Fernando Alonso has blown the 2007
Formula 1 World Championship wide back open again, after triumphing in a European Grand Prix that had so much drama it could even have been scripted by visiting film director Quentin Tarantino.
In fighting his way past
Felipe Massa courtesy of an inspired move in the closing stages at the Nürburgring, the Spaniard has closed to within just two points of non-scoring team-mate
Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings. What's more, with
McLaren seeing off the threat of a seemingly dominant
Ferrari and only seven grands prix remaining on the calendar, there promises to be no let-up in the drama until season's end.
With the rain clouds moving in fast as the drivers set off for their formation lap, there was a sense in the Eifel Mountains air that anything could happen, and the afternoon would produce one of the most memorable Formula 1 races in recent history.
Pole-sitter
Kimi Raikkonen held the lead off the start as Massa went all the way around the outside of Alonso into turn one and almost took his team-mate too for good measure. Behind them all hell let loose as the two BMW-Saubers collided, with
Nick Heidfeld nudging
Robert Kubica into a spin and the unfortunate Hamilton getting caught up in the ensuing mêlée. Having got up as high as fourth place from his tenth grid spot, the world championship leader was then forced to tour around the remainder of the lap to the pits with a punctured left rear tyre, but with the rain now fairly hammering the circuit the opening lap drama was far from over yet.
David Coulthard was the next to go for a trip across the gravel trap, to be followed by
Nico Rosberg and
Jenson Button, but as the cars came around to complete the lap and head for the pit-lane it was leader Raikkonen who provided the biggest shock by firstly missing the final chicane and then, worse still, inadvertently straight-lining the pit-lane entrance, requiring the Finn to complete another lap on slicks in the torrential conditions before being able to change tyres.
