Fernando Alonso triumphs as heavy rain wreaks havoc at the Nurburgring – 2007 European Grand Prix

To mark F1’s seventy fifth anniversary celebrations, F1.com is counting down the game’s 25 biggest races with a brand new characteristic each week. Whilst you could not agree with the order, we hope you benefit from the tales of those epic races which have helped make this sport what it’s at this time. You’ll be able to learn the introduction to the collection and see the listing of races here.

At No. 18, Anna Francis remembers the 2007 European Grand Prix on the Nurburgring, an occasion that featured all the pieces from a backmarker main on their debut, a dramatic Flip 1 pile-up courtesy of treacherous rain and an exciting late-race duel that sparked fairly the fallout after the chequered flag.

As this countdown of F1’s biggest races highlights, a Grand Prix can change into a traditional for a wide range of causes; maybe there was a storyline-packed build-up that heightened the stress, or the climate proved unpredictable and an sudden flip of occasions unfolded, or possibly the drama continued properly after the chequered flag had fallen.

The 2007 European Grand Prix principally ticked off each level on this listing. It was an encounter that came about in the midst of an enchanting and closely-fought season, with the Nurburgring taking part in host to the tenth spherical of a 17-race calendar – and a race that lives on within the recollections of followers 18 years later.

Hamilton crashes in Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton, in his rookie marketing campaign for McLaren, arrived into the weekend because the championship chief – and, given the factors system then in play (which awarded the highest eight drivers, from 10 factors for the winner by to 1 for P8), he would depart nonetheless on high whatever the outcome, having constructed a 12-point benefit over staff mate Fernando Alonso.

Nonetheless, evidently Alonso – who was equal on wins with Hamilton, the pair having taken two apiece – might nonetheless minimize into Hamilton’s lead if the playing cards fell in his favour. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen additionally remained within the combine, sitting third within the standings simply six factors adrift of Alonso after claiming three victories, whereas the opposite crimson automotive of Felipe Massa had gained twice.

It was Hamilton and Raikkonen who set the tempo throughout the weekend’s apply classes, however the former’s robust run hit a snag when he suffered a heavy crash in Q3 of Qualifying, the appropriate entrance tyre on his MP4-22 bursting and sending him into the wall at Flip 8. Staff boss Ron Dennis blamed the incident on a defective wheel gun failing to safe the tyre to the automotive.

Hamilton was airlifted to hospital for precautionary checks – after reassuringly giving a thumbs-up to the gang – and his participation in Sunday’s race remained unsure. Having been unable to proceed within the session, the Briton’s authentic time put him in tenth, whereas Raikkonen took pole forward of Alonso and Massa.

After the mud settled on that eventful Saturday, attentions switched to Sunday’s race. Hamilton returned to motion and joined the remainder of the pack as they lined up for the 60-lap encounter in initially dry situations – however the climate forecast appeared ominous…

Automobiles pile up as rain arrives – and a shock chief emerges

Whereas the darkish clouds that had gathered over the Nurburgring hinted at imminent rain, the sphere lined up on slick tyres. Additional again, nonetheless, Spyker’s Markus Winkelhock – making his F1 debut – pitted for moist tyres on the finish of the formation lap, that means that he would begin the race from the pit lane.

Inside simply a few laps, that will show to be one thing of a genius name by the backmarker staff. Raikkonen had initially led from pole, with Massa following after getting forward of Alonso, whereas Hamilton made a formidable begin to climb as much as sixth by the primary nook.

Nonetheless, a collision between the BMW Sauber automobiles resulted in Hamilton getting tagged and selecting up a puncture, dropping the McLaren backwards. In the meantime rain had began to fall on some elements of the circuit – prompting the vast majority of the sphere to pit on the finish of Lap 1 for intermediate tyres.

Raikkonen was one of many few to stay out on observe, having missed the pit entry after a mistake within the more and more tough situations. Whereas the Finn made a cease after Lap 2 together with the opposite automobiles that had stayed out, Winkelhock had discovered himself within the lead.

However quickly the rain had change into even heavier, sparking unimaginable scenes as automotive after automotive aquaplaned off the circuit and into the gravel at Flip 1, the place one thing of a ‘river’ of standing water had fashioned.

The Security Automobile was deployed as the method of recovering a complete of 5 stricken automobiles started, but it surely was shortly determined that situations had been too harmful to proceed in, that means that the race was crimson flagged.

Order adjustments on the restart

After round quarter-hour, the drivers ready to take the restart – excluding Jenson Button (Honda), Adrian Sutil (Spyker), Nico Rosberg (Williams), Scott Speed (Toro Rosso) and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Toro Rosso), all of whom had fallen sufferer to the Flip 1 automotive park.

