothing to settle his fears.

The next race will be in two weeks' time at Hockenheim, which is not an easy circuit to conquer. With a three-man lead in the Championship it would certainly be an interesting tussle to see who crumples under the pressure first. The pressure within the Ferrari camp is certainly mounting, and fingers would be pointed at the poor strategy deployed for Räikkönen's pit stop today when it was decided that he would go out for the second stint on used wet tyres. Kimi suffered considerably and lost 2 places before going back into the pits for a change of tyres.

But for now, the whole of Britain would certainly be celebrating the victory of a man who has done their country proud.

Results
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:39:09.440
02 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:08.500
03 R. Barrichello Honda + 1:22.200
04 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 1 laps
05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1 laps
06 F. Alonso Renault + 1 laps
07 J. Trulli Toyota + 1 laps
08 K. Nakajima Williams + 1 laps
09 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull + 1 laps
11 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
12 T. Glock Toyota + 1 laps
13 F. Massa Ferrari + 2 laps
Did not finish
14 R. Kubica BMW + 21 laps
15 J. Button Honda + 22 laps
16 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 25 laps
17 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 34 laps
18 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 50 laps
19 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 59 laps
20 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 59 laps
Timings from PlanetF1.com

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.

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