Schumacher held a relatively comfortable lead in the early stages of the race, and it was nearly made even more comfortable at the beginning of lap eight when Massa, running well on his Ferrari debut, lost control under braking at Turn 1 and narrowly avoided collecting Alonso’s Renault.
Having barely escaped a big accident, the Spaniard set off in pursuit of Schumacher and after the first round of pit stops was just a few lengths behind the German. The duo continued to lap in close proximity throughout the second stint until the pivotal moment of the race - the crucial second round of pit stops.
A small mistake in qualifying had cost Schumacher crucial race fuel and, as a result, Ferrari had no choice but to pit Schumacher for fuel and a fresh set of Bridgestone tyres on lap 36. Renault were able to keep Alonso out for a further three laps before eventually calling him in for new Michelin rubber on lap 39. The Enstone-based team knew that with a faultless pit stop they might be able to sneak ahead of Schumacher, all they had to do now was deliver.
As Alonso was dropped off the jacks and began scurrying down the pit lane, Schumacher rounded the final corner onto the pit straight. Would Spaniard get out ahead of his chief rival or had Schumacher done enough to reclaim the lead?
It couldn’t have been tighter as Alonso’s blue Renault resumed the track side-by-side with Schumacher’s scarlet Ferrari. The pair almost touched as they turned into the right-handed Turn 1 neck-and-neck; Schumacher trying to tough it out around the outside but eventually being outmuscled by a ruthless Alonso as they exited the corner.
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So intense was the action at the front of the field that Kimi Raikkonen’s terrific one-stop drive from the back of the grid to third was somewhat overlooked, as was Nico Rosberg’s drama-filled F1 debut for Williams that included a first lap spin, the race’s fastest lap and two points for seventh place.