Motor Racing: LEWIS FACES MASS ATTACK

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Aug 24, 2008 | by BYRON YOUNG

LEWIS HAMILTON was blown away by Ferrari's Felipe Massa after just one bend in qualifying for today's European Grand Prix.

And Britain's 23-year-old championship leader admitted he has a battle on his hands to beat the Brazilian ace, who is desperate to bounce back from the misery of the last round, where certain victory slipped from his grasp just laps from the flag.

Hamilton believed he was sitting pretty after firing in the fastest time to top the session with minutes remaining.

But then Massa stormed round to his first pole since Monaco in May and his fourth of the season.

In a sport measured to thousandths of a second, the gap was over two-tenths - a Grand Canyon in F1 terms. At least Hamilton has the consolation of starting on the first row.

BMW ace Robert Kubica starts third, world champion Kimi Raikkonen fourth and the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen fifth.

The lurking menace of the world champion could be magnified on raceday as he was the only one of the top four to opt for the harder, longer-lasting Bridgestone tyres.

Massa's speed in the first six corners was so explosive he could even afford two minor errors on the rest of the 5.44km lap.

"In sector one he destroyed everyone.

He's going to be hard to beat tomorrow," said Hamilton. "I was two-tenths down after the first corner and in turns four and five was not as strong as I would have liked. That's where the time went.

"In Q2 I tried the softer tyres and am surprised the others went faster with it."

"We knew we had a good car. My first lap wasn't great and I lost a second, but the last was pretty good. I'm happy with that."

"I've got a good starting position and there's a great battle looming."

Hamilton can never be written off on a street circuit, especially since his meticulous preparations mean being in bed by 9.30 the night before the race.

"It's the best way for me not to be distracted. All it takes is for one guy to give you hassle or spit in your face," he said.

Massa admitted he was spurred on by his Hungary heartache, saying: "It's always nice be on top after such a bad result, especially how it happened. It's nice to bounce back like this.

"The summer break didn't help because of the build-up in frustration and wanting to race to change things."

It's going to be a long, long race for Jenson Button and David Coulthard who start 16th and 17th.

STANDINGS

1. Lewis Hamilton 62

2. Kimi Raikkonen 57

3. Felipe Massa 54

4. Robert Kubica 49

5. Nick Heidfeld 41

6. Heikki Kovalainen 38

7. Jarno Trulli 22

8. Fernando Alonso 18

9. Mark Webber 18

10. Timo Glock 13

11. Nelson Piquet Jr 13

12. Rubens Barrichello 11

13. Nico Rosberg 8

14. Kazuki Nakajima 8

15. David Coulthard 6

16. Sebastian Vettel 6

17. Jenson Button 3

18. Sebastien Bourdais 2

TODAY'S GRID

1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:38.989.

2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:39.199.

3. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber 1:39.392.

4. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari 1:39.488.

5. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren 1:39.937.

6. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso 1:40.142.

7. Jarno Trulli, Toyota 1:40.309.

8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber 1:40.631.

9. Nico Rosberg, Williams 1:40.721.

10. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso 1:40.750.

11. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams,

12. Fernando Alonso, Renault

13. Timo Glock, Toyota

14. Mark Webber, Red Bull

15. Nelson Piquet Jr., Renault

16. Jenson Button, Honda

17. David Coulthard, Red Bull

18. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India

19. Rubens Barrichello, Honda

20. Adrian Sutil, Force India