Kimi Raikkonen kept his title hopes alive with a strong victory in China today. Kimi came through when Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes cut a tie while leading, and Hamilton beached the car in a gravel trap on Lap 31. Like Japan last week, the race started in the wet, but the promised heavy showers never came, and the racers finished on dry tires.
Fernando Alonso held off a challenge by Fleipe Massa's Ferrari to claim second. Sebastien Vettel shocked everyone with a 4th place finish for Toro Rosso. Jensen Button showed again he's stronger than the Honda chassis with a 5th place, followed by Tonio Liuzzi in the other Toro Rosso. To say this was a great day for STR would be an understatement. Vettel and the team were going nuts when he crossed the finish line. Good for 'em!
Rounding out the points-paying positions were Nick Heidfeld's BMW and David Couthard in the Red Bull.
Trackside gossip centered on why McLaren kept Hamilton out on worn tires; he had not changed tires on his pit stop, and they were visibly worn when he stopped. By risking a tire failure, McLaren took too great a chance. had they changed tires and Hamilton finished in 4th place, he would have 111 points, and would have eliminated Raikkonen.
More troubling for Raikkonen, Massa failed to get past Alonso and gave Fernando an additional 2 points, which could be the deciding difference for the two-time defending champion.
Hamilton's retirement today was his first of the season. It couldn't have come at a worse time, as he gave Alonso and Raikkonen a chance to pull out the Championship in Brazil. Hamilton leads Alonso by 4 points, and Raikkonen by 7 points.
To win, Alonso must win and have Hamilton finish no better than 4th; for Raikknen to win, he must win the race and have Hamilton finish no better than 5th, and Alonso no better than 4th.
The racer of the day? Vettel, without a doubt. He ran strong all day in changing conditions, and took maximum advantage of his Ferrari power to come through the field and finish 4th, the best result for Toro Rosso ever, and looking back to the Minardi days, their best finish since 1983.
It's still Hamilton's championship to lose, but as we saw in China, anything can happen. We go to Brazil with three drivers in the hunt. It looks to be an exciting race.
Fernando Alonso held off a challenge by Fleipe Massa's Ferrari to claim second. Sebastien Vettel shocked everyone with a 4th place finish for Toro Rosso. Jensen Button showed again he's stronger than the Honda chassis with a 5th place, followed by Tonio Liuzzi in the other Toro Rosso. To say this was a great day for STR would be an understatement. Vettel and the team were going nuts when he crossed the finish line. Good for 'em!
Rounding out the points-paying positions were Nick Heidfeld's BMW and David Couthard in the Red Bull.
Trackside gossip centered on why McLaren kept Hamilton out on worn tires; he had not changed tires on his pit stop, and they were visibly worn when he stopped. By risking a tire failure, McLaren took too great a chance. had they changed tires and Hamilton finished in 4th place, he would have 111 points, and would have eliminated Raikkonen.
More troubling for Raikkonen, Massa failed to get past Alonso and gave Fernando an additional 2 points, which could be the deciding difference for the two-time defending champion.
Hamilton's retirement today was his first of the season. It couldn't have come at a worse time, as he gave Alonso and Raikkonen a chance to pull out the Championship in Brazil. Hamilton leads Alonso by 4 points, and Raikkonen by 7 points.
To win, Alonso must win and have Hamilton finish no better than 4th; for Raikknen to win, he must win the race and have Hamilton finish no better than 5th, and Alonso no better than 4th.
The racer of the day? Vettel, without a doubt. He ran strong all day in changing conditions, and took maximum advantage of his Ferrari power to come through the field and finish 4th, the best result for Toro Rosso ever, and looking back to the Minardi days, their best finish since 1983.
It's still Hamilton's championship to lose, but as we saw in China, anything can happen. We go to Brazil with three drivers in the hunt. It looks to be an exciting race.
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