Lewis Hamilton has driven and spoken lately like a man who senses that missing the world title last year was merely destiny deferred by 12 months. It is hard to say whether this race enhanced or harmed that notion as an afternoon of extremes for the Briton produced a middling result.

With just a couple of minutes remaining, Hamilton’s four-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship was about to be erased; come the end, he had extended his advantage by a point. Hamilton experienced both of luck’s flavours, but setting chance aside, Ferrari were quick and quick-witted, enough perhaps to check the swelling self-belief in the McLaren Mercedes camp.

In last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix the relationship between Hamilton and Fernando Alonso went up in smoke; yesterday, the defining image was the sight of clouds billowing from the back of Felipe Massa’s Ferrari. The home straight, three laps from victory, is never a good place to park. The Brazilian’s sudden engine failure allowed Heikki Kovalainen to pinch his maiden Formula One win, with Hamilton recovering well from a puncture suffered midway through to finish fifth.

“For a bad day it was great,” Ron Dennis, the McLaren team principal, said. “It was damage limitation, Lewis is still leading the championship, we have won the race and now we go on holiday. That can’t be bad.”

The next race, the European Grand Prix in Valencia, is not until August 24. Hamilton is unlikely to relax much during the break. “It was not as bad as it could have been, and not as good either,” he said. “Ferrari were strong. If we had been out in front, then it perhaps would have been a bit different. But today they showed some really strong pace, which we already knew they had.”

Back-to-back triumphs at Silverstone and Hockenheim had not so much quietened Hamilton’s critics as forced them to yell his praises. “Right now I’m at my best and this is as comfortable as I have ever been,” the 23-year-old had said on Saturday after sealing the tenth pole of his career; it took just a couple of seconds yesterday for his security to be shredded.

After qualifying in third behind the two McLarens, Massa suggested that Hamilton and Kovalainen were reachable. He proved himself right from the start, which had been the focus of Ferrari’s strategy. Carrying less fuel, Massa zipped ahead of the sluggish Finn and pushed past Hamilton at the first corner, bullying the Briton inside, then bursting beyond him out wide, prompting fist-pumping celebrations from the red-shirted sector of the paddock.

“I had one of my best ever starts, but Felipe had an even better one,” Hamilton said. “I covered my ground on the inside. He locked up and then turned, and I thought we were going to touch, so I slowed down even more. But he still pulled it off and I lost a place, and it won’t happen again.”

Ferrari’s was not premature elation on this circuit. Kinky is a word that should be used advisedly in Formula One these days, but it is an apt description of the Hungaroring, its curves and corners producing limited overtaking possibilities. Already slowed by a flat spot on a tyre, Hamilton was forced into the pits on lap 41 of 70 and his podium prospects expired.

“I drove well. I didn’t make any mistakes, I just had a puncture,” he said. “It was a case of ‘Oh no, not again.’ I had it three times last year, or whatever it was, and that’s what really lost me the championship. It can be very, very costly, but today Kimi [Raikkonen] didn’t win, and it actually helps Heikki has won and [Timo] Glock was second. They are taking points off everyone else, so I’m quite happy.”

Alonso must have been content to finish ahead of Hamilton. It was here, 12 months ago, that the Spaniard deliberately blocked his former teammate during qualifying. Now with Renault, Alonso marked the anniversary by claiming on Friday that McLaren are excessively biased towards Hamilton after Kovalainen had opened the gate in Germany two weeks ago to give Hamilton maximum points.

Dennis offered an oblique, though obvious, riposte to his former driver. “Heikki was not told to let Lewis pass [at Hockenheim],” Dennis said. “But when you’re in a team and you know your teammate has the opportunity to win and you don’t, if you have the right values and values that are not lodged solely and exclusively in your own motives and selfishness then you take a decision, which is to allow the driver past.”

Result from the Hungaoring and latest standings

1, H Kovalainen (Fin, McLaren Mercedes) 1hr 37min 27.067sec; 2, T Glock (Ger, Toyota) 1:37:38.067; 3, K Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) 1:37:43.867; 4, F Alonso (Sp, Renault) 1:37:48.667; 5, L Hamilton (GB, McLaren Mercedes) 1:37:50.067; 6, N Piquet Jr (Br, Renault) 1:37:59.267; 7, J Trulli (It, Toyota) 1:38:03.467; 8, R Kubica (Pol, BMW Sauber) 1:38:15.367; 9, M Webber (Aus, Red Bull Renault) 1:38:25.867; 10, N Heidfeld (Ger, BMW Sauber) 1:38:34.767; 11, D Coulthard (GB, Red Bull Renault) 1:38:37.467; 12, J Button (GB, Honda) 1 lap behind; 13, K Nakajima (Japan, Williams Toyota) 1; 14, N Rosberg (Ger, Williams Toyota) 1; 15, G Fisichella (It, Force India Ferrari) 1;16, R Barrichello (Br, Honda) 2; 17, S Bourdais (Fr, Scuderia Toro Rosso) 3. Not classified: 18, F Massa (Br, Ferrari) 67 Laps completed; 19, A Sutil (Ger, Force India Ferrari) 62; 20, S Vettel (Ger, Scuderia Toro Rosso) 22.

World Championship positions:

Drivers: 1, Hamilton 62pts; 2, Raikkonen 57; 3, Massa 54; 4, Kubica 49; 5, Heidfeld 41; 6, Kovalainen 38; 7, Trulli 22; 8, Alonso 18; 9, Webber 18; 10, Glock 13; 11, Piquet 13;12, Barrichello 11; 13, Rosberg 8; 14, Nakajima 8; 15, Vettel 6; 16, Coulthard 6; 17, Button 3; 18, Bourdais 2.

Manufacturers: 1, Ferrari 111pts; 2, McLaren Mercedes 100; 3, BMW Sauber 90; 4, Toyota 35;5, Renault 31; 6, Red Bull Renault 24; 7, Williams Toyota 16; 8, Honda 14; 9, Scuderia Toro Rosso 8.

Qualifying: 1, Hamilton 1min 20.889sec; 2, Kovalainen 1:21.140; 3, Massa 1:21.191; 4, Kubica 1:21.281; 5, Glock 1:21.326; 6, Raikkonen 1:21.516; 7, Alonso 1:21.698; 8, Webber 1:21.732; 9, Trulli 1:21.767; 10, Piquet Jr 1:22.371; 11, Vettel 1:20.144; 12, Button 1:20.332; 13, Coulthard 1:20.502; 14, Bourdais 1:20.963; 15, Rosberg 1:20.748; 16, Heidfeld 1:21.045; 17, Nakajima 1:21.085; 18, Barrichello 1:21.332; 19, Fisichella 1:21.670; 20, Sutil 1:22.113.

Grands prix to come: Aug 24: European (Valencia). Sept 7: Belgian (Spa-Francorchamps). Sept 14: Italian (Monza). Sept 28: Singapore. Oct 12: Japanese (Fuji). Oct 19: Chinese (Shanghai). Nov 2: Brazilian (Interlagos).

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