| A.Albon | 581 (1%) |
| C.Sainz,jr. | 313 (1%) |
| Ch.Leclerc | 335 (1%) |
| D.Ricciardo | 340 (1%) |
| E.Ocon | 331 (1%) |
| F.Alonso | 257 (1%) |
| G.Russell | 314 (1%) |
| K.Cunuda | 346 (1%) |
| K.Magnussen | 237 (0%) |
| Kuan-jü Č. | 233 (0%) |
| L.Hamilton | 44948 (88%) |
| L.Norris | 254 (0%) |
| L.Sergeant | 229 (0%) |
| L.Stroll | 338 (1%) |
| M.Verstappen | 335 (1%) |
| N.Hulkenberg | 221 (0%) |
| O.Piastri | 243 (0%) |
| P.Gasly | 317 (1%) |
| S.Pérez | 367 (1%) |
| V.Bottas | 310 (1%) |
The Indian GP that took place on the brand new and not completely finished circuit didn't bring, in fact, anything interesting. The only ones to be noticed were Massa and Hamilton and not only once.
As soon as the free practice Hamilton got the penalty which put him three places back at the start for his fastest lap under the yellow flag and, in spite of his second best qualification time, he started from the third row. Massa broke his front wheel suspension on the kerb and started sixth. The fact that they were so close promised yet another act of the drama. It didn't come until the lap twenty two but it was worth it.
After a problem-free start from the fourth place Button sneaked around right behind the leading Vettel and the four favourites consisting of Vettel, Button, Alonso and Webber started to pull away from the others. After the first pit stops Hamilton and the rest behind him began pushing the fifth Massa who worked as a brake. On the lap twenty two Hamilton attacked from the inside but couldn't finish the manoeuvre and hit Massa from the side. The result was the exchange of Hamilton's front wing and a penalty for Massa who was supposedly the guilty one. The patriotic decision of Johnny Herbert's as a marshal was questionable for many, however the pit late for Massa it was. Then, trying to speed up he broke his suspension on the kerb again and the race was ingloriously over for him.
Buemi's retiring from the race with a technical problem was pretty much the closure for the race. Vettel in the lead was keeping a comfortable five second gap. Webber with a first class car proved again that he can't keep up even with Alonso. Schumi's fifth place before Rosberg is worth mentioning. The seventh Hamilton was the last one with the full number of laps and that result probably ranked him effectively out of the vice-champion candidates. Alguersuari with his eight place proved the rising level of Torro Rosso at the end of the season. The last points were hard won by Sutil and Peres who were really racing mid-field till the last lap.
The remaining two races will be a battle between McLaren and Ferrari for the vice-champion title and it will come down the McLaren's team strategy whether they bet everything on Button. Everything is clear in Ferrari, similarly to Red Bull, where the Vettel's promised help to Webber won't matter much, as he isn't in the same league like Button or Alonso with his driving skills.
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