Spanish GP 2008

APRIL 27, 2008

Race Incidents

David Coulthard, Spanish GP 2008
© The Cahier Archive

Formation lap: Fernando Alonso slithers onto the grass while warming up his tyres aggressively.

Lap 1: On pole position for the first time this season world championship leader Kimi Raikkonen leads cleanly into the first corner. Local hero Alonso is beaten away by Felipe Massa, who lies second. Lewis Hamilton takes fourth from Robert Kubica. Heikki Kovalainen lies sixth ahead of Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli, Nelson Piquet, Nico Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Kazuki Nakajima, Giancarlo Fisichella, David Coulthard, Timo Glock, Sebastien Bourdais, Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato. Adrian Sutil spins at Turn Four and collects Sebastian Vettel who is then rammed by Sato. The Safety Car is deployed to allow the cars of Vettel and Sutil to be retrieved.

Lap 4: Restart. Raikkonen opens up a 1.3s lead.

Lap 5: Raikkonen extends his lead to 1.7s. Piquet ploughs through the Turn Five gravel and drops to 18th.

Lap 7: Piquet collides with Bourdais while trying to pass at Turn 10. The Brazilian is out on the spot, the Frenchman retires to the pits.

Lap 8: Davidson pits and the car is pulled into its garage.

Lap 9: Raikkonen sets the race's fastest lap to date - 1m22.526s - and leads by 2.7s.

Lap 10: The leader is getting quicker: 1m22.508s. Alonso leads fourth-placed Hamilton by 1.2s.

Lap 13: A new fastest lap for Raikkonen: 1m22.178s. Massa trails by 3.2s.

Lap 15: Raikkonen posts a 1m21.97s to lead by 3.3s. The order behind remains unchanged.

Lap 16: Alonso pits for fuel and drops to 11th.

Lap 17: Raikkonen laps in 1m21.827s. He leads by 3.6s.

Lap 19: Massa pits.

Lap 20: Raikkonen, Webber, Trulli and Sato pit. Hamilton leads.

Lap 21: Hamilton and Kubica pit.

Lap 22: Kovalainen crashes heavily at Turn Nine. Rosberg pits. Safety Car deployed. Race neutralised with Heidfeld leading

Lap 24: Heidfeld comes in for fuel, although the pits are not yet open.

Lap 25: Barrichello, Button, Nakajima, Fisichella, Coulthard and Glock pit. Button and Fisichella almost touch in the pits. Barrichello definitely hits something because his nose is damaged as he emerges.

Lap 26: Barrichello pits again.

Lap 27: Released from his wrecked car, Kovalainen gives the crowd a thumbs-up sign.

Lap 29: Race restarts with Raikkonen leading Massa, Hamilton, Kubica, Heidfeld, Alonso, Webber, Trulli, Rosberg, Nakajima, Sato, Fisichella, Button, Coulthard, Glock and Barrichello.

Lap 30: Heidfeld is handed a 10s stop-go penalty for refuelling before the pit lane had opened.

Lap 31: Raikkonen leads by 1.8s. Hamilton is third, 1.0s behind Massa.

Lap 33: Heidfeld serves his penalty stop.

Lap 34: Barrichello pits to retire.

Lap 35: Alonso pulls off at Turn Four, amid a trail of engine smoke.

Lap 38: Sato pits.

Lap 42: Rosberg's engine blows on the pit straight.

Lap 44: Fisichella pits.

Lap 45: Massa posts fastest lap: 1m21.801s. He trails by 3.3s. Heidfeld pits.

Lap 46: Raikkonen responds: 1m21.670s. Massa, Webber and Trulli pit.

Lap 47: Raikkonen, Hamilton and Kubica pit. Raikkonen retains the lead, from Massa and Hamilton.

Lap 49: Raikkonen leads Massa by 1.9s and Hamilton by 5.0s.

Lap 51: Nakajima and Glock pit.

Lap 52: Coulthard pits.

Lap 53: Trulli pits as does Glock, after breaking his wing against Coulthard's left-rear tyre.

Lap 54: Coulthard picks up a left-rear puncture and comes in for a replacement. Button pits.

Lap 55: Heidfeld passes Fisichella at Turn One - the first on-track change of position since the opening lap.

Lap 61: Coulthard and Sato - both lapped - swap places. The Scot moves up to 12th.

Lap 66: Raikkonen wins by 3.2s from Massa, Hamilton, Kubica, Webber, Button, Nakajima and Trulli.