Hungary, 1995: This photo captures perfectly one of the best schadenfreude moments in the history of F1.
Attempting to assist marshals in putting out the engine fire which had forced him out of the ‘95 Hungarian GP, Japanese driver Taki Inoue was hit by a vehicle driven to the scene by another marshal - the Keystone Cops couldn’t have done it any better. Inoue injured his leg but recovered in time for the next grand prix.
Spanish rags AS Diario and Marca (pillars of truth, both… ahem) report that Renault are looking closely at Kimi Raikkonen’s second pit stop in Hungary. Alonso was ahead of Kimi before the stop, but Ferrari managed somehow to get their driver out ahead, a move that effectively ruined Nando’s chances of making the podium.
Alonso himself was mystified by Ferrari’s lightning-fast stop: “I don’t know how they did it,” he is quoted as saying. “We will carefully study the data and see if they have something that allows them to fill up faster.”
Reaction from the men in the crash helmets to Sunday’s thrilling GP
1st: Heikki Kovalainen (Mclaren)
“There have been races this year where I’ve been in a position to challenge for victory but had something go wrong for me. Halfway through this race, things started working for me and I started pushing Felipe (Massa) hard - and it worked. I feel sorry for Felipe because he drove a great race, but my car felt good and I knew I could push for the victory. This is a great moment for me, something I’ve been targeting for many years. Hopefully, this victory will be the first of many.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (finished 3rd)
Somehow managed to luck into a spot on the podium, despite being off the pace all weekend - his team must take some of the blame for that. Who knows why they loaded his car with so much fuel in qualifying, and on a track where overtaking is almost impossible. 6/10
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (DNF)
Shocking luck for the Brazilian, who had earned his lead after a stunning start. Still very much in the title race. 7/10
As Confucius once said (or was it Murray Walker?), a grand prix isn’t won on Friday. And so McLaren, who ran third (Kovi) and fourth (Lewis) this morning in Hungary, won’t be too alarmed by the fact that Ferrari dominated the opening session. Felipe Massa set the fastest time, with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen less than half a second behind. Kovi finished third-quickest, with Lewis Hamilton, looking for his third straight win, in fourth.
On the evidence so far, this could be the closest battle yet between the two fastest teams in F1. Full timesheet below:
Bobby Kubica shows us how to handle one of F1’s best tracks
What do we love most about this video? The passion in Kubica’s voice, that’s what. The guy must have the most monotone voice in the history of motorsport.
We also loved that he called the circuit a “Mickey Mouse track”. That’s not supposed to be a criticism, although it sure sounds like one.
