Lewis topped Kimi by .7 secs in Hungaroring.

The past two weeks the news has been Mclaren fighting it out in court. The race weekend would see Mclaren drivers fighting each other.

The Hungarian Grand Prix saw two drivers returning to the grid Sebastian Vettel who had subbed for an injured Robert Kubica in USA and Sakon Yamamoto who raced for Super Aguri at the end of last year. Also this race has marked first wins for Button and Alonso. It was also a good track for Ferrari in 2001 2002 2004 where they clinched the constructor titles.

Qualifying.

I’ve often felt that the qualifying for this event can be more exciting than the race. The track is like Monaco for overtaking but no barriers for them to clip and ruin a drivers race just grass where they can drive back on, unless they really throw it off of course! And qualifying had its dramas.

Q1 both Spikes went out Yamamoto last after being off the pace Vettel 20th so there in ended the new boys challenges, Sato 19th Complete disaster for Honda Barrichello 18th, Button 17th.

Q2 From 16th to 11th it ran like this Liuzzi, Davidson, Massa, Wurz, Kovalainen, and Coulthard. Spot the big name? Massa endured a nightmare of a session. After trying one run on the harder of the compounds he pitted to switch to softs no problem there. Then in what must be a very embarrassing moment for the mechanics forgot to refuel the Ferrari. Massa realising this stopped in the pit lane and was wheeled back and refuelled, By then he lost tire temperature and could only manage 14th. Kovalainen struggled to 11th. This was small fry compared to what was about to come.

Q3 All was going smoothly. Lewis Hamilton had been fastest in Q1 and Q2 and was so far fastest in Q3. At the first round of pitstops the Mclaren team held Alonso in his pitbox and kept holding him this seemed odd when they finally realised him one of the tire covers got caught up in his suspension, this cost a few more seconds though off he went. Raikkonen was third and demoted to 4th by the end of the session by Nick Heidfeld. Both Toyotas, BMW’s had made it through along with Webber in the Red Bull Nico Rosbergs Williams and a tight mid Field battle was in full swing. At the Front the second stops for the final attack on pole were about to take place. Alonso pitted and again he was held. But then Hamilton pulled up behind him for his stop. With time ticking and it being touch and go if the Mclarens would get another lap in The Lollypop was lifted and Alonso was to set off down the pit lane. In theory that is. Instead he stayed in his pitbox not moving with Hamilton behind him still waiting to have his pitstop. Still Alonso wouldn’t go the mechanics waiving frantically telli9ng him to go. Was there a problem? Had he stalled in what seemed like an eternity Alonso finally drove off. It was only an extra 10 seconds but with Alonso already stationary before that for 20 seconds half a minute had passed. Alonso crossed the line to start his final attempt at pole with seconds to spare. Hamilton after the hold up had missed the cut by 4 seconds. Alonso snatched the pole demoting Hamilton to second with no chance to respond. Angry exchanges between driver and boss ensued and a stewards enquiry.

Mclaren issued a statement actually blaming Hamilton for starting off the mix up by not letting Alonso ahead at the start of the fuel burn off phase which the team claim messed things up for the team. They also said they were holding Alonso to get him clear air on the track. But the extra 10 seconds he stayed holding up Lewis were because Alonso thought he was on the wrong tyres and was checking with his engineer. The stewards did not buy this excuse and after spending 8 hours reviewing footage and the on board radio between drivers and team. The penalties were hard. The steward’s statement read, “The actions of the team in the final minutes of Qualifying are considered prejudicial to the interests of the competition and to the interests of motor sport generally. The penalty to be applied is that such points (if any) in the 2007 Formula One Constructors Championship as accrue to the team as a result of their participation in the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix wilt be withdrawn.”

The Stewards also did not believe Alonso having heard no conversation about the right tires with his engineer, “"The explanation given by Alonso as to why at the expiration of the 20 second period he remained in his pit stop position for a further 10 seconds is not accepted. The Stewards find that he unnecessarily impeded another driver, Hamilton, and as a result he will be penalised by a loss of 5 grid positions."

So no constructor points and a grid penalty had done damage to Mclarens weekend and championship but how much would be unknown until race day. Fisichella also had a grid penalty and dropped to 13th so the revised top 10 was. Hamilton, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Schumacher, Alonso, Kubica, Trulli, Webber, Coulthard.

Raceday.

Sunday morning dawned and the events of the day before were in hot discussion up and down the paddock was the stewards decision and how were the Mclaren teammates getting on? They probably weren’t. Alonso said he found the penalty “funny”, I think it's very funny, the penalty is not related to any specific rules. It's just one of those strange things that happen. The race result is determined by last night's decision.” His thoughts about Hamilton? "Right now Hamilton isn't talking to anyone in the team," He also added "The situation has changed a lot from one race to another. I don't have any problems, it's the team who have the biggest one." On the side of the No.2 Mclaren Hamilton aired his thoughts "I am in a lot of trouble with my boss… but that's the way it goes." "The team explained it all and I apologised for the decision I took when I was out there. But I was out on my own, I apologised to Ron and said it wouldn't happen again." He also added how he felt about Alonso’s reason for what happened "I don't particularly think he has a great excuse for what happened, and that tends to lead to certain things.” Hamilton insisted that he and Alonso had got on well through out the season but perhaps the strain now of the championship is pushing their already frail friendship to its limits.

