With debris scattered over a wide area, the safety car was called for and the field again packed up behind Hamilton. Remarkably, Alonso had been only the second retirement of the race, joining Wurz, suggesting that the stewards' decision to go racing had been the right one - even if the drivers still largely disagreed. The casualty list was about to get bigger, however, starting while the pack was still running at controlled speed.
Some two laps before the decision was taken to resume, Webber's car speared out of second place and into the wall. At first glance it appeared that the Australian - who had been running faster than Hamilton at the time of Alonso's off - had lost it while warming his tyres, but subsequent replays showed that Vettel had been at fault, slamming into the back of the
Red Bull Racing entry as both attempted to keep temperatures up. The German accepted the blame, but hinted that he had been caught out by Hamilton's extreme accelerating and braking behind the safety car rather than by his own lack of awareness of Webber's position.
The double retirement - the tearful Vettel's left front corner was too badly damaged to continue any further than the Toro Rosso pit - allowed Kovalainen back up into second, with Massa - despite three pit-calls - third from Coulthard, Fisichella, Heidfeld and Raikkonen.
Nico Rosberg,
Ralf Schumacher and
Anthony Davidson would all swell the list of those failing to go the distance before lap 60, but the race was now on for points over the remaining laps.
A key milestone was passed on lap 51, when 75 per cent of the race was completed, ensuring that the top eight would score full - rather than half - points, but Hamilton was already easing away from those behind, leaving Kovalainen to come under pressure from Massa and Raikkonen to begin making his way through the field.
