I have no idea whether that was a good race overall or not, just one move elevated it to the status of 'great race' in my head, and that was Hamilton's pass on Raikkonen for second place ... stunning move, total commitment, superb car control ... in other words 'racing' and I was beginning to think F1 had forgotten what that was!

Full results, etc., below:

Qualifying results

Race results

Drivers' championship table

Constructors' championship table

With only a week to wait until the next race at Spa (oh, how tempting is it just to pop across the Channel for that one), and with Stepneygate rumbling on, the tension builds towards the end of what has already proved to be a season to remember (for both all the right and all the wrong reasons).
 

A lights to flag victory for Massa, securing a second consecutive win at this circuit, having taken his first F1 win here last year.  A right-front tyre failure compromised Hamilton's race, allowing Alonso to close the gap a little in the drivers' championship.

But exciting ... nah, not really, perhaps we've been spoiled in recent races!

Full results here

Drivers championship table

Constructors championship table
 

A very hot qualifying session in Turkey finds Massa on pole ahead of Hamilton, with their respective team-mates, Raikkonen and Alonso, on the second row for what promises to be another exciting race tomorrow.

Full qualifying results

Impressive run from Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri, just missing the cut for the final session!
 

There's plenty of chatter elsewhere on the rights and wrongs of the shenanigans in Hungary ... so I'll limit myself to just posting the results and the championship tables

Race results and report

Drivers' championship table

Constructors' championship table

NB As it looks like McLaren have dropped their appeal against the point-stripping penalty imposed by the Stewards in Hungary, I have not included the 15 Constructors' points they would have collected for Hamilton's win and Alonso's 4th place.
 

OK, with 5 slot grid penalties for Alonso (for impeding Hamilton) and Fisichella (for impeding Yamamoto), the only driver in the top 10 to start from the grid slot he qualified in is Robert Kubica!




Grid now looks like this:

1. LH   3. KR   5. RS   7. RK   9. MW   11. HK   13. GF   15. AD   17. JB   19. TS   21. AS
    2. NH   4. NR   6. FA   8. JT   10. DC   12. AW   14. FM   16. VL   18. RB   20. SB   22. SY
 

Interesting conundrum for the team ... however annoyed Ron Dennis may be at the antics of his no. 1 driver, he can hardly be thrilled at the prospect of sanction by the stewards which may see Alonso drop down the grid.

 

 

grrrrrr ... I'm not happy, if that was brinksmanship on Alonso's part (and I can't see any other reason at the moment, but am prepared to give him the benefit of the tiniest doubt until I hear what he has to say for himself), he just lost all credibility in my eyes.

In the press conference, Alonso implies it was the team holding him back, which it clearly wasn't.  Hamilton, very diplomatically, declines to comment suggesting the team are best placed to speak on the subject. If body language were audible, however, the air would have been blue!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about - check out the notes at the foot of the qualifying results linked below.

Full qualifying results here

 
 

Well, boring is not a word I'd associate with this afternoon's European GP at the Nurburgring ... a torrential downpour at the start certainly contributed more to the excitement than any individual driver, but it was nonetheless gripping stuff!

Lewis Hamilton's extraordinary run of podium finishes was finally brought to a close, but his team-mate took a well-deserved victory to extend McLaren's lead in the Constructors' Championship and close the gap in the Drivers' Championship to just 2 points.

Full race results and report

 

After yesterday's high-speed accident, Lewis Hamilton has been declared fit by FIA medical delegate, Dr Gary Hartstein, to race in today's European GP at the Nurburgring.

Having crashed out during the fuel burn phase of the last period of qualifying, his best time was easily overhauled by the other nine drivers and he will start from 10th. Hamilton has a reputation, earned in the lower formulas, for dramatic drives through the field - it will be interesting to see whether he can do the same in F1. His first targets will be the two Toyotas of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli ...
 

Lewis Hamilton's stellar start to the season suffered its first serious blow today in qualifying at the Nurburgring when a faulty wheelgun led to a right front tyre failure and a high-speed impact with the tyre barrier. It was reminiscent of Schumacher's 1999 crash at Silverstone in which he broke his leg, but Hamilton was luckier and although clearly shaken, got out of the car unaided.

He was taken to the medical centre and then to hospital as a precaution but never lost consciousness and has broken no bones. He is hopeful of racing tomorrow, but that will be up to the FIA medical delegate who will make a decision in the morning.

If he starts, and if his team can rebuild the car, it will be from 10th on the grid. If he has to take the spare car, it will be from the pitlane. If he can't race, it is too late for the team to substitute another driver and Alonso will carry McLaren's championship hopes solo.

Full qualifying results

 

The amazing story that is Lewis Hamilton's first season in Formula 1 continues today as he takes pole at his first home Grand Prix. Talk about pulling it out of the bag when it matters ... what an incredible final run!

Full qualifying results here

I can't help feeling this fantastic run of results has to end some time ... just hope it's not tomorrow!

 

Having started my Journal in late June, I promptly decamped to Africa. Am back now and sorting through the hundreds of photos. Thought I'd start with a big cat picspam and these cheetahs just blew me away ... four brothers out hunting in the early morning sun in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana.

OK, I know I'm getting a little repetitive, but this guy is worth shouting about!  Six races into this debut season and he's leading the driver's championship by 8 points!

Drivers' championship tables here
 

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!

That about sums it up ... a superbly controlled drive from Hamilton on an afternoon that saw four safety car periods, to take his first victory fair and square. Six races in and he leads the championship ... WOW!

Full race results here
 

I don't usually get caught up in the whole reality TV thing, but a love of musicals led me to tune in to Any Dream Will Do one Saturday evening a couple of months ago. (The Grease equivalent on ITV was a step too far ... !)

A young man called Lee Mead immediately caught my attention - a stunning voice, great stage presence and extremely easy on the eye ... I was hooked.

Last night, he won through to take the coveted dreamcoat and his first leading role in the West End. A superstar is born, I have no doubt.

Congratulations to Lee on a totally well-deserved victory - I'll be there in the audience on 29 August, can't wait!
 

I've been watching Lewis Hamilton for more than a decade, watching and waiting ... this year he made his formula 1 debut and has more than met my expectations. His drive (excuse the pun), fitness, professionalism and pure talent are a joy to see and I look forward to the results that will inevitably follow.

Having qualified in the front two rows of the grid in each of his first five races, he finally took his first pole position in supreme style at the sixth race of the season in Montreal.

Qualifying results

Can he finally take the top step of the podium as well ... ?