If there is to be anymore on track scraps between the two it will have to wait for another weekend. With the track being tight overtaking was very hard, but not impossible. Alonso starting 6th dropped two places at the start then spent a large part of the race stuck behind Ralf Schumacher still in 6th spot and got nowhere near Hamilton because of this. From the start Heidfeld in 2nd got a slow start and was instantly passed by Raikkonen. Alonso dropped down to 8th being passed by Kubica and Webber. Retaking them both by lap5 behind Schumacher, First retirement was new boy Yamamoto on lap 5 spinning off the track and into the barrier well away from the circuit. The top two left Heidfeld behind and traded fastest laps both pitting on lap 20. Hamilton had got the gap up to 4.6 seconds before the stops a really quick out lap from Raikkonen took 2 seconds of that lead to close it down again.

Just past the half way point Jenson Buttons engine gave up on the final turn completing a miserable weekend for the brit who had stayed at the back end of the field. The next retirement was another brit in a Honda powered car Anthony Davidson, He had a wheel banging incident with Fisichella that wrecked the rear suspension spinning him to the inside of the first corner. Luckily swift work by the marshals moved the car quickly without the need of a safety car. A lap later the Toro Rosso of Liuzzi pulled into the pits as the final retirement of the day. Massa by the half way stage had made no progress and was still in 14th and was lapped by Hamilton and Raikkonen which much of annoyed the young Brazilian. Alonso had yet to pass Schumacher and was still in 6th. Finally passing the German in the second round of pitstops but that wasn’t until 51 of the 70 laps had passed. 5th became 4th when Rosberg pitted who was on a 3 stop strategy Alonso was able to put in his quickest laps of the race and closed on to the rear wing of Heidfeld in 3rd place. Raikkonen was also within a second of Hamilton though neither driver was able to pass the car in front. Hamilton held on to take his 3rd win of the season from Raikkonen who set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. Heidfeld finished 3rd 43 seconds behind with Alonso still on his rear wing, 5th the 2nd Bmw of Kubica after a quiet race on the track he made his debut last year, Ralf Schumacher 6th a strong result for the German who had struggled so far this season 7th Rosberg and 8th Kovalainen. Massa finished 13th one place ahead of his grid slot.

The race was quieter than the controversial qualifying although more politics managed to rear their ugly head as the cars had only a few laps to go. With no constructor points would be scored by Mclaren the Fia realised a statement stating Mclaren would not be allowed to have a representative on the podium to collect the constructor trophy the statement read, "Clarification has been sought, as to how they will award the constructors' trophy."

"In view of the appeal lodged by McLaren it is the view of the stewards that regard should be given to the provisions of the international sporting code, such that McLaren-Mercedes should not take part in the podium ceremony.

"It does not however affect the entitlement of either of their drivers to attend the podium ceremony."

Who had asked for that clarification? Well Ferrari denied any knowledge of it but it would be a fair assumption to think it was the Italian team behind it.

Race Bits

• Honda - The only way is up, really!
  Honda showed no signs of progress qualifying 17th and 18th Buttons engine failing and Barrichello finishing 18th and last behind Sutil in the Spyker. Button was careful with what he said to the press stressing that the team were working hard to fix its problems but it was 96 world champion Damon Hill who put it best “Jenson is to polite to say it but I will, there wasting his time”



• Mclaren success comes at a cost.
  Mclaren boss Ron Dennis said he felt “Drained” and “emptiness” after the events of the weekend, "A bit of emptiness at the end of an extremely difficult weekend. I so drained, it's difficult to have any emotion left, what happened yesterday was really unacceptable. We have a very, very strong commitment to parity. But this was one of those times where as hard as you try, there's always a deviation from our plans, that put the team in extremely difficult position.”
  
  The war between teammates and the impending court battle taking a toll on the team and with Lewis extending his lead this weekend it will only make Alonso even more determined to beat the rookie. Testing times ahead.



• Spyker give old car a happy send off.
  Spyker were proud to beat Barrichellos Honda in what would be the final outing for the F8-VII chassis the team using a B spec chassis for the next race. Not so happy was Yamamoto who was angry with himself for spinning out so early in the race. "I shouldn't have made a mistake at that point, because for this race I should have finished, because that would have been the best for me - to have experience for the next Grand Prix”



• Kimi sums it up.
  Raikkonen summed up the race in his usual style, "It was a kind of boring race, just driving behind and waiting for something to happen, nothing really happened so we finished where we started.” Though the pace of the leading Ferrari was better than expected at a track that was deemed to suit Mclaren, And the up coming races should be stronger for Ferrari, They’ll need it with Kimi 20 points behind Hamilton with 6 races to go.

There is a 3 week gap until the next race, By then the appeal over Mclarens constructor points will be sorted, What wont be regardless of what is said by the drivers is the on going tension between Alonso and Hamilton, They may be smiles and handshakes in front of the media in weeks to come. But its war on track and nether driver trust each other. There is now an intense battle for the title the question is who will crack first?

Champ of the race: Heidfeld for putting in a solid podium beating his teammate and resisting Alonso.

Chump of the race: The politics that robbed a front row battle between the top 2 in the title.