BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Formula One | Hamilton surges to British GP winDespite the distractions and controversy surrounding the last two GPs, Lewis Hamilton appeared determined to put it all behind him and it did seem that he was coping well with the media scrums associated with his home Grand Prix. Fan expectations were high and through practice and the early part of qualifying it seemed thta he was going to mke their day. However, a problem with the car caused him to take a grass cutting detour and he failed at the final hurdle to get the pole. Both Ferraris struggled to come to terms with the conditions but Raikonnen eventually managed to get 3rd ahead of Hamilton. The championship leader, Massa, had a worse time of it and only managed the 5th row start. The star of the final qualifying session was not Kovalainen as many expected, who showed great pace thoughout qualifying, but in fact Mark Webber who catapulted the Red Bull to 2nd with an outstanding if not astounding lap.
This set up a difficult task for Hamilton at the start of the race. With Raikonnen ahead of him on the grid, a good start would be important. And then the weather blew in on the day. A wet race combined with gusty winds made it a difficult task to set up and race the cars. Despite this some drivers are well known to be highly capable even in the most severe conditions. It turns out that Hamilton is one of them. He made a great start and was in 2nd place at the first corner and after a time was able to get past his teammate to take the lead. In a race where cars were off track almost as often as on, the rate of attrition was high. Uncharacteristic mistakes by the Ferrari team meant that after the first pit stop Raikonnens' car was left with worn intermediate tyres on whereas Hamilton was given fresh ones and this proved to be crucial when it stared to rain again. hamilton was able to pull out a substantial lead that basically ended anyone elses hope of catching him. The surprise package was the Honda of Barrichello. Ross Brawn, the team principal, put full wets on his car and Reuben used his well publicised ability in the wet to carve his way through the fied and eventually finished in 3rd. Had it not been for a problem with refuelling at what should have been his last stop, he would have finished one step higher on the podium. This step was reserved for Nick Heidfeld who drove a great race even as his much exalted teammate kept falling of the track. But the class of the field was Hamilton who mastered the conditions better than anyone and finished over a minute ahead of Heidfeld.
With the Ferraris struggling throughout in comparison to the McLaren, the points scored has meant that there is a 3 way tie for the lead in the championship, with Hamilton edging it on races won. Not boring by any means and there is a lot more to come.