Hamilton, in the meantime, had been amongst these to aquaplane off the circuit however, having saved his engine operating, his McLaren was hoisted again onto the observe by a crane, that means that he was in a position to proceed on within the race below the rules then in place.

Whereas the Briton was a lap down on the restart, he was in a position to unlap himself because the Grand Prix resumed below the Security Automobile, earlier than diving into the pits to bolt on slick tyres. It was of venture that didn’t repay as he quickly had one other foray off the still-wet observe, although once more managed to rejoin.

Winkelhock’s second within the solar additionally shortly got here to an finish after a number of laps, with the likes of Massa and Alonso quickly overtaking him – and issues worsened additional when his Spyker suffered a hydraulic failure on Lap 15, bringing his eventful sole F1 look to an early finish.

It quickly transpired that Winkelhock wouldn’t be the one retiree following the restart, with Ralf Schumacher (Toyota) and Takuma Sato (Tremendous Aguri) every recording a DNF a number of laps later – however a ninth and last retirement would show to be essentially the most vital when it comes to the championship struggle….

Raikkonen out as Alonso snatches the lead from Massa

Whereas his change to slick tyres had initially backfired, Hamilton subsequently appeared to have robust tempo on a observe that was drying out, main different frontrunners to pit for dry tyres. One of many first to take action was Raikkonen, permitting the Finn to haul himself again as much as third behind Massa and Alonso.

The Ferrari driver continued to chase down the leaders from there – but his cost was delivered to an abrupt halt when his automotive was struck by a mechanical situation, forcing him to retire at simply over half distance in a blow to his title hopes.

It nonetheless appeared as if the Scuderia had been on for victory on the Nurburgring, although, because of the sister automotive of Massa, who maintained his lead over Alonso by what had the ultimate spherical of pit stops, regardless of the two-time World Champion slowly closing in.

However the climate gods had not fairly completed their day’s work but. The rain returned because the race entered into its last 10 laps, main to a different flurry of motion within the pit lane as the vast majority of the sphere headed in for intermediate tyres – excluding Hamilton, taking one other gamble by remaining out on the slicks.

Nonetheless, with the downpour displaying no indicators of abating, Hamilton ultimately needed to cease, dropping him all the way down to tenth place. In the meantime, the opposite McLaren of Alonso was looking for a well beyond Massa.

On Lap 56 the transfer lastly got here, with Alonso boldly going across the exterior at Flip 5 in a sequence that noticed the 2 automobiles make contact. Additional again, staff mate Hamilton additionally gained a place earlier than the top by grabbing P9 from Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella.

Because the chequered flag fell on an action-packed afternoon on the Nurburging, Alonso crossed the road to take victory by eight seconds from Massa, whereas Red Bull’s Mark Webber accomplished the rostrum in third. The race may need been over, however there was nonetheless extra drama to come back…

A heated debate after the chequered flag

After the drivers had arrived into parc ferme, Alonso highlighted the harm that he had picked up in his scrap with Massa, directing the tv cameras to zoom in on the realm of his automotive affected as he wagged his finger.

The fallout didn’t finish there both; any followers watching that day will probably recall the heated debate that ensued between Massa and Alonso earlier than heading out onto the rostrum, with Massa ultimately strolling away from the two-time World Champion – who appeared to brush off the argument by smiling on the watching digicam and victoriously pumping his fist within the air.

They then proceeded to the podium for a barely tense podium ceremony, with a marked distinction between the jubilant Alonso and a nonetheless perturbed Massa – and as if that didn’t make it memorable sufficient, Michael Schumacher fashioned a part of the ceremony following his retirement just some months earlier, the seven-time World Champion tasked with handing the Groups’ trophy to former rival Ron Dennis.

Massa later mentioned about his conflict with Alonso within the post-race press convention: “I used to be actually shocked when he got here to say that I did that on function. I’d by no means do one thing like that on function.”

Alonso, in the meantime, instructed he was sorry for the argument as he added: “We touched one another two instances [on the track] and I apologise to him as a result of I used to be so harassed after I completed the race, as a result of we almost did not end the race.

“I apologise if I mentioned something to him, as a result of it is motor racing and it is a struggle. We completed the race, so I do not need to discuss any extra about this and I need to benefit from the win.”

With Alonso having closed the hole to only two factors to Hamilton within the championship standings, it marked the most recent twist in a dramatic season famed for what would change into an more and more tense intra-team battle between the McLaren pair.