Well, that was an interesting one and gave us food for thought on a number of issues. After Alonso's bid for the lead failed at the first corner, Hamilton duly won at a canter. We can talk about good luck in the timing of his pit stops but the rookie did not put a foot wrong all afternoon and deserved his win as a result.
Lewis Hamilton on his way to the top step of the podium
Nick Heidfeld's second place is not being seen as significant by most, perhaps because the order behind him was subject to constant re-shuffle by the safety car. But Nick had as trouble-free a race as Hamilton's and stayed with him all the way. It looks to me as though the BMW has caught and passed the Ferraris and is getting close to McLaren pace now.
This might save us from a McLaren walk-over in the second half of the season. With Ferrari running out of steam, it is our best hope, anyway. And remember how Jenson Button scored more points than anyone else in the last quarter of the 2006 season - seems a world away now, I know.
Looking further down the order, it was good to see not only midfield teams scoring points, but the bad-luck drivers too. Wurz showed us that slow and steady gets third place sometimes and he also gave some scale to the other drivers on the podium, looking like a giant next to Hamilton and Heidfeld. He's a friendly giant, however, judging from his honest comments after qualifying and that goofy grin when things go well.
Kovalainen also was due some good fortune after terrible practice and qualifying sessions. But Sato nearly stole the show with his pass on Alonso - and it did not matter that he had the tire advantage at the time. For a Super Aguri to pass a McLaren is news, whatever the circumstances.
But the star of the GP was the new safety car rule - four moments on stage and each one a blockbuster. Never mind the re-shuffling in the order it caused; safety cars always do that to some extent. It was the penalties handed out to Alonso and Rosberg for being unlucky enough to have insufficient fuel to make it around one more lap that brought attention to the weakness of the new rule. Any regulation that penalizes those who are scheduled to stop on what turns out to be a safety car lap has got to be wrong, surely. The luck of the draw? No, that's more like turning the race into a lottery.
The disqualification of Massa and Fisichella for leaving the pits under a red light is easier to swallow. The drivers will keep a close eye on that in future, no doubt. And Kubica's accident, although horrific, demonstrated how strong the cars are these days - a rare plus point for the FIA who keep making the impact test harder to pass.
So, talking points aplenty but, to echo Keith Collantine at F1 Fanatic, was it a race or a crash fest? It's a hard one to answer, there being no doubt that the multitude of incidents made a race to remember but the side-lining of so many of the usual stars devalued the finishing positions to an extent at least.
On balance, I think that F1 needs the occasional race like this to remind us that it can still entertain and fascinate. After the processions we witnessed in the preceding races, Montreal 2007 was an extravaganza. Full marks to the marbles for taking so much of the blame and to an errant marmot too (it wasn't a beaver, Anthony!).
Lewis Hamilton on his way to the top step of the podium
Nick Heidfeld's second place is not being seen as significant by most, perhaps because the order behind him was subject to constant re-shuffle by the safety car. But Nick had as trouble-free a race as Hamilton's and stayed with him all the way. It looks to me as though the BMW has caught and passed the Ferraris and is getting close to McLaren pace now.
This might save us from a McLaren walk-over in the second half of the season. With Ferrari running out of steam, it is our best hope, anyway. And remember how Jenson Button scored more points than anyone else in the last quarter of the 2006 season - seems a world away now, I know.
Looking further down the order, it was good to see not only midfield teams scoring points, but the bad-luck drivers too. Wurz showed us that slow and steady gets third place sometimes and he also gave some scale to the other drivers on the podium, looking like a giant next to Hamilton and Heidfeld. He's a friendly giant, however, judging from his honest comments after qualifying and that goofy grin when things go well.
Kovalainen also was due some good fortune after terrible practice and qualifying sessions. But Sato nearly stole the show with his pass on Alonso - and it did not matter that he had the tire advantage at the time. For a Super Aguri to pass a McLaren is news, whatever the circumstances.
But the star of the GP was the new safety car rule - four moments on stage and each one a blockbuster. Never mind the re-shuffling in the order it caused; safety cars always do that to some extent. It was the penalties handed out to Alonso and Rosberg for being unlucky enough to have insufficient fuel to make it around one more lap that brought attention to the weakness of the new rule. Any regulation that penalizes those who are scheduled to stop on what turns out to be a safety car lap has got to be wrong, surely. The luck of the draw? No, that's more like turning the race into a lottery.
The disqualification of Massa and Fisichella for leaving the pits under a red light is easier to swallow. The drivers will keep a close eye on that in future, no doubt. And Kubica's accident, although horrific, demonstrated how strong the cars are these days - a rare plus point for the FIA who keep making the impact test harder to pass.
So, talking points aplenty but, to echo Keith Collantine at F1 Fanatic, was it a race or a crash fest? It's a hard one to answer, there being no doubt that the multitude of incidents made a race to remember but the side-lining of so many of the usual stars devalued the finishing positions to an extent at least.
On balance, I think that F1 needs the occasional race like this to remind us that it can still entertain and fascinate. After the processions we witnessed in the preceding races, Montreal 2007 was an extravaganza. Full marks to the marbles for taking so much of the blame and to an errant marmot too (it wasn't a beaver, Anthony!).