The surprise of the race to this point was
Mark Webber, the
Williams driver rising as high as third during the pit-stops, having previously jumped into the points from the start. By the time the Australian pitted, it was lap 28 and Raikkonen was planning his
second stop of the afternoon. Webber dropped to fifth after his stop, but remained firmly in the mix for a possible podium, with Button and Raikkonen, as
Renault struggled to make any impression on the top three.
While Mercedes had its hopes pinned solely on Raikkonen and his unique strategy,
BMW was already licking its wounds by one half-distance, Villeneuve having followed Rosberg into the wall in the stadium section, albeit entering the main straight, suggesting suspension failure. The German drivers, Schumacher Sr aside, were also struggling and
Ralf Schumacher's day got worse, with a drive-thru' penalty following an early stop to investigate possible damage from his clash with DC on lap one. The German would go on to make four stops in all, leaving him eleven seconds out of the points by the end.
Webber moved back into podium contention by passing Fisichella on lap 39 - a move unthinkable in recent races - and was soon threatening Button as Williams finally got a handle on its
Bridgestone rubber. Back up to third when the Briton made his final stop, Webber dropped to sixth when he called in, and appeared on course for a solid points finish before his now customary ill-luck struck again, this time reducing the FW28 to a crawl just nine laps from home.
Raikkonen and Button remained as the Australian's biggest rivals before his retirement, and their respective strategies meant that they were battling for position despite not being close on the road until the latter stages. Button held the upper hand after his second and Raikkonen's third call for fuel, but the Finn had the greater pace, particularly after the
Honda developed graining, and was able to sweep past the Briton - aptly in front of the Mercedes grandstand - on lap 57.
