Lewis glory on an eventful weekend

By tgreen

WHAT a weekend – another in the world of Formula One that was unexpected for several reasons.

Lewis Hamilton's brilliant drive in Hungary to land his first win for nine months was a surprise to him, and also the McLaren team, which had expected an improvement, but didn't expect to be winning races just yet.

Another surprise was that the Brawns were still lacking the outright performance they had expected. Before the race they had said there would be no excuses for poor performance now the track temperatures were higher and suiting their cars.

So what was the excuse this time? Championship leader Jenson Button was heard questioning the handling of his car over the radio, clearly at a loss to understand the problems after a near-perfect start to the season.

As a damage limitation exercise, it wasn't too bad. He got a helping hand from his fellow Brit Lewis claiming the 10 points for the win, while his main rivals, the Red Bulls, also struggled, with Sebastien Vettel retiring from the race, and Aussie Mark Webber, who claimed his maiden win at the Nurburgring last time out, coming home third.

So my guess is that some of the upgrades that have been added to the car in recent weeks aren't working, or are having a negative effect, or Brawn GP haven't got the money to develop the car at the required rate.

The whole weekend, though, was overshadowed by a near-fatal accident involving Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who was hit on the head by a spring which came off fellow Brazilian Rubens Barichello's Brawn car when its rear suspension collapsed.

And this horrific accident came only days after 18-year-old Henry Surtees was killed at Brands Hatch when he was hit on the head by a lose wheel which had become detached from a fellow competitor's crashed car in an F2 race.

They were both freak accidents, which go to underline the fact that, despite the incredible steps taken in recent years to improve safety, particularly in F1, motorsport is still dangerous.

Massa's high-speed impaling of the trackside barrier, was reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's crash at Silverstone and, at first, everyone was at a loss to explain what had happened. Then came the slow-motion footage of the bouncing spring which hit Massa's helmet.

Thank goodness the helmet took most of the impact. Thank goodness also that it was a glancing blow on the side of his head and not a direct hit on the visor!

The car's impact with the barriers wouldn't have helped either, but the HANS device probably helped to save Massa's life.

Early reports following the weekend seem reasonably positive – the operation to repair his damaged skull went well, so let's hope Felipe makes a full recovery in time, but I doubt we will see him compete again this season.

His pit crew made a moving tribute with his pit board before the grand prix wishing him well – sentiments echoed around the paddock and the world over.

So it was left to Raikonnen to compete the only Ferrari on Sunday, a job he did with the impressive determination we all know he's got – when he wants to use it. His second-place finish, the team's best result of the season, was dedicated to Massa by Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali .

With bits of cars causing serious accidents being headline news, it was unfortunate for Renault that they let Fernando Alonso leave the pits with a badly-fitted wheel.

Having started from his first pole since the Italian Grand Prix in 2007, and Renault's first since China 2006, Alonso comfortably led the field away from the lights and for the first 12 laps.

After leaving the pits it was immediately obvious Alonso had a problem as he limped round the circuit. First to go was a wheel cover, but it was soon followed by the wheel itself, which bounced off down the track, hitting a barrier before coming to rest at the side of the circuit.

Although dramatic, it would arguably have not mattered too much under normal circumstances, but in light of the events of the last week, officials took a different view.

The entire Renault team has been suspended from next month's European Grand Prix in Valencia, which means double world champion Alonso will not now race in front of his own supporters at the street circuit in the Spanish city.

Renault are almost certain appeal – and I hope they win and are allowed to race.

It was a racing incident we have seen countless times before. Damaged cars with bits falling off them trying to make it back to the pits for repairs.

Alonso was no different, and I think a team ban is an over-reaction by the officials. If they want to change the rules to say that if a car is damaged, the driver must immediately retire, that is something else, but it certainly wasn't the case this weekend.

The other notable event was the debut of the sport's youngest ever driver, Jaime Alguersuari, who replaces Sebastien Bourdais. Heavily derided by some of the drivers for his lack of experience – he had never driven an F1 car around a corner until the start of the weekend – he acquitted himself well.

He qualified last, but managed to beat his team-mate in the race.

A fine achievement for the reigning F3 champion, and no easy feat. He is one to watch for the future.