Webber appeared to be in freefall immediately after the field was released, succumbing in quick succession to Kubica, Fisichella and Schumacher Jr, but it was team-mate Rosberg who was next to add his name to the retirement list, the young German's strong drive being thwarted by a loss of water pressure. That freed de la Rosa to chase Button, while Fisichella underlined his comeback by returning to the points positions after 26 laps.
Kubica was the first of the 'safety car stoppers' to make a second call for fuel and tyres on lap 35, but it was another four laps before any of the main protagonists blinked. In that time, both Schumacher and Alonso made errors, opening and closing the gap between them accordingly, while Button kept a watching brief in fourth.
Massa and Alonso pitted in tandem on lap 39 which, in line with expectation, Schumacher continued, inheriting the lead and pushing on in an effort to build enough of a cushion to make his stop and return to the fray in front of his rivals. Another four laps passed before the German came in, not sufficient for him to pull away, and he duly resumed in third place, albeit right with Alonso and enjoying improved handling after a front wing adjustment.
Alonso, meanwhile, was beginning to struggle with his rear tyres which, like team-mate Fisichella's, had developed a ring of blisters that hampered his performance in the slower corners. That allowed Massa to eke out a ten-second lead but, more importantly, brought Schumacher into a more threatening position, the German looking for a way around the
Renault on several occasions.
Behind them, Button had settled into an increasingly lonely fourth place, de la Rosa having dropped away during the pit-stops and found himself coming under pressure from Barrichello. When the Brazilian made his final fuel call, Fisichella and
Ralf Schumacher took up the pursuit of the lone
McLaren, with the Italian latching on to his target for the run to the flag.
