|
What a fantastic race at the Nürburgring on Sunday.
The track which sits in the Eifel Mountains in Germany is known for quick changing conditions and holy crap did the conditions come into play in a huge way. Just a few laps into the race a massive downpour flooded the race track. In one corner I think I counted 5 cars slid off the track, amazingly enough Lewis Hamilton, who was one of them, managed to keep his engine going and was lifted back onto the track and was able to continue the race albeit a lap down.
The downpour forced the cars to limp around the track until they could dive into the pits. The mechanics worked feverishly to get the slicks off and the rain tires on. Eventually the rain was so bad that the red flag came out and the race was suspended.
One of the best displays of strategy was put on by one the slowest teams during this period. The Spyker team decided to call Markus Winkelhock, who was starting from the last position, into the pits just before the start and put the wet tires on his car. When the downpour ensued, it was Winkelhock leading the race! Unbelieveable. Eventually when the race restarted, Winkelhock was quickly passed and he soon retired.
When conditions dried, it was Ferrari's Felipe Massa who was quickest and led for most of the race. I was sure that Massa was going to win but, the conditions had a little bit more to say about the race outcome.
With a few laps left back came the rain, not as hard though as at the beginning of the race. Drivers frantically dove once more to the pits to change tires. It was the McLaren-Mercedes of Fernando Alonso that performed best in the wet conditions. He quickly caught Massa and then bravely passed him as the cars made contact. It was one of those moments in sports that had me standing up and screaming. Later when the drivers were making their way to the podium Alonso and Massa were shown arguing in Spanish I think, great stuff, HA!
Special doff of the cap to Mark Webber of Red Bull Renault who finished third and gained a podium spot. A great drive by him and great result for Red Bull although their mechanics dropped the champagne bottle when Webber dropped it down to them from the top of the podium. Then again Red Bull aren't really that used to catching champagne bottles.
__________________
|