Troubles continue for Webber and Williams

German Grand Prix Review

Renault’s Fernando Alonso has tightened his grip on the driver’s championship trophy this weekend, winning the German Grand Prix in an impressive fashion after race leader Kimi Raikkonen was forced to retire mid-race.

Raikkonen held a lead of over 11 seconds by lap 30, however by lap 36 his McLaren had literally grinded to a halt at turn five due to low hydraulic pressure – the same problem that forced his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya to retire in France.

Montoya had no such problems this time around, driving at a blistering race to finish in second place after being forced to start from the back of the grid due to a crash in qualifying. BAR-Honda’s Jenson Button rounded out the top three, earning his first podium finish of the season.

The BMW-Williams team’s struggles continued at the Hockenheim track, with neither Mark Webber nor team-mate Nick Heidfeld managing to score championship points.

After an encouraging qualifying session that saw Webber and Heidfeld placed sixth and seventh on the starting grid, it looked as though Williams were poised to regain some of their form after poor performances in the French and British GP’s.

Yet it was not to be, as Webber collided with BAR-Honda’s Takuma Sato at the first corner – forcing the Australian to spend considerable time in the pits to repair a damaged right rear suspension, ultimately turning his race into a testing-run.

“I don’t know what I’ve got to do this season to get some luck.” Webber said.

“The mechanics replaced the part quickly, but obviously by the time I went back on track I was 11 laps behind the leader. This compromised my race of course, but it will also affect qualifying for the next race, as I will have a very early start slot.”

Heidfeld managed to avoid any of the early-race chaos, however only managed an 11th place finish, indicating that the Williams team still has a way to go before they are once again at the front of the pack.

“Compared to the last two races we have improved the cars, but it is clear that we still have a lot of work to do.” Williams technical director Sam Michael said.

Alonso now holds a 36-point lead in driver’s championship points over second-placed Kimi Raikkonen, and with only seven races left in the season it is a margin that will be extremely hard for any driver to challenge.

How they finished:

1. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2. Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. Jenson Button (BAR-Honda)
4. Giarncarlo Fisichella (Renault)
5. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
6. Ralf Schumacher (Toyota)
7. David Coulthard (Red Bull)
8. Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas)

19. Mark Webber (Williams-BMW)

Championship Points:

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