By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
August 5 2007

The Toyota team comes away from the Hungarian Grand Prix with German driver Ralf Schumacher giving the team three very useful points for the constructors championship, closing the gap to the sixth placed Red Bull Racing team now to just four points.

 Throughout the race Ralf was involved in a battle with Double and reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso in the Mclaren. The Spaniard was put down to sixth place on the grid after his antics with Lewis Hamilton in the pits in Qualifying. After a bad start Alonso clawed his way back before being stuck behind Ralf for the majority of the Grand Prix despite visually having the faster car. The Hungaroring however is track not renowned for it's overtaking oppourtuinites and it wasn't until the final pit stop that Alonso was able to jump Ralf and Robert Kubica's BMW-Sauber.

Ralf came a very good 6th giving himself and the team 3 very useful points. Maybe Ralf has finally realised his contract is up at the end of the year and realised he has to get on with it...

Jarno Trulli however had a shocker of a race. The TF107's extreme poor ability with getting off the line well, added with starting on the dirty side of the circuit meant that Jarno fell into the clutches of the mid pack, dropping from 8th on the grid to 13th at the end of lap one. A strategy reversal though in the hope of reversing his fortunes worked to a certain degree but still the Italian came home a very disappointed 10th behind Red Bull's Mark Webber.

Up front though, the whole race was led from lights to flag by British rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton in the second Mclaren. However the 22-year old had to fend off a race long charge by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen had even closed the gap to half a second at one point but come the flag Hamilton had taken the victory over the Finn by 0.715 and that is what counts.

BMW-Sauber's German star Nick Heidfeld held off a late race charge by the World Champion to hang onto the final podium place, Alonso having to settle for 4th. Heidfelds team mate Kubica was 5th ahead of Ralf.

After starting in 4th position, Williams-Toyota driver Nico Rosberg's 3 stop strategy did not pay off and the German had to settle for 7th place and 2 points. Finnish star Heikki Kovalainen knows that with Flavio Briatore as a team boss and Briatore about to make his mind up about his 2008 driver line up, every point he scores counts. Kovalainen came home a good 8th place to take the final point. Mark Webber and Jarno rounded out the top 10.

Scotsman David Coulthard was 11th in the other Red Bull ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella in the Renault who could have scored points today if he had not held up Spyker driver Sakon Yamamoto in Qualifying yesterday. Like Alonso, Fisichella was penalised 5 places on the grid, dropping from 8th to 13th. The speed was there, but a Qualifying mistake which you would usually associate with rookies put pay to that.

But if Fisichella's problems were bad, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa's were even worse. A team mistake in Qualifying meant the Brazilian started a dismal 14th. Like Alonso, Massa was stuck behind a slower car but this time it was the Super Aguri of Takuma Sato. That plus going a lap down on the leaders significantly compromised his race. Massa did eventually get past Sato but that was all. Massa finished the race in a utterly disappointing 13th place denting his Championship charge. He is now 21 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.

Alex Wurz was 14th in the Williams ahead of Sato' Super Aguri while Sebastian Vettel finished in 16th place in his first start for the Scuderia Toro Rosso team. Spyker scored a minor victory with Adrian Sutil finishing 17th. Whats so special about that? Well he beat the Honda of Rubens Barrichello. Both drivers were on the same lap meaning Sutil beat the winner of 9 Grand Prix fair and square. Honda's utterly dismal season continues with Last years race winner Jenson Button retiring from the Grand Prix 35 laps from the end.

Along with Button where were 3 other retirements. Italian Tonio Liuzzi in the Toro Rosso, Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri after contact with Giancarlo Fisichella beaching Davidson on the exit of turn 1. Spyker debutant Sakon Yamamoto lasted only 5 laps after he crashed out.

Hungarian Grand Prix 2007 Race Results:

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mclaren Mercedes
2. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari
3. Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW-Sauber
4. Fernando Alonso (ESP) Mclaren-Mercedes
5. Robert Kubica (POL) BMW-Sauber
6. Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota
7. Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams Toyota
8. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) Renault
9. Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull Renault
10. Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota
11. David Coulthard (GBR) Red Bull Renault
12. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault
13. Felipe Massa (BRZ) Ferrari
14. Alexander Wurz (AUT) Williams Toyota
15. Takuma Sato (JPN) Super Aguri Honda
16. Sebastian Vettel (GER) STR Ferrari
17. Adrian Sutil (GER) Spyker Ferrari
18. Rubens Barrichello (BRZ) Honda

Not classified:
Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) STR Ferrari
Anthony Davidson (GBR) Super Aguri Honda
Jenson Button (GBR) Honda
Sakon Yamamoto (JPN) Spyker Ferrari