Australian Mark Webber moved into second place in the Formula One championship standings after finishing third behind reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Webber followed up his historic first grand prix win in Germany two weeks ago with another podium finish, continuing a stunning season after years of frustration for the Australian.

The result sees Webber overtake Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel in the overall standings and close the gap to 18.5 points on leader Jenson Button, who finished a disappointing seventh.

Vettel was forced to retire after suffering suspension damage at the opening corner in a collision with Kimi Raikkonen on what was a tough day for Red Bull.

"It's a bit of a surprise - we expected to be a little bit quicker," Webber said.

"It was a pretty difficult venue for us. We knew we didn't have the advantage we had in the last two races. I'm pretty happy all in all. We're still very much a force."

Hamilton finally ended his winless run this year when he came home triumphant in the race.

The 24-year-old Englishman, who started from fourth on the grid, drove a near-faultless race to claim victory for the first time since last year's Chinese Grand Prix.

It was the 10th win of his career.

"It's an incredible feeling after what feels like such a long time away," Hamilton said.

"I'm just so proud of the guys. They never gave up, which is something very rare to see in a large group of people.

"The car was so nice to drive and the team have done such a great job. We didn't expect to win - but the car felt fantastic. It's incredibly special to get back up here."

Hamilton's win endorsed emphatically the McLaren team's return to form after a dismal opening half to 2009 on a weekend overshadowed by Saturday's horrific accident during qualifying that left Brazilian Felipe Massa with severe head injuries.

Massa, 28, underwent surgery in a Budapest hospital on Saturday evening and a Ferrari statement on Sunday said he was stable and in an induced coma.

Hamilton won by 11.5 seconds ahead of Massa's Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen with Webber third.

Pole-sitter and two-time former champion Fernando Alonso of Renault was forced to retire after leading the opening laps when he lost his front right wheel.

Button of Brawn GP endured a tough afternoon and struggled home seventh behind fourth-placed German Nico Rosberg of Williams, Finn Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and German Timo Glock who was sixth for Toyota.

Italian Jarno Trulli finished eighth for Toyota.

Button remains at the top of the drivers standings with 70 points ahead of Webber on 51.5 with Vettel third on 47.

Renault has been suspended from the upcoming European Grand Prix after allowing Fernando Alonso to leave the pit lane with his tire not securely fastened to his car.

Governing body FIA said on Sunday after reviewing film and radio recordings from the Hungarian GP that the French team "is suspended from the next event in the Formula One" championship.

Alonso's right front tire popped off as he rounded turn No.9 and bounced wildly down the track.

The incident comes a day after safety was called into question when Felipe Massa was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after a stray object struck him.

One week ago, an F2 driver was killed after losing consciousness and crashing into the barrier after a stray tire hit him.

He could well become the first driver to only win one race and win the driver's championship

If Webber wins the Championship, I will chop off my balls......

In a development mirroring countless racing movies, Felipe Massa's doctors say that the injured driver is showing progress in his recovery, but that he may never race again. The Brazilian pilot, who narrowly missed winning the title last year, was knocked unconscious on Saturday by a loose component off the car of fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello – who coincidentally used to hold Massa's seat at Ferrari – and taken to the hospital in Budapest. Although Massa's injuries are no longer considered life-threatening and he was reportedly able to move limbs according to doctors' instructions, severe damage to his left eye could spell the end of his career.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo visited Massa at the hospital together with team principal Stefano Domenicali, who will stay with Massa's family – including his pregnant wife – another day while doctors determine how much longer he should stay at the Hungarian military facility before being moved closer to home. While Felipe's projected recovery time remains unclear at this point, it looks like he will be out for at least the rest of the season, meaning that the Scuderia will need to find someone suitable to fill his seat. The last time Ferrari had to temporarily replace an injured driver was ten years ago when Michael Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone. The team then elected to bring in Mika Salo, who supported team-mate Eddie Irvine in securing the constructors' championship for the team, rather than promoting one of its veteran test drivers.

Massa's injuries follow hot on the heels of the Henry Surtees incident that saw the son of former world champion John Surtees killed in a Formula 2 race a week ago, throwing the FIA into action to prevent further incidents. The Renault team was handed a one-race suspension as a penalty for a stray wheel that broke loose from Fernando Alonso's F1 car on Sunday and bounced dangerously down the track on the thirteenth lap of this past weekend's race. The FIA ruled that the team should have alerted its driver to the improperly secured wheel nut, and will subsequently have to sit out the upcoming European Grand Prix at Valencia, considered a home race for the penalized two-time world champion.

It will be interesting to see who Ferrari get to replace him.

I've heard talk of Schumacher and Montoya coming back, doubt Schumacher, but Montoya is a possibility.

Formula One will today be rocked by BMW’s decision to leave the sport at the end of the season.

The German manufacturers will follow Honda out of motor racing’s premier competition to concentrate on other series. Toyota are also believed to be considering whether to follow suit.

BMW, who are suffering a massive downturn in road car sales as the world economic crisis bites, have endured a fruitless season after finishing third in last year’s championship.

While Formula One continues to struggle in the recession, BMW’s impending departure will free up their star Polish driver Robert Kubica as Ferrari look for someone to replace the injured Felipe Massa.

