Despite speculation that the rain might return, Hamilton was able to press on, and had 17 seconds on his pursuers by lap 29, half-distance, extending that gap, at times, by as much as a second a lap. Such was the pace now being set, that slicks soon came into the equation. Rain was still being reported as only a matter of minutes away, but the fine line between the choice of tyres was closer still.
In the end, Alonso and
Renault - now with nothing to lose after dropping well out of contention - were the first to take the plunge. The Spaniard had been reticent to move to the grooved rubber, and his early laps on it appeared to confirm that reluctance, but soon the rest began to follow suit.
Webber, running fourth, was among the early adopters, when the move still appeared risky for the frontrunners but, when
McLaren used Kovalainen as a guinea pig, it was clear that all were considering it, leaving just the question of when.
Massa seemed to be most in need, the
Ferrari having dropped three seconds a lap off Hamilton's pace at times, but the Scuderia hesitated longer than almost everyone. Kubica stopped for his change on lap 53, along with the still impressive Sutil, while Hamilton was in next time around, his now 37-second advantage over Massa allowing the McLaren to rejoin still in front.
In the end, Ferrari didn't react for another couple of laps - enough time for Kovalainen to turn
Jenson Button around at the chicane - and it proved costly for Massa, who had had his cushion over Kubica whittled away by the Pole, who gratefully accepted second on the road. Raikkonen, too, was late making the switch, but was able to resume in fifth, between Sutil and Webber, with 30 laps still remaining on the original race distance.
