As the Finn continued to pile the pressure on the race leader – getting the gap down to less than four seconds – Kubica and Heidfeld held third and fourth, ahead of Kovalainen, Trulli, Webber and Rosberg. Hamilton, meanwhile, finally found a way past Fisichella after several laps trying, and when he rejoined from his own pit-stop – McLaren having switched the 23-year-old over to a one-stopper – he did so to be immediately lapped by Massa, the man against whom, only twelve months ago, he had raced for victory in the desert kingdom.
McLaren's nightmare continued as, with 25 of the 57 laps remaining, Trulli began to take significant chunks out of Kovalainen for fifth place in a near-repeat of
Toyota's Malaysian performance two weeks earlier, while several places further back Alonso and Glock's tussle was rejoined, only now with the Toyota holding the high ground.
Piquet pulled off as the gearbox in his R28 finally gave up the ghost shortly before the second round of pit-stops got underway, with Raikkonen in first this time – just as his team-mate set a new fastest lap. Massa was in next time around for a set of hard rubber, rejoining comfortably still ahead, but in the process promoting Kubica to the head of the field for the first time in a race he had hoped to lead from the start.
It was an academic situation for the Pole, however, as his own stop just a handful of laps later left team-mate Heidfeld in front, and the German's subsequent second pit visit – albeit one that came at the end of a succession of
very quick laps – re-established the red sea at the top of the timing screens.
Kovalainen, however, still had yet to pit for a second time with twelve laps to go – allowing him to closely shadow Raikkonen's second place ahead of the two BMWs – but when the Finn finally came in on lap 47 it re-established the erstwhile
status quo, whilst at the same time preserving Kovalainen's fifth place ahead of Trulli.
