HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
Started: 4th                                                                   Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m15.109s (6th)                                                   Pitstops: one (Pr-Op)
Championship points: 20                                                        Championship pos: 10th
From fourth on the grid, Heikki started on heavy tanks and dropped two places to the Brawns, before losing a further position to Vitantonio Liuzzi. On lap four he began to notice a lack of grip from his Prime tyres – particularly on the exit of the slower corners – and was consequently passed for seventh by Fernando Alonso.
Pitting on lap 28 and switching to Options, he pushed to the finish, running seventh until Lewis’s accident on the final lap promoted him to sixth.
Heikki said afterwards: “I’m rather disappointed with today. My race began with a difficult start and that cost me several places on the first lap. Then I couldn't really push hard in the first stint because my Prime tyres didn't have the grip to allow me to attack. Things were better in the second stint on the Options, but, by then, it was too late to regain the time I’d lost in the first stint.”
 
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-04
Started: 1st                                                                   Finished: Ret (52 laps, acc.)
Fastest lap: 1:24.802 (3rd)                                                    pitstops: two (Op-Pr-Pr)
Championship points: 27                                                        Championship pos: 7th
With a two-stop strategy, it was always going to be difficult for Lewis to build enough of a gap to keep the single-stopping cars behind him. Despite “pushing on every lap, like a qualifying lap”, and despite leading for much of the race, Lewis was unable to build a sufficient lead and dropped to third behind Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button as all three drivers made their final stops and raced to the flag.
Chasing down his countryman, Lewis cut the gap to Jenson to just over one second but, on the final lap and pushing harder than ever (he had just set his fastest time of the race in the first sector), he lost the back of the car at the exit of the first Lesmo and slid into the barriers.
“I wasn’t on the optimal strategy so I really had to push to make my two-stopper work,” said Lewis. “I got every tenth out of the car that I could possibly get and I didn’t make any mistakes – until the last lap. It’s unfortunate – but these things happen, it’s a racing incident. I was pushing incredibly hard on that lap to try to get close to Jenson and use KERS to pass him, then I exited the first Lesmo and the back-end got away from me and I went backwards into the wall.
“I can only say ‘sorry’ to the team – they did a great job and, although we weren’t quite as quick as the Brawns today, I pushed harder than ever, so I can feel happy about that.”