Kubica, the man world champion Lewis Hamilton measured himself against as they rose together through the ranks, could even be in place to drive for Ferrari at the next
race, the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23.

Schumacher return 'not impossible'
AAP - July 29, 2009, 5:51 am
Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher is unlikely to race in Valencia for the injured Felipe Massa. AAP ©

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher could come out of retirement to fill in for the injured Felipe Massa in next month's European Grand Prix in Valencia.

That intriguing possibility was raised on Tuesday by the Ferrari legend's spokeswoman four days after Massa's horrific high speed crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian is recovering in hospital in Budapest after undergoing surgery on a fractured skull, leaving Ferrari looking for a stand-in, possibly for the remainder of the 2009 season.

Schumacher, who retired in 2006, is on Ferrari's payroll yet made it clear in an interview at the German Grand Prix a fortnight ago that he was not interested in making a full time comeback.

But a temporary return, his spokeswoman told the BBC, was a different matter.

"The whole thing will be considered by Ferrari. If they approach Michael, then he will consider it," Sabine Kehm told BBC Sport.

She added: "Usually, I would say he's not interested because he's fine with his life and he doesn't miss anything but now the situation is so different - it's very hypothetical - and Michael doesn't want to step into that (discussion)."

One factor against Schumacher lining up in Valencia on August 23 is his fitness after a motorcycle accident in February left him with a neck injury.

"I really can't tell you if his neck would be fine to drive an F1 race," Kehm said.

"If Ferrari asked him whether he would consider driving, he would have it checked - and remember he is a 40-year-old man, too."

Later Schumacher's manager Willi Weber, ruled out a return of even a temporary nature.

"It's possible that he might do some testing again, but for the rest, it's a definite 'no'," Weber told the German news agency SID.

He added: "What would we expect of him if he returned to F1? That he wins... the expectation would be too big."

Among other names mentioned to replace Massa, albeit an outside chance, has been that of Fernando Alonso, who it is rumoured is poised to join Ferrari in 2010.

Alonso's team Renault are banned from racing in Valencia after the French outfit were accused of not respecting security regulations when a wheel flew off Alonso's car in Budapest.

It most certainly won't be Valentino Rossi.

Rossi winning GP and Championships with Ferrari would be a match made in heaven.

One wonders how he would do in F1 though.

One wonders how he would do in F1 though.

Ferrari need a top Italian driver imo:P

HE'S BACKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD THE MESSIAH HAS RETURNED!!!!!! THINK I JUST SHIT MY PANTS!!!! MICHAELS BACK!!!!!!

Formula One was rocked by two stunning developments today when retired seven-time champion Michael Schumacher said he would come out of retirement to drive again for Ferrari, and the automaker BMW announced it would leave the international racing series at season's end.

Ferrari and Schumacher, 40, confirmed speculation that he would temporarily replace driver Felipe Massa, who was seriously injured during qualifying for last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Schumacher retired after the 2006 season, having won five of his titles with Ferrari, which he continued to serve as a consultant and occasional test driver. "For loyalty reasons to the team, I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation" with Massa, he said. "I also very much look forward to facing this challenge," said the German driver. Formula One's next event, the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain, is Aug. 23. The race was added to the Formula One calendar only last year -- a race won by Massa -- and Schumacher has yet to race on that track.

Massa, a 28-year-old Brazilian who finished second to Lewis Hamilton in last year's championship battle, suffered head injuries when a loose part from a car struck his helmet in Hungary. Massa has shown steady improvement in a Budapest hospital but is expected to miss most, if not all, of the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, BMW officials said the automaker would shut down the BMW Sauber team after this season so that it could use its Formula One budget in other areas. The team's drivers are Robert Kubica of Poland and Nick Heidfeld of Germany, who said on his website that BWM's decision was "totally unexpected."


The German company would become the second automaker to leave the Formula One series within a year.

Before the start of this season, Japan's Honda pulled out, citing Formula One's costs and the global slump in auto sales. The cost of fielding a top-tier Formula One team is estimated to be $200 million or more annually.

"Of course, this was a difficult decision for us," BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer said. "But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment."

BMW took over the Sauber team in 2006, and Kubica won the Canadian Grand Prix last year. But the team struggled badly this season, with neither Kubica nor Heidfeld among the top 10 drivers in the point standings.

BMW's planned withdrawal underlined concerns at the series' governing body, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, that the sport's operating costs must be reduced sharply to retain existing teams and attract new ones.

Injured Formula One driver Felipe Massa has left his Hungarian hospital and boarded his private jet to return home to Brazil.

Massa was accompanied by his wife Rafaela and his doctor Dino Altman.

His jet flew out of the Hungarian capital Budapest and was expected to stop over in Dakar, Senegal before flying on to Sao Paulo.

Massa's father Luiz Antonio Massa said his son will go to a Brazilian hospital for check-ups but is not going to be further hospitalised.

Massa was badly injured when he was hit at around 250 km/h by a spring that flew off Rubens Barrichello's Brawn car during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 28-year-old driver underwent surgery on his fractured skull.