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With Nico
Rosberg qualifying in seventh and Kazuki Nakajima in fourteenth the AT&T
Williams team would get ready for the start of the opening race of the 2008
Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix. Adrian Sutil would start from
the pit lane after having to take a penalty due to changing his chassis
which was damaged in qualifying. Toyota's Timo Glock would suffer two
penalties that
would see him start from nineteenth on the grid. This would see Kazuki move
up to thirteenth. It was expected that most drivers would start the race on
the harder tyre. One notable team to run the softer tyre was Ferrari.
 With
the race length fifty eight laps the cars would form up on the grid after
the parade lap and as the lights went out would get away with Hamilton
leading from Kubica and Kovalainen into Turn one. Raikkonen had moved from
fifteenth to eighth. Massa had dropped to eleventh after making contact with
another car.
Massa would pit for a new nose as the safety car was deployed. Kazuki was
also in. Fisichella had retired out on the circuit. His car was craned away.
Fisichella was hit from the rear. Massa appears to have spun all by himself
as he went through Turn one. Webber would retire his car in the pit lane.
Nico was in fourth as the race restarted. Massa would pit again. Hamilton
would set a fastest lap, 1m:29.257. Button was also out with his car having
been damaged in the opening lap chaos. Replays showed that Kazuki had slowed
causing an accident behind him involving Davidson.
After lap four the order was Hamilton, Kubica, Kovalainen, Nico, Heidfeld,
Trulli, Barrichello, and Raikkonen in eighth. Vettel had also retired. Lap
five and a new fastest lap, 1m:28.556. He was 2.6 seconds ahead of Kubica.
Kazuki was in sixteenth. Massa was running last. Lap six and Hamilton was
again faster, 1m:28.513. Another fastest lap on lap seven, 1m:28.442. Nico
was 2.9 seconds behind third placed Kovalainen.
Heidfeld would run wide seeing him drop back from Nico. Hamilton's lead was
now up to 5.3 seconds. Kovalainen was closing onto second placed Kubica. Lap
nine and another fastest lap from Hamilton, 1m:28.111. Kazuki would pass
Piquet for fourteenth. Sutil would retire in the pit. Raikkonen was
attacking seventh placed Barrichello.
 At
the front the race had settled down with Hamilton's lead 8.5 seconds. On the
team radio Nico said that the balance of his car was OK. Lap thirteen and
another fastest lap for Hamilton, 1m:28.007. He would lower this the next
lap, 1m:27.785. Nico was dropping back from third. Hamilton was really
pushing with another fastest lap on lap fifteen, 1m:27.590.
Kubica would pit on lap seventeen. He would take on the harder compound
tyres. He would exit behind Raikkonen. Another fastest lap for Hamilton,
1m:27.484, on lap seventeen. Massa would pass Kazuki for fourteenth.
Hamilton would pit on lap eighteen, seeing Kovalainen take the lead. Another
set of the harder tyres and he would return behind Heidfeld.
Kovalainen was pushing at the front. Raikkonen would pass Barrichello for
sixth and start to pull away from the Honda. Nico was now in second but yet
to stop. Bourdais would pit on lap twenty one. Trulli had also pitted. He
would get out of his car in a hurry with a problem. Lap twenty two and Nico
and Heidfeld would both pit. Both would stay on the harder tyre.
Heidfeld was able to pass Nico in the pit lane. Lap twenty three and
Kovalainen would pit. Ninth placed Coulthard was also in. Hamilton was again
leading with Kovalainen returning back to the track just in front of
Raikkonen. Alonso had passed Nico for sixth. Lap twenty four and Barrichello
would pit. Raikkonen and Alonso had yet to pit.
With Kazuki down in thirteenth Nico was now 3.2 seconds behind Alonso. Massa
would take out Coulthard when he hit the side of the Red Bull as they went
into Turn one. The Safety car was deployed. Replays showed that Massa was
alongside the Red Bull and Coulthard appeared not to see him. The field
would close up behind Hamilton as the debris from the Coulthard and Massa
accident was cleared up. Several drivers would pit including Kubica, Alonso,
Glock and Kazuki. Kubica was sent out on the softer tyre. Nico was now in
fifth. The safety car would return to the pit lane as Raikkonen attacked
Kovalainen. He would over do it and go off the track. Massa would retire his
car out on the track as on lap thirty two
Raikkonen would pit.
 Hamilton
was leading from Kovalainen and Heidfeld. Nico was in fourth. Piquet would
retire out on the circuit. Kazuki was down in ninth. In fifth was
Barrichello from Bourdais, Kubica, and Alonso. Lap thirty seven and Hamilton
was leading by 5.5 seconds from Kovalainen. Nico was 2.1 seconds behind
third placed Heidfeld. Lap thirty eight and a new fastest lap from Hamilton,
1m:27.452. Nico would set his fastest sector one time. Lap forty one and he
would set his fastest lap of the race so far, 1m:28.090.
Hamilton would pit on lap forty four. He was joined by Nico. Kovalainen
would set a new fastest lap on lap forty three, 1m:27.418. Raikkonen had
spun trying to pass Glock going into Turn three. Heidfeld would pit on lap
forty five. The drivers would take on the softer tyre for their final run.
Glock would have a big crash that would see the safety car deployed.
Glock had run wide and went over a bump off the track and the car flew with
the car being destroyed as it crashed back down. He would spin across the
car and hit the wall. After a short time he would get out of the car. We
also had drama in the pit lane as Barrichello left the pit lane with his
fuel hose still attached. Thankfully the hose detached itself as he left his pit box with no further
problems.
With the safety car deployed Kovalainen was leading from Hamilton, Heidfeld,
Barrichello, Nico, Bourdais, Kubica, and Alonso in eighth. Kazuki was in
ninth. Lap forty eight and Kovalainen would pit. He was joined by Alonso.
Barrichello was under investigation for entering the pit lane when it was
closed. The safety car would come in as they started lap forty nine.
Kubica and
Kazuki would pit. Barrichello would get a ten second penalty. Kazuki had not
front wing. It looks like the Kubica and Kazuki had some form of a coming
together. Kubica would retire in the pit lane. Kazuki would get back out.
Barrichello would take his penalty seeing Nico in a fantastic third. Replays
showed that Kazuki had hit Kubica.
Lap fifty and Hamilton lead from Heidfeld, Nico, Bourdais, Alonso,
Kovalainen, Raikkonen, and in eighth Barrichello. Alonso was attacking
Bourdais. Raikkonen was struggling with a car that had been given a hard
time. His car engine note sounded very sick. Raikkonen would pit and retire
his car. A double DNF for Ferrari. This would see Kazuki in eighth. A
possible double points scoring finish for Williams
With two laps left Bourdais would suffer the disappointment of an engine
failure while running in fourth. He would pull off the track as Alonso and
Kovalainen battled it out. As the drivers started their final lap Hamilton
was leading from Heidfeld and Nico in third. Alonso was fourth followed by
Kovalainen, Barrichello, and Kazuki in seventh.
Hamilton would cross the line to win as Nico came home a fantastic
third. Just brilliant with Kazuki also bringing points to the team in
seventh. Nico got his wish to score a podium finish in the season. To do it
in the first race was a fantastic result for both him and the Williams team.
He could be forgiven for forgetting to take off his hat while they played
the national anthem for Hamilton on the podium. |
