2008 Hungarian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Heikki Kovalainen claimed his first Grand Prix victory after late heartbreak for Felipe Massa. The Ferrari driver had controlled the Hungarian race from a brilliant start, only for an engine failure to hand McLaren victory and allow Timo Glock to celebrate his first podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:20.899
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:21.195 on lap 61
First	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren
Second	Timo Glock	Toyota
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
1 August 2008	Practice 1	10:00
1 August 2008	Practice 2	14:00
2 August 2008	Practice 3	11:00
2 August 2008	Qualifying	14:00
3 August 2008	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 11 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 58 points, with Felipe Massa on 54. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 105 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Felipe Massa led a Ferrari one-two in dry opening practice, while Sebastian Vettel’s hydraulic problem restricted him to only a handful of timed laps. The warm conditions provided consistent running for most teams, but Toro Rosso’s lost mileage put Sebastian Vettel behind schedule before the rest of the weekend.

Lewis Hamilton moved ahead in FP2, with Nelson Piquet close behind on Renault’s lighter-than-usual fuel load. Sebastian Vettel’s hydraulic trouble persisted and again left him with little running. Nelson Piquet spun near the end, while Kazuki Nakajima also had a moment against the wall as drivers worked through the hot afternoon.

Lewis Hamilton remained fastest in final practice, but Robert Kubica’s mechanical problem interrupted BMW Sauber’s preparations. Nick Heidfeld was happier with his setup, and Sebastian Vettel finally enjoyed a trouble-free session. The close group behind Lewis Hamilton suggested a competitive qualifying contest despite McLaren’s strong Friday and Saturday pace.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix FP1, 1 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:20.981	19
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.364s	21
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.429s	17
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.554s	18
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.821s	18
6	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.950s	22
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.286s	18
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.345s	19
9	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.389s	22
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.476s	25
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.673s	23
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.719s	16
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.919s	26
14	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.936s	27
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.112s	26
16	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+2.166s	21
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.293s	22
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.372s	25
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.478s	28
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.942s	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix FP2, 1 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:20.554	35
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.194s	38
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.206s	33
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.374s	35
5	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.455s	36
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.456s	36
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.584s	46
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.809s	36
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.951s	42
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.027s	34
11	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.108s	39
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.179s	43
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.283s	34
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.348s	33
15	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.401s	41
16	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.596s	41
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.643s	36
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.804s	37
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.894s	33
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.391s	5

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix FP3, 2 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:20.228	14
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.339s	14
3	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.395s	21
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.429s	15
5	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.689s	21
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.868s	15
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.951s	21
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.956s	22
9	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.959s	18
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.967s	19
11	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.000s	21
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.129s	17
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.261s	16
14	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.373s	18
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.475s	20
16	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.524s	17
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.544s	19
18	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.747s	18
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.961s	22
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.322s	23

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole ahead of Heikki Kovalainen, securing a McLaren front row. Felipe Massa had been quickest in Q2 but could manage only third in the final shootout, while Kimi Räikkönen’s heavier fuel load and final-lap mistake left him sixth.

Timo Glock produced his best qualifying result to that point in fifth, behind Robert Kubica. Sebastien Bourdais received a grid penalty for impeding Nick Heidfeld, whose session ended in Q1, while Nico Rosberg’s hydraulic trouble prevented him running in Q2. Tyre choice also mattered, with the nominally harder option proving particularly effective.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying, 2 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:19.376	1:19.473	1:20.899	12
2	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:19.945	1:19.480	1:21.140	16
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:19.578	1:19.068	1:21.191	16
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:20.053	1:19.776	1:21.281	19
5	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:19.980	1:19.246	1:21.326	24
6	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:20.006	1:19.546	1:21.516	19
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:20.229	1:19.816	1:21.698	15
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:20.073	1:20.046	1:21.732	18
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:19.942	1:19.486	1:21.767	20
10	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:20.583	1:20.131	1:22.371	19
11	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:20.157	1:20.144	—	17
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:20.888	1:20.332	—	15
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:20.505	1:20.502	—	16
14	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:20.640	1:20.963	—	16
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:20.748	No time	—	10
16	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:21.045	—	—	7
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:21.085	—	—	9
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:21.332	—	—	8
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:21.670	—	—	9
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:22.113	—	—	10

Nico Rosberg was left without a time in Q2 due to technical problems.

Sébastien Bourdais was penalised five places on the grid for impeding Nick Heidfeld during first qualifying.

What happened in the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa launched past Heikki Kovalainen and swept around Lewis Hamilton at the first corner to take the lead. He then controlled the pace as Lewis Hamilton attempted to remain close enough to attack through strategy. Timo Glock moved ahead of Robert Kubica and established himself behind the leading trio.

Lewis Hamilton’s left-front puncture forced an unscheduled stop and removed the immediate pressure on Felipe Massa. The Ferrari appeared comfortable, but several drivers suffered pit-stop difficulties, including flash fires for Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Bourdais. Kimi Räikkönen moved ahead of Fernando Alonso through the stops and began closing on Timo Glock.

With three laps remaining, Felipe Massa’s engine failed on the main straight. Heikki Kovalainen inherited his first victory, Timo Glock secured second and Kimi Räikkönen completed the podium. Lewis Hamilton recovered to fifth behind Fernando Alonso, turning an afternoon that had threatened his championship lead into a useful points finish.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 62 points, followed by Kimi Räikkönen on 57. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 111, with McLaren on 100.

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 3 August 2008, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	70	1:37:27.067	10
2	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	70	+11.061	8
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	70	+16.856	6
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	70	+21.614	5
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	70	+23.048	4
6	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	70	+32.298	3
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	70	+36.449	2
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	70	+48.321	1
9	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	70	+58.834	0
10	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	70	+1:07.709	0
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	70	+1:10.407	0
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	69	+1 Lap	0
13	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	69	+1 Lap	0
14	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	69	+1 Lap	0
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	69	+1 Lap	0
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	68	+2 Laps	0
17	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	67	Engine	0
18	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	67	+3 Laps	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	62	Brakes	0
Ret	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	22	Overheating	0

2008 Hungarian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	61	1:21.195	194.243
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	16	1:21.355	193.861
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	15	1:21.493	193.533
4	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	64	1:21.537	193.428
5	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	65	1:21.638	193.189
6	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	42	1:21.671	193.111
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	19	1:21.753	192.917
8	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	47	1:21.793	192.823
9	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	70	1:21.941	192.475
10	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	67	1:22.125	192.043
11	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	67	1:22.183	191.908
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	57	1:22.397	191.409
13	16	Jenson Button	Honda	63	1:22.397	191.409
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	65	1:22.436	191.319
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	68	1:22.641	190.844
16	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	67	1:22.732	190.634
17	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	29	1:23.220	189.516
18	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	67	1:23.307	189.319
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	29	1:23.650	188.542
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	17	1:24.222	187.262

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	62
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	57
3	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	54
4	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	49
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	41
6	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	38
7	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	22
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	18
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	18
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	13
11	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	13
12	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
13	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	8
14	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	8
15	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	6
16	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	6
17	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
18	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
21	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	111
2	McLaren	100
3	BMW Sauber	90
4	Toyota	35
5	Renault	31
6	Red Bull Racing	24
7	Williams	16
8	Honda	14
9	Toro Rosso	8
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November