With the advantage between those stopping once and those stopping twice yet to be established, Kovalainen and
Ralf Schumacher gave a clue to how their afternoon would pan out when they finally pitted at the mid-way point of the race and emerged in ninth and tenth 0 just behind those needing to stop for a second time.
One person who would not be able to capitalise on this however would be Coulthard, who went longer than any driver in the race in one stint, the Scot pitting on lap 26 but going just five laps longer before pulling off the circuit with hydraulic issues.
He joined fellow retirees Fisichella and
Sebastian Vettel, who stopped after just eight laps in his Toro Rosso. The list would later gain Alex Wurz on lap 34, mechanical issues ending an otherwise dismal race that saw the Austrian experience several off-track moments, while hydraulic problems would also claim Jenson Button’s
Honda two laps later too.
The ‘battle’ up the front gained a little more intensity as the top four diversified into slightly different strategies during the second round of pit stops, Raikkonen again coming in first, with Massa following just a lap behind.
Alonso managed to go a lap longer, but Hamilton pulled himself into second place briefly as he attempted to make a heavier fuel strategy work for him, but once he finally entered the pit lane it still left him a comfortable distance behind the Spaniard.
It was a top four that would remain steady right to the chequered flag, only Massa deciding to put the hammer down in the final few revolutions to at least score the fastest lap of the race, the Brazilian even get the gap ahead down to less than two seconds briefly. It was nothing to bother Raikkonen though, who eased over the line to secure a win that places him a fair, but not impossible, 13 points behind Hamilton with 30 points still up for grabs. Massa on the other hand is now 20 points adrift and potentially now set to switch roles to aid his team-mate.
