This weekend marked the fourth race of the season for the Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, and as always, we've got the recap.  If you missed the race but have it TIVO'd, read no further; otherwise, hit the jump for the full details of what transpired.

For the third time this season, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton earned the second and fourth starting positions, respectively.  When the race started, Alonso attacked Ferrari's Felipe Massa in an attempt to take the lead, but slid of the track on the second corner and rejoined the race in fourth place.  Meanwhile, Hamilton managed to pass Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and finished the first lap in second.

On lap nine, Raikkonen suffered a mechanical failure, forcing the Finn to enter the pits and retire early. As a result, Alonso moved up one position into third.  On lap 19, Fernando made his first pit stop of the day on the same stop as Massa, resuming the race in seventh.  Meanwhile, Massa's pit allowed Hamilton to temporarily to take the lead.  On lap 22, Lewis made his first scheduled stop, resuming the race in third. When all of the drivers had completed their first round of stops, Massa once again held first, trailed by Lewis and then Fernando.

On lap 42, Massa made his second stop of the day, allowing Hamilton to again take the lead until he pitted on lap 47. Fernando pitted one lap later, and when the second round of pits had been completed, Massa again led, trailed by Lewis and Fernando. After 65 laps, the race ended with each driver maintaining his respective position, with Lewis trailing race winner Massa by 6.5 seconds and Fernando trailing an additional 12 seconds.

To learn more about the Barcelona F1 race and read both team and driver comments, keep scrolling for the official press release.

Enjoy.

















OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


F1 Barcelona: Lewis Hamilton second, Fernando Alonso third

Barcelona, May 13, 2007
The start: For the third time this season, Fernando and LewIs had qualified second and fourth. At the start, Fernando attacked pole sitter Felipe Massa, but slid off the track at the second corner, regaining the circuit in fourth place. Lewis got past Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) and finished the first lap in second position.
The race: On lap nine Kimi slowed down and came into the pits to retire. Fernando now moved up to third position.

Lap 19: Fernando came in for his first pit stop (9,7sec) in the same lap as Massa. This allowed Lewis to take the lead whilst Fernando was now running seventh.

Lap 22: Lewis came in for his first pit stop (8.5sec) and resumed the battle in third position.

Lap 27: All drivers had finished their first round of pit stops. Lewis was now second, 10sec ahead of Fernando.

Lap 42: Second stop for Massa, which allowed Lewis to take the lead again. Until lap 47, he stayed in this position and then came in for his second scheduled stop (6,7sec). Fernando pitted one lap later and accelerated back into the race after an identical 6.7sec stop.

Lap 49: LewIs was second, 10 sec behind Massa and 17 sec behind the third placed Alonso. After 65 laps, Lewis took the chequered flag 6.7sec behind Massa. Fernando reduced the gap behind his team-mate by 5sec and wound up third 12sec behind the British driver.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton: “Things just keep getting better and I continue living my dream. In the early stages I was struggling to get heat into the tyres and had a bit of oversteer but things improved considerably a few laps into the race but the gap to Felipe was already too big. In the second stint I was a bit unlucky with the traffic but that happens sometimes. Overall I’m happy with the outcome of the race and I want to keep on scoring points. The team has worked really hard since Bahrain and whilst we didn’t win I still think we can take some satisfaction as we are leading both Championships.”

Fernando Alonso: “My chance for victory disappeared after the incident at the first corner. I got off the line OK at the start and was able to get a tow from Felipe and challenge into the first corner as I was already half a car length in front but we touched and I had to go on the gravel to avoid an accident. We were both lucky to finish the race. As a result by the second corner I was fourth. I also sustained a bit of damage to my car which upset the balance for the rest of the race. I lost additional time in the second stint as the tyres were not working as well but I still think the result would have stayed the same even if we had used the softer tyres.”

Ron Dennis, Team Principal: “Coming into the Monaco Grand Prix being first and second in the Drivers’ Championship and leading the Constructors’ battle is a good achievement for the entire team. Our pace was a little weak in the middle sector. Fernando’s race was hampered by having damaged his deflector during his efforts to get past Massa in the first corner. Another solid performance from Lewis. As you would expect we will continue to push hard in our development programme to put the team in the best possible position to win as many of the remaining races as possible.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “It’s great that Lewis and Fernando are at the top of the list in the Drivers’ Championship after the fourth race here in Barcelona. Well done and thank you to all the team members for leading the Constructors’ rankings too. Fernando showed a great and committed manoeuvre in the first corner that unfortunately didn’t pay off. Lewis again did a great job – we will increase our performance further. We are now looking forward to the next race in Monaco in two weeks time.”

Copyright © 2007, DaimlerChrysler AG