The rest of the top ten had got away roughly in grid order, with
BMW twins
Nick Heidfeld and
Robert Kubica holding fifth and sixth from
Giancarlo Fisichella and
Mark Webber. The Italian's team-mate was among the early movers, however,
Heikki Kovalainen up to ninth from twelfth, displacing
Jarno Trulli and
Nico Rosberg. The
Williams pilot had a ragged start to the race, running out of room on more than one occasion and ceding places to
David Coulthard and team-mate Alex Wurz as a result. Coulthard, more than anyone else, was making rapid progress, the Scot up from 21st to eleventh by lap 15.
By that stage, Massa and Hamilton had eased out a cushion over their respective team-mates, with Raikkonen all over Alonso for third. The Spaniard appeared to be struggling for grip on his first set of the softer
Bridgestone tyres, and was having to try all he knew to keep the
Ferrari at bay while he waited for the pit-stop window to open.
Although Tonio Liuzzi had been the first unenforced pit-caller when he stopped under the safety car to swap his harder rubber for the more popular option, Coulthard, Wurz and
Ralf Schumacher set the ball rolling on lap 17. Hamilton, in line with expectation, was the first of the frontrunners to stop three laps later, leaving Massa with a ten-second advantage over Alonso.
The Brazilian was in next time around, handing the
McLaren an unexpected lead, with Alonso, Raikkonen and Heidfeld following suit over the next couple of laps. When the order had shaken itself out, there was one major shift, with Raikkonen having been vaulted ahead of the world champion courtesy of a strong in-lap, the two stops being timed almost exactly to the same tenth of a second.
