Hamilton continues dream start
Hamilton finished 2.3 seconds behind Massa
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Sunday, 15, Apr 2007 08:02
Lewis Hamilton's sensational start to his Formula One career continued after he finished second to Felipe Massa in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The rookie became the first driver in F1 history to clinch three podium finishes in his first three races after finishing behind the Ferrari driver.
In a nail-biting race with just 15 seconds separating the top five, Ferrari's Kim Raikkonen was third while Nick Heidfeld took fourth.
Fernando Alonso, Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, finished fifth while Robert Kubica took sixth.
There was disappointment for the other British drivers as Jenson Button spun off the fourth corner on lap one while David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson both retired with engine problems.
The result sees Hamilton, Raikkonen, and world champion Alonso locked on 22 points in the drivers championship.
Hamilton, who started second on the grid, cranked up the pressure on leader Massa early on and closed the gap to less than a second after 12 laps.
But the speed of Massa's Ferrari proved to be the difference as the Brazilian increased his lead to ten seconds after lap 37.
Despite slicing Massa's lead to under four seconds, the 22-year-old was unable to pass the Ferrari and sealed his second straight runners-up place.
After an impressive surge up the grid, Coulthard's race ended on lap 37 after a burst of smoke from the back of his Red Bull car.
Meanwhile Davidson retired five laps before the finish after a trail of oil smoke burst from the back of his Super Aguri.
Hamilton will hope to continue his dream start in F1 in the fourth round of the championship in Barcelona on May 13th.