Heidfeld then drove all the way around the outside of Fisichella into turn one to finally make the move stick, after the Italian had got out of shape coming through the last corner and – despite doggedly holding the inside line down the pit straight – proving unable to stave off the
BMW's irresistibly greater pace.
With nine laps remaining a scant seven seconds blanketed the top four challengers, though in truth none of them had ever really threatened to make a move on the driver ahead, and the
status quo would remain as such all the way to the chequered flag, with just 5.6 seconds separating Raikkonen, Massa, Hamilton and Kubica.
Webber was half a minute further back in fifth for his third consecutive points' finish of the 2008 campaign – and one that has strengthened his own position in the drivers' world standings – with Button coming home a brilliant sixth after lapping faster than
anyone bar Hamilton in the closing stages. Nakajima and a disappointed Trulli – who was mistakenly called into the pits for a phantom stop towards the end in the wake of Glock's coming-together with Coulthard, costing him a couple of places – took the final points-paying positions.
Behind them, Heidfeld got within four seconds of the top eight at the close, with Fisichella, Glock, Coulthard and Sato completing the finishers, the latter duo having waged a fraught tussle in the dying laps in an effort to avoid the ignominy of the wooden spoon.
Up front, though, the two main talking points of the race both revolved around Finns – one who had been lucky to emerge from the biggest accident of the season so far, and the other who had sent his rivals a warning message that he will be very, very tough to beat in 2008.
To see the race results in full,
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