Good fortune and solid driving from Mark Webber meant the Australian now leads the Formule one title race after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Webber`s race didn’t start all that great. He dropped to P3 on the opening lap after starting on the front row of the grid with team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and it got worse for him on lap 16 when the Safety Car was deployed and he couldn’t make his mandatory stop when everyone else made their way to the pits.
However, it turned out to be a stroke of good fortune for him as the race continued. Team-mate Vettel got off to a superb start, leading the pack and pulling ahead by almost a second a lap from second placed Fernando Alonso and Webber.
The race looked set until Vitantonio Liuzzi of Force India-Mercedes decided to pit on lap 16, then mayhem!
A missing part, Robert Kubica driving into a Sutil and Rosberg losing a rearwheel all in the space of three minutes caused chaos like never seen before.
Webber took full advantage of a changed strategy and started putting in quick laps, one after the other. An inexperienced Vettel was handed a drive through penalty for “exceeding 10 car lengths behind the safety car,” and the stage was set for Webber to win his fourth win of the season and the sixth of his career.
The race went on reasonable incident free until Rubens Barrichello made a move on Michael Schumacher on lap 66 on the home straight. Barrichello came up close behind Schumacher, moved left and what could only be described as “crazy”, Schumacher moved over and squeezed the Brazilian inches the wall.
How Barrichello managed to keep is car on the track it and complete the move, can only be described as his best overtaking maneuver ever. Villain Schumacher did his reputation no good and some might say it was the act of a fallen hero, desperate to cling on to his legacy.
Drivers’ Top Three
Mark Webber 161
Lewis Hamilton 157
Sebastian Vettel 151
Constructors’ Top Three
Red Bull 312
McLaren-Mercedes 304
Ferrari 238
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