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Formula One
F1: Hamilton Makes it Look Easy in Australia
Heidfeld and Rosberg complete podium as Ferrari drivers commit mistakes.
Kevin Krefting  |  Posted March 15, 2008   Melbourne, Australia
Hamilton pounded on the field in the second Melbourne practice session. (LAT Photo)

It all went wrong for Ferrari, and polesitter Lewis Hamilton took an uncomplicated victory in the opening race of the 2008 season, the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit.

BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Williams' Nico Rosberg on a day marked by driving errors from the Scuderia’s men, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. Hamilton’s new McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen had to settle for fifth after catching an unlucky break in a safety car period, finishing just behind Fernando Alonso – the man he effectively traded seats with over the winter – after the pair engaged in the race’s best duel.

At the start, Hamilton kept his P1 spot ahead of outside pole sitter Robert Kubica of BMW, while Kovalainen also held on to his P3 grid slot. Behind the trio, Massa spun on the inside of turn 1 and hit the barriers, being forced to coast to the pits for repairs.
Hamilton leads the field as chaos is about to erupt in turn 1. (LAT Photo)

But the Ferrari man wasn’t the only one to be victimized in the first corner. A series of separate turn 1 incidents sidelined no less than five drivers: Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso), Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri) and Jenson Button (Honda) were all forced to retire due to first-corner incidents. Williams' Kazuki Nakajima survived the mayhem but like Massa had to pit for a new front wing at the end of the first lap.

Raikkonen, 16th on the grid after breaking down in qualifying, managed to benefit from the chaos ahead and jumped to eighth on the opening laps, only to be trapped behind the Honda of Rubens Barrichello for the first 18 laps of the race following the safety car period that ensued after the first lap incidents. Ahead of them, Hamilton led Kubica and Kovalainen, with Rosberg, Heidfeld and Toyota’s Jarno Trulli giving chase.

Trulli’s promising weekend came to a halt in the first round of pitstops, his TF108 retiring due to electrical problems. Kubica had kicked off the series of stops for the frontrunners, coming in for fuel on lap 16.

On lap 25, Massa’s progress through the field was halted when he tangled with Red Bull’s David Coulthard, in the second run-in between the duo in as many years.

"I can understand that Felipe was in a quicker car and was trying to overtake, but you've got to have your car alongside to pass, especially in a corner like Turn one, you can't just ram into them," Coulthard said. "Felipe took a lunge from too far back and Turn one is a corner where you have to turn in early – it's not like Turn three, which is a hairpin and door's open for a long time.”

The incident brought the safety car out as both men retired. At the restart, Raikkonen, who was set for a single stop, went on attack mode on Kovalainen only to, at the same Turn 3 “recommended” by Coulthard, take a trip through the gravel and fall to the bottom of the field. The Finn would spin at the same spot a few laps later.

Meanwhile Hamilton drove away from the field up front while Kovalainen was second ahead of Heidfeld and Rosberg, the BMW man having overtaken the Williams driver in the first round of stops. The trio would retain their positions to the checkered flag, netting Rosberg's maiden F1 podium.
Bad day: like teammate Massa last year, Raikkonen is faced with an uphill climb at Melbourne. (LAT Photo)

The order got shuffled again on lap 48, when Toyota’s Timo Glock ran wide on turn 12 and brought out another safety car period. Hamilton and Kovalainen went into the pits together and the Finn was forced to wait, losing track position in the process. The two yellows also benefited Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais, who was then set for a fourth-place finish before his car broke down two laps from the end.

Kovalainen’s consolation was recovering P4 from Alonso with a bold turn 13 move two laps from the end. Raikkonen would have taken P5 had his Ferrari not broken down in the closing laps. Scoreless in ’07, Rubens Barrichello took sixth for Honda but ended up disqualified for leaving the pits during a red light in his final stop. Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima was seventh, despite running into Kubica and ending the Pole’s race ahead of the final restart. Bourdais took eighth in his maiden GP despite finishing two laps down. Nakajima, Bourdais and Raikkonen were all promoted one spot at the end, thanks to Barrichello's DQ, and Ferrari could "celebrate" a point in a weekend where very few things went right.

“The team did a fantastic job as always, and the car was phenomenal, a complete dream to drive compared to last year,” Hamilton said. “They pulled me in early on both stops and that kept us out of trouble. Physically the race was a breeze, and great preparation for Malaysia, so bring it on, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Australian Grand Prix results:

1) Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 1h34:50.616
2) Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, +5.478sec
3) Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, +8.163
4) Alonso, Renault, +17.181
5) Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, +8.014
DQ) Barrichello, Honda, +52.453
7) Nakajima, Williams-Toyota, +1 lap
8) Bourdais, Toro Rosso-Ferrari, +2 laps
9) Raikkonen, Ferrari, +3 laps

Not classified:

Kubica, BMW Sauber , 50
Glock, Toyota , 44
Sato, Super Aguri-Honda , 33
Piquet, Renault , 31
Massa, Ferrari , 30
Coulthard, Red Bull-Renault , 26
Trulli, Toyota , 20
Sutil, Force India-Ferrari , 9
Webber, Red Bull-Renault , 1
Button, Honda , 1
Davidson, Super Aguri-Honda , 1
Vettel, Toro Rosso-Ferrari , 1
Fisichella, Force India-Ferrari , 1

Driver’s standings:

1) Hamilton 10
2) Heidfeld 8
3) Rosberg 6
4) Alonso 5
5) Kovalainen 4
6) Nakajima 3
7) Bourdais 2
8) Raikkonen 1
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