European F1 Grand Prix: Massa Closes On Hamilton With Win

Ferrari's Felipe Massa became Lewis Hamilton's closest championship challenger with a copybook victory in the European Grand Prix at Valencia. The Brazilian held off the challenge from Hamilton's McLaren throughout the race on the new Spanish street track. Massa survived a stewards' inquiry after being released into the path of another car after his second pit stop. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was third, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen saw his title hopes dented with retirement. Hamilton's lead is a point bigger than it was at the start of the race - he now leads by six points from Massa, while Raikkonen's deficit following his engine failure has grown from five points to 13.

Massa's victory was allowed to stand after an inquiry into an incident at his pit stop on lap 37, when he was released illegally into the path of Force India's Adrian Sutil. Unusually, the stewards decided they would investigate at the end of the race - a move that will be met with cynicism in the F1 paddock given the potential impact on the title battle. Officials eventually chose to reprimand and fine Ferrari 10,000 euros (£7, 981), ruling that the incident was unsafe but that Massa had not gained a sporting advantage. Massa's near-miss with Sutil may have been influenced by Ferrari's pit-stop system, in which the team do not have a "lollipop man" controlling the driver. Instead, they use a system of lights, which are operated by the crew doing the pit stop.

Out on the track, Massa and Hamilton staged their own private battle at the front of the field, but the Ferrari driver was always just that bit too fast for his rival.