Classic Autosport Live: Race day at the Hungaroring - F1 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix

10:30 Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for round ten of the 2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The sport has travelled to eastern Europe this weekend for the final race before the four-week summer break, and the chasing pack are keen to make a further dent in Jenson Button's and Brawn's championship lead.

It's the 24th Hungarian Grand Prix from the 4.381 km Hungaroring circuit, near Budapest.

The race itself starts at 12:00 GMT, but before then we will review Saturday's action at the circuit incase you missed it, take a look at this morning's support races as well as updating the latest weather situation. We'll also analyse the weight of fuel onboard each car and what that may mean for the first stint of the race.

10:35 A large Saturday crowd was on hand at the circuit and they witnessed a busy final practice and qualifying period.

McLaren Mercedes was the team on everyone's lips, following their performance on Friday. The 60-minute morning practice session proved that they would be a major force this weekend, as Lewis Hamilton topped the times with 1m21.009s, set late in the hour as the drivers tried out the super-soft tyres.

Nick Heidfeld gave BMW something to smile about with second place, with Nico Rosberg again showing well in third, Heikki Kovalainen backing up Hamilton's speed well in fourth, and Sebastien Buemi fifth for Toro Rosso.

McLaren remains on top in final practice

The only major incident during the final practice befell Adrian Sutil, who got a wobble on approaching Turn 8 and crashed into the tyre barrier - giving the Force India mechanics a lot of work to get his car ready for qualifying.

Sutil's car was still under repair as the knockout session began, but the team did a great job to get him out with several minutes remaining in the first period. The German did well given the circumstances, but found himself eliminated in 18th place, along with Nick Heidfeld, Giancarlo Fisichella, Robert Kubica and Jaime Alguersuari.

There would be more chaos in the second phase of qualifying. Many 'big name' drivers found themselves in the dropzone during the 15-minute scramble. Rubens Barrichello suffered a suspension problem on his final run and was unable to improve. The Brazilian was eliminated for the first time this season. Joining him would be Sebastien Buemi, Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock and Nelson Piquet.

Just nine cars would take place in the final scramble for the top places on today's grid, following Massa's serious accident at the end of Q2.

Nico Rosberg put down the early marker for the rest to aim at, and predictably they did. Fernando Alonso in the improved Renault R29 posted a great 1m21.569s to go quickest ... and then the timing screens went blank. As the cars came in to parc ferme, the general belief was that Alonso had done enough for pole, but for several minutes no-one was certain.

A short while later the confirmation came through that Alonso had indeed bagged the pole, with Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber second and third, and championship leader Button way down in eighth place.

Alonso takes pole in chaotic session

10:40 Obviously, everyone's thoughts over the last 24 hours have been with Felipe Massa. The Ferrari driver was hospitalised following a freak accident when part of Rubens Barrichello's rear suspension broke and the third damper spring bounced down the track, hitting Massa's helmet around four seconds later with devastating consequences.

Massa stable, airlifted to hospital

A few hours after qualifying had been completed, Massa underwent a successful operation on a skull fracture and this morning he remains in stable condition at a Budapest hospital.

Massa remains stable following surgery

Clearly, Massa won't take part in the race today and 19 drivers will start this afternoon's Hungarian Grand Prix, with the cars behind his grid slot each moving up one place. We wish him a safe and speedy recovery.

10:45 19-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari will create history today, when he becomes the youngest ever driver to take part in a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The British Formula 3 champion learned the circuit and the STR4 simultaneously on Friday, and drove very well in tough conditions. Yesterday he delivered another strong showing both in final practice and then in qualifying itself.

Today, however, he will face the most difficult challenge - that of keeping the car on the island and then dealing with the leaders coming round to lap him. Expect Jaime to leap out of the way when the likes of Alonso and the Red Bulls come through.

Hopefully, Alguersuari will keep his concentration in a long, hot race and bring the car home to cap a wonderful debut in the sport.

10:50 One aspect of the weekend that thankfully has been trouble-free is the weather.

Scorching conditions on Friday were followed by the predicted rain early on Saturday morning, with the promise of conditions improving steadily through the remainder of the weekend.

That has come to pass, and today the Hungaroring has basked in the sunshine, with temperatures up slightly from yesterday's values. The top temperature today will be around 26 degrees Celsius, and with prolonged sunshine we can expect the track temperature to approach the 45 Celsius mark.

The strong breeze that has been evident all weekend will continue, from the west, making driving conditions consistent - if a little tricky.

10:52 Motor racing enthusiasts love to debate and discuss the action on track, and the live forum at the bottom of the screen is your chance to let everyone know your thoughts on events as they unfold at the circuit.

• Will Alonso hold the lead at Turn 1 and make use of his light load to bolt away in the early stages of the race?

• What can Lewis Hamilton do from fourth on the grid with his magic KERS button?

• The Brawns are on a points-salvaging mission today. Where will Button and Barrichello finish?

• Will Jaime Alguersuari complete the job and see the chequered flag in his first grand prix?

Tell the world what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

10:55 A packed support programme this morning started with the second races of the weekend for the International Formula Master and Formula BMW Europe championships.

Russian Sergey Afanasiev took the Master win after beating pole position starter Erik Janis off the start, while Dane Michael Christensen took his third BMW win of the season.

Afanasiev returns to top step in IFM

11:00 iSport’s Giedo van der Garde scored his maiden GP2 Series win in a eventful sprint race at the Hungaroring. The Dutchman was pressured all the way by Super Nova’s Luca Filippi, but hung on to the lead throughout, despite a late restart after a safety car intervention while gravel was cleared from the circuit.

Championship contenders Lucas di Grassi and Romain Grosjean finished thrid and fourth after Javier Villa dropped to fifth with a late spin. Alvaro Parente took the final point in sixth.

Van der Garde scores first GP2 win

11:05 Rene Rast scored a lights to flag victory in the final support race of the day - the Porsche Supercup. The young German drove superbly to record his third win in succession, despite pressure throughout from second-place finisher Jan Seyffarth.

Championship leader Jeroen Bleekemolen held of a frantic pack to finish third, from Stefan Rosina, Damien Faulkner and Siso Cunill.

Bleekemolen's consistent string of podium finishes still leaves him well on course to claim the title, with Rast's recent form cementing his position as the closest championship callenger, albeit a long way behind with only three rounds of the series remaining.

11:10 The final piece in the morning support jigsaw took place a short time ago, when the drivers emerged from the pits for the traditional parade round the circuit.

With this being as close to a home race as possible for Pole Robert Kubica, much of the support was reserved for him as the flags waved and the airhorns blew.

The 19 drivers are now back in the team hospitality units, preparing for the race.

11:20 The car weights show that Fernando Alonso and his Renault team deployed an aggressive fuel strategy to grab their first pole of the season.

Fernando is due to stop around eight laps earlier than the pair of Red Bulls behind him and it is likely that he will slip down the order after such an early stop. "We will try (to win) but being honest and realistic, our target is to get some good points," said the Spaniard after the session.

The Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber are in a very good position, with stops planned around lap 18 and the flexibility to adjust their plans based on track position. However, the worry for the championship challengers must be the brace of KERS-equipped cars immediately behind them on the grid.

A chotic start is likely and the outcome of the race will hinge on how far Hamilton, Kovalainen and Raikkonen can leap up the order when they deploy their boost into the first corner.

Nico Rosberg qualified extremely well, with plenty of fuel in his Williams and should score well again today. Jenson Button has work to do from eighth, after a disrupted qualifying effort, and the championship leader will be looking for damage limitation with his heavy fuel load. The Briton needs to stay out of trouble at the first corner but may profit from any collisions in the opening scramble.

The cars outside the top ten are mainly fuelled for a traditional two-stop, with Rubens Barrichello clearly hoping the Brawn will be gentle on its tyres as he challenges with a mammoth one-stop fuel load. Both Force India drivers are also looking at a one-stop strategy, and will be trying to make good progress in the middle of the race.

11:25 In five minutes' time, the pitlane will open, allowing the 19 drivers to come out onto the track for the first time today, and quickly check over their cars ahead of the 70-lap race.

The drivers will perform radio checks, ensure that the car is functioning properly and get a feel for the track conditions.

11:30 The pits are now open for the cars to make their way around to the grid.

11:31 Kazuki Nakajima is one of the first drivers to head out for a tour to the grid.

11:31 Lewis Hamilton rolls out of the McLaren garage for a reconnaissance lap on super-soft rubber.

11:32 Kimi Raikkonen pulls out of the garage in the sole Ferrari and heads around to his seventh-place grid slot.

11:34 Robert Kubica climbs out of his BMW from a disappointing 18th on the grid. He has a lot of support here from nearby Poland.

11:35 Newcomer Jaime Alguersuari is making his tour to the grid ahead of his maiden start.

11:36 Jenson Button is another man testing the super-soft rubber as he heads to the start/finish area.

11:37 Fernando Alonso rounds the final corner slowly in his Renault before being pushed by his mechanics to the coveted pole position slot.

11:39 Rubens Barrichello tours through the pits on the harder Bridgestone tyre. The Brazilian has a sizable fuel load in his Brawn so can afford to use up some fuel getting a feel for his repaired car.

"We have got a lot of fuel on board. These KERS cars are everywhere, but we have got to be aiming for the Red Bulls up front. I am looking forward to today ... this could be a good race."
Jenson Button, 8th, speaking to British broadcaster BBC

11:42 The Ferrrari mechanics have gathered on the grid with a message of best wishes for Felipe Massa on their pitboard.

11:45 The pitane is now closed, with 15 minutes to go before the start.

11:46 The crowd rise for the Hungarian national anthem, as it rings out over the circuit's public address system.

11:48 Overhead, some light cloud has drifted over the circuit for the time being. This will cool the track temperature somewhat as we await the start of the race.

11:51 The drivers are now getting their equipment ready to move towards their cars.

11:52 A packed crowd on the spectator banks is eagerly anticipating the race as the sun comes out. On the grid, the girls are beginning to clear away, leaving the stars of the show down there with the team personnel.

11:54 The cooling fans are removed from the sidepods of Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso. At least the Spaniard will have everything happen ahead of him in the opening stages, rather than need to worry about cars approaching from behind.

11:55 We are just five minutes away from the formation lap at the Hungaroring.

11:57 The track temperature is 43 Celsius in the afternoon sunshine.

11:59 The engines fire with a minute to go.

12:00 The super-soft tyres are the choice of the leading contenders.

12:00 So who needs to do what on lap one? Well, Alonso clearly needs to get out front or his strategy is toast. Both McLarens need to make the best of their KERS button to propel them towards the front, and the Red Bulls need a great start to make sure they aren't swamped.

We could have five cars arriving at Turn 1 together here.

12:00 The formation lap is underway at the Hungaroring. All 19 cars leave the grid without problem.

12:01 Fernando Alonso leads the pack past the Turn 4 accident point and round to the top of the circuit.

12:01 Fernando is getting on with it quickly as he leads them down towards Turn 13.

12:02 Sebastian Vettel has interestingly opted for the harder option for his first stint. That may cost him some pace off the grid.

12:02 The front cars are rounding the final corner onto the pit straight. The rest are forming up behind Alonso.

12:02 The first six rows are in place. The rest are moving into their grid slots.

We await the lights ...

Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are racing at the Hungaroring!

Lap 1: Alonso gets a meteoric start and leads easily into Turn 1. Webber is second and Hamilton is now challenging him with Raikkonen fourth.

Lap 1: Around the back of the circuit it is Alonso from Webber, Hamilton and Raikkonen.

Lap 1: Nico Rosberg has held fifth with Kovalainen sixth and Vettel the big loser, falling to seventh.

Lap 2: Fernando Alonso leads into lap two from Mark Webber as Jenson Button dives past Kazuki Nakajima to recover eighth.

Lap 2: Sebastian Vettel has had a poor start with possibly some contact at the first corner. He reports front wing damage on the radio. He is seventh at the moment.

Lap 3: Adrian Sutil is into the pits at the end of the first lap with problems. The Force India crew go to work and start repairs.

Lap 3: Alonso continues to lead from Webber, who muscled back past the fast-starting Hamilton to take second after the first corner.

Lap 3: Down the field, Nelson Piquet has had a good start and is up in 11th place. The big loser in a chaotic start was Barrichello who has lost a lot of places and runs 16th.

Lap 4: Replays show that Hamilton's charge was slowed in his bid for the front by a sandwich between Vettel and Raikkonen.

Lap 4: Jaime Alguersuari has kept his powder dry in his first race start and runs 18th and last at the moment. He is hanging on to the rest of the field quite well.

Lap 5: Hamilton continues to tail Webber as Alonso pulls away on his light fuel load. The Spaniard will need a sizable gap to make this strategy work.

Lap 5: Hamilton strikes with his KERS and he is up to second after a successful scrap with Webber's Red Bull in the first corner.

Lap 6: Replays show it was the KERS-assisted drive out of the first corner that surged Hamilton's McLaren up to second.

Lap 6: This is great news for Lewis, who is now homing in on Alonso and has more fuel onboard.

Lap 6: Outside the points, Kazuki Nakajima is running ninth and hanging onto Button, with Trulli tenth, Piquet 11th. Glock is up with Trulli in 12th spot. Then comes Kubica 13th, Buemi 14th, Heidfeld 15th and then the struggling Barrichello in 16th.

Fisichella is tailing Barrichello closely and Alguersuari brings up the rear.

Lap 7: Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap as he closes to 2.5 seconds behind Alonso.

Lap 8: Mark Webber is third, with Kimi Raikkonen a second down on the Red Bull. Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen and Sebastian Vettel are all close together in these early stages.

Lap 8: The cars are spreading out quite quickly here but there are a couple of battles beginning to develop.

Nakajima is being held up by Button in eighth, and is starting to look for a way round the Brawn.

Nick Heidfeld in 15th is close behind Sebastien Buemi.

Lap 8: Lewis Hamilton asks on the radio if he should save some fuel but is told to press on with his challenge to Alonso.

Lap 9: Barrichello in 16th is now facing the attentions of Fisichella and Alguersuari. The three of them are covered by just 1.3 seconds as they fight at the rear of the field.

Lap 9: There is heavy graining on the rear tyres of Alonso's Renault as Lewis Hamilton closes to 1.4 seconds off the leader.

Lap 9: Adrian Sutil didn't make it back out of the pits and has retired, completing just one lap.

Lap 10: Jenson Button remains down in eighth, three seconds behind Vettel's Red Bull.

Lap 10: Vettel is looking at the rear of Kovalainen's McLaren and will want to get by at the first stop. The pair have a similar fuel load.

Lap 11: Fernando Alonso is told on the radio to change a setting on his car due to a fuel pump problem.

Hamilton is now as close as he can get to the Renault in dirty air, with Mark Webber moving back in on the lead pair.

Lap 11: Button's pace is quite poor at the moment, and Nakajima is still tight up behind him in ninth. Jarno Trulli was up with the pair of them but is now beginning to lose ground.

Behind them, Nelson Piquet (11th) is holding up Timo Glock and Robert Kubica.

Lap 11: Alonso's first stop is expected in the next few laps.

Lap 12: Jenson reports on the team radio that his rear tyres are graining heavily. This would explain why Nakajima is holding onto him. The gap between them is 0.6s.

Lap 12: Kimi Raikkonen, in fourth, is also closing in on the lead as Alonso slows the pack.

Kimi will be investigated after the race for moves he made off the start.

Lap 13: Fernando Alonso pits from the lead.

Lap 13: The Spaniard takes more of the super-soft rubber and a three-stop fuel load.

He resumes 10th, ahead of team-mate Piquet.

Lap 14: But it is disaster for Alonso as the right front wheel fairing is wobbling.

Lap 14: Fernando rejoins in tenth place ... but there was a problem with the stop and for the second time in three years the Spaniard suffers a loose wheel at a pitstop at the Hungaroring.

Lap 15: Lewis Hamilton leads in Hungary as the wheels come off Alonso's challenge.

Lap 15: The front right wheel has come off completely and Alonso tours back to the pits on three wheels. He makes it back and gets a new right front.

Lap 17: Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap at 1m22.795s and this is looking good for the world champion. Mark Webber is now over 3.6 seconds behind, followed by Kimi Raikkonen.

Lap 17: Fernando has rejoined last in 18th place, one lap down on the leaders. He is 64 seconds behind Jaime Alguersuari.

Lap 17: Hamilton continues to set a race-winning pace as he pulls out another half a second on the latest lap.

Lap 18: Alonso is back into the pits in the Renault and there is clearly more damage to the car than just the loose wheel and missing fairing. He drives into the garage and is retired.

Lap 19: The closest battle on the circuit is for seventh place, promoted up a spot with Alonso's retirement.

Jenson Button is still holding up Kazuki Nakajima. Jarno Trulli is ninth and just over one second behind this fight.

Lap 19: Nick Heidfeld pits from 13th place in the BMW.

Lap 20: Heidfeld rejoins down the order after a quick stop, and a total pitlane time of 24.2 seconds.

Lap 20: Lewis Hamilton continues to lead ahead of his first stop and is now over five seconds clear of Webber's Red Bull, who heads for the pits.

Kimi Raikkonen is also in.

Lap 20: There is a fumble at Red Bull and Raikkonen has jumped past the Australian.

Lap 21: Lewis Hamilton is now in as it all goes wrong behind him.

Lap 21: Hamilton was delayed slightly getting away by Rosberg coming down the pitlane, but both have resumed.

Lap 21: Nelson Piquet's pace has improved over recent laps. Recently we reported that Timo Glock was closing him down and a battle developing for 11th.

But over the last few laps Piquet is motoring. He has pulled away by a couple of seconds from the Toyota, and he also nails Raikkonen and Weber as the battling leaders exited the pits.

Lap 22: Heikki Kovalainen and Sebasitan Vettel stop.

Lap 23: Kovalainen is out well in front of Vettel after another slightly slow stop for the Red Bull team.

Lap 23: Raikkonen now runs in ninth with Glock tenth. The Toyota squeezed through ahead of Webber. Equally Webber got past Rosberg when the Williams stopped. Robert Kubica was running behind them in 12th but has just come into the pits for his first stop.

Lap 23: Lewis Hamilton leads from Jenson Button, who has a few more laps to go before his first stop.

Lap 23: Kazuki Nakajima pits from fourth, taking super soft rubber.

Lap 24: Trulli and Piquet are also in the top five but have yet to stop.

Lap 24: Nakajima rejoins outside the top ten.

Lap 25: Lewis Hamilton is told on the radio to take it easy on his softer tyres as they go through a graining phase. He is eight seconds ahead of Kimi Riakkonen, who will move up when the longer runners stop.

Lap 25: Nelson Piquet makes his first stop from fourth.

Lap 26: Piquet rejoins just in front of Kazuki Nakajima, and successfully holds off a stern challenge from the Japanese driver.

Piquet is now 14th with Nakajima 15th.

Lap 26: Mark Webber is now sixth after the drama at his first stop.

Lap 26: Button pits from second for a late first stop. He is going for more of the softer tyres.

Lap 27: With some of the field having pitted, and the heavier cars yet to come in, the closeness of the grid is tremendous. We have the top 16 cars separated by just 34 seconds.

Lap 27: Button rejoins in 12th position as he his passed by the one-stopping Fisichella at the exit of Turn 1.

Lap 28: ... and just behind that pair is Jaime Alguersuari in 13th, and yet to stop.

Lap 28: Lewis Hamilton has picked up his pace after some gentle laps on this new set of tyres. Kimi Raikkonen has closed to seven seconds behind the leader, with the yet-to-stop Trulli in between the pair.

Lap 28: Sebastien Buemi pits from 11th place in the Toro Rosso. He rejoins the race after a total pitlane time of 24.4 seconds.

Lap 28: Sebastian Vettel reports on the radio that something has broken on the Red Bull. Rubens Barrichello has passed the young German, who looks to be heading for retirement ...

Lap 29: Jarno Trulli heads for the pits after his lengthy first stint.

Lap 29: Vettel comes in and the team change the nose and take a detailed look at the rear suspension. They send him back out after a long stop but the German is way down the field with little chance of points today.

Lap 30: Jarno Trulli slots in behind Barrichello and his long stint has jumped him past Jenson Button.

Lap 30: Jaime Alguersuari pits for the first time in his Formula 1 career from 13th place. He's done well in the opening stint of the race, and will be looking to keep his pace up and bring it home.

Lap 31: Trulli's stop shakes up the order with Lewis Hamilton leading from Kimi Raikkonen. Timo Glock is third but is yet to stop.

Lap 31: Giancarlo Fisichella pits from ninth. It's a short stop with the fuel hose on for less than six seconds. The Italian drops way down the order, and needs to stop again.

Lap 32: Vettel is down in 17th place ... and back into the pits again with the problems continuing. It's a disaster for the championship challenger and he retires from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lap 32: Mark Webber is fourth in the Red Bull and is falling away from Hamilton and Raikkonen.

Lap 33: Heikki Kovalainen has closed on Webber and is looking for a way through. The pair were just half a second apart at the line and Kovalainen has his KERS boost available to pounce as Hamilton did earlier.

Lap 33: As Vettel climbs out of his broken Red Bull, things aren't going well for his main rival either.

Jenson Button reports on the radio that he can't believe the car is so bad to drive at the moment. He is ninth right now and has Piquet and Nakajima climbing all over him.

Lap 34: Timo Glock pits after a very long first stint.

Lap 34: Timo Glock resumes seventh, well ahead of team-mate Trulli and the struggling Jenson Button. Timo has lept forward with that long strategy.

Lap 35: Toyota have done a brilliant job to get both cars in the points. Piquet was the only other driver to make good headway up the field during those first stops.

Lap 35: Lewis Hamilton has edged out his lead to 7.2 seconds over Kimi Raikkonen. It is looking very good for Lewis as we approach half distance.

Lap 35: Kovalainen continues to harry Webber as he looks to put both McLarens into podium positions.

Lap 37: Ticking throuh half way in the Hungarian Grand Prix and the order is Hamilton, Raikkonen, Webber, Kovalainen, Rosberg, Glock, Trulli and Button.

Lap 37: The edge of the points is where the championship interest lies currently.

Jenson Button is eighth and barely able to keep pace with the Toyotas ahead of him. Meanwhile he has to pay attention to his mirrors, because Piquet and Nakajima are right there with him with Nick Heidfeld (11th) is just a further second behind.

Jenson will have to be careful, or he could be shunted out of the points altogether.

Lap 39: At the back, Jaime Alguersuari is doing a really good job so far on his second stint. He is 16th and last of the runners left in the race, but he is just five seconds behind Fisichella.

To put things in context, Alguersuari is only 20 seconds behind Button in eighth.

Lap 40: Outside the points, Nelson Piquet is now losing ground to Button as the Briton's pace improves.

Sebastien Buemi has spun at Turn 2 and brings the Toro Rosso into the pits.

Lap 40: Buemi rejoins after a short stop in 16th place, behind team-mate Alguersuari.

Lap 41: Kovalainen continues to look for a way past Webber, who is struggling on the harder tyre.

The McLaren team expect the Red Bull to stop after Kovalainen, so Heikki really needs to use KERS to push himself by.

Lap 41: Both Hamilton and Raikkonen will be forced to use the harder tyres for the final stint.

Lap 42: Hamilton's lead is currently 7.4 seconds over Raikkonen after the Finn had a moment while pushing the Ferrari as hard as he can.

Lap 43: Mark Webber is being told on the radio to push on and try and get Hamilton out behind him after the leader's final stop.

Lap 43: Piquet in ninth is continuing to face the attention of Kazuki Nakajima. Nick Heidfeld is 11th with BMW team-mate Kubica 12th, Barrichello 13th and not able to move up through the field today, Fisichella 14th, Alguersuari 15th and now almost 10 seconds behind the Force India, with Buemi bringing up the rear.

Lap 43: Webber is almost 24 seconds behind Hamilton in third and fell back by a second on that last lap.

Lap 44: Heikki Kovalainen has fallen away from Webber slightly in recent laps and is now under threat from the ever-impressive Nico Rosberg.

Lap 45: At the rear of the race it's Giancarlo Fisichella who is the man on the move ahead of his second stop. The Italian is turning great lap times way quicker than those immediately ahead of him, and he is now just 1.7 seconds behind Barrichello in 13th.

Lap 45: Heikki Kovalainen pits for an early final stop.

Lap 46: He is forced on to the harder tyres and resumes in sixth, ahead of Jarno Trulli.

Lap 46: Kimi Raikkonen is the next man to stop.

Lap 46: Fisichella does it again on the next lap and is less than one second behind Barrichello now. His pace however, may be short-lived as he is due to pit for the second and final time soon.

Lap 46: Raikkonen also takes his mandatory hard tyres ... but struggles to pull away from the pitbox.

Lap 47: Kimi has resumed in fourth but that problem has further dented his challenge on Hamilton's lead.

Lap 47: Lewis Hamilton pits from the lead for the final time.

Lap 47: Hamilton is cleanly away from the stop and resumes in the lead, well ahead of Mark Webber.

Lap 48: The scrap for 13th is stalled for the moment as Fisichella - having caught Barrichello easily - now is faced with the dirty air from the Brawn and he can't get close enough to mount a challenge.

Sensibly, he comes into the pits, and rejoins.

Lap 49: Lewis has yet to make the podium this season but is now well on course for his first win of 2009.

Kimi Raikkonen is now over 14 seconds down on the lead after that struggle to get away from his stop.

Lap 50: Nico Rosberg makes his final stop. He is in a scrap with Webber and Kovalainen over the final podium place.

Lap 50: Sebastian Vettel is talking the media in the paddock, and is unhappy with Kimi Raikkonen after the pair made contact on the first lap.

Raikkonen's robust tactics will be investigated after the race by the stewards.

Lap 50: Rosberg has resumed in fifth for his run to the finish.

Lap 50: Nick Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet have pitted for the final time this afternoon.

Lap 51: Mark Webber is now in for his fuel and tyres to the finish.

Lap 51: Piquet rejoins in 13th place and is unlikely to score this afternoon, while Heidfeld comes out just ahead of him in 12th.

Lap 51: Webber is clear of Rosberg and Kovalainen and is on course for third this afternoon.

He has the super-soft tyres for the last stint.

Lap 52: Kovalainen's early final stop has put him behind Rosberg.

Lap 52: Kazuki Nakajima is still running in ninth place, and maintaining that one second deficit to Jenson Button. Button simply hasn't had the pace today and will be lucky to hold on to the final points paying position.

Lap 53: Lewis Hamilton's pace is good out front, on the harder tyre, and he is now over 16 seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

Timo Glock is up to third ahead of his final stop.

Lap 53: Behind Nakajima, Kubica is now tenth with Barrichello 11th, Heidfeld 12th, Piquet 13th, Alguersuari 14th, Fisichella 15th and Buemi some way off the rest in 16th place.

Lap 54: At the back end of the points positions, Jarno Trulli continues in seventh with Jenson Button unable to make any impression on the Toyota ahead of their final stops.

Lap 55: Timo Glock was one of the stars of the Hungaroring a year ago and is now harrying Kimi Raikkonen, taking advantage of the Toyota running low on fuel using a cleaned-up set of the softer tyres.

Lap 55: Robert Kubica and Jaime Alguersuari pit for the final time. Kubica exits and is passed by team-mate Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet.

Meantime, Alguersuari came out in 15th and is 13.5 seconds behind Fisichella. A good performance from the youngster - it wasn't so long ago that he was six seconds behind the Force India. You would expect him to be dropping away more quickly than this.

Lap 56: Jenson Button makes his final stop from eighth, taking the harder tyre.

Lap 57: Mark Webber continues on the super soft tyres, in contrast to the harder option on the lead two cars. His pace isn't quick enough to close in over the remaining laps.

Lap 58: Button rejoins in 10th but his rival in the race Nakajima is in on the next lap as Williams respond.

Nakajima comes out and he is a couple of seconds behind Button.

Lap 58: Timo Glock continues to harry Raikkonen as we await late final stops from the Toyotas.

Lap 58: Barrichello is also in for the final time, and Button is promoted back into eighth place, with Nakajima (ninth) just over three seconds behind him.

Lap 59: Jarno Trulli finally makes his final stop from seventh.

Lap 60: Jenson Button's pace has been good in recent laps and he has managed to jump past Trulli for seventh at the moment.

Lap 60: Trulli will now have to cope with Nakajima, who is still ninth and now right behind the Toyota.

Lap 61: Timo Glock is in the pits for a stop with 10 laps to go.

Lap 61: Glock resumes in sixth and his long run has put him out just behind Heikki Kovalainen.

Lap 61: Rubens Barrichello is 10th and has caught the Trulli-Nakajima battle. The three of them will fight for the final point this afternoon.

Lap 62: Lewis Hamilton continues to lead by a solid 17.1 seconds but it is the gap between Raikkonen second and Webber third that is getting interesting as the Red Bull is finding some pace on the softer tyres.

Lap 62: Barrichello is right on the gearbox of Nakajima, and he is receiving encouragement on the radio from race engineer Jock Clear - "Come on, we need this point!"

Lap 62: Nico Rosberg is once again on for an impressive fourth place.

Lap 63: Far from becoming tired, Jaime Alguersuari sets his quickest lap of the race and is holding the gap to Fisichella in 14th at 16 seconds.

Lap 64: The Trulli-Nakajima-Barrichello battle for eighth is simmering quite nicely, and is allowing Button in seventh to clear off to safety.

Lap 64: Lewis Hamilton continues to lead comfortably in Hungary from Raikkonen, Webber, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Glock and Button.

Lap 66: With Fernando Alonso out of the race and Nelson Piquet in 12th place and almost no chance of points, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore sees no reason to stay and is off.

A shame for Piquet as he needs all the support he can get from the team as he fights to save his Formula 1 drive. He is seven seconds off the points at the moment.

Lap 66: Mark Webber sets the fastest lap at 1m21.931s as he keeps the pressure on Kimi Raikkonen. The gap between them is five seconds.

Lap 67: The battle for eighth continues with no changes in position. Jarno Trulli is holding off Nakajima and Barrichello without too much trouble, as the two following cars struggle in the Toyota's dirty air.

Lap 69: There are two laps to go in Hungary with Lewis Hamilton on course for an amazing win.

Lap 69: Timo Glock remains the man to watch as he has closed to a second behind Heikki Kovalainen for fifth.

Lap 69: The battle for the final point is the only one on the circuit. Barrichello has a nibble at Nakajima's ninth place at Turn 2 but the Japanese driver takes his line without much need to defend.

Lap 70: Lewis Hamilton wins for McLaren in Hungary!

After a dismal season so far, it has been a brilliant drive from the world champion and he has made the most of a massive upgrade to the McLaren that has propelled the team back into contention at the front of the field.

This is the first win for a Kenetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) car, which Hamilton used brilliantly off the start and in taking a crucial position from Mark Webber early on.

13:41 Kimi Raikkonen scores Ferrari's best finish of the year and he also put in very strong drive in the KERS-shod F60.

A positive result to give the Scuderia some joy after the Massa crash and injury yesterday.

13:41 Mark Webber finishes a strong third for Red Bull, which moves him into second place in the championship after a bad day for team-mate Vettel. He also closes in on Button's lead with the series leader on for just two points today.

13:42 There is jubilation in the McLaren camp as they celebrate a fine turnaround in their fortunes.

13:42 Nico Rosberg comes over the line for his third fourth-place in a row. Heikki Kovalainen scores a fifth place finish. Glock is sixth and Button claims two points in his championship quest with seventh.

13:43 Jarno Trulli claims that final point in eighth, ahead of Nakajima and Barrichello.

Heidfeld was 11th, with Piquet 12th, Kubica 13th and Fisichella 14th.

13:44 Hamilton thanks his team over the radio for their mammoth efforts that have turned a struggling car into a winner.

13:44 Jaime Alguersuari sees the chequered flag wave in his first grand prix. The brilliant young Spaniard brought the Toro Rosso home in 15th place.

Sebastien Buemi was the last classified finisher in 16th place.

13:45 Lewis tours back into parc ferme and the world champion is delighted to be back on top again in Formula 1.

13:47 Three drivers retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix:

Sebastian Vettel retired in the pits after a mechanical problem, triggered when he made contact with Kimi Raikkonen on the opening lap.

Fernando Alonso retired after a pitstop muddle during his first stop. He lost a wheel on the circuit and soon came in to retire with further problems.

Adrian Sutil retired in the pits after just one lap.

13:48 God Save the Queen rings out on the Hungaroring podium for Lewis Hamilton and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, the sensational winners here this afternoon.

13:48 Lewis Hamilton takes his prize for a fine win in Hungary. He is delighted.

13:49 With McLaren taking its first win under his control, Martin Whitmarsh accepts the constructors' award.

13:49 Kimi Raikkonen takes his very nice award for second place in today's race. It is a stunning return to form for both McLaren and Ferrari.

13:49 Mark Webber accepts the trophy for an important third as he scores best of the championship contenders in Hungary.

13:50 The champagne sprays on the podium at the end of another Hungarian Grand Prix.

The tide is turning and the championship challengers have serious work to do now.

13:59 Kimi Raikkonen's moves off the start line will be investigated after the race. Stick with AUTOSPORT for all the news from the circuit.

13:59 What a remarkable turnaround we have seen in July. McLaren and Ferrari were nowhere during the early part of the season, as the double-decker diffuser cars stole a march on the competition, but how things are changing.

Hamilton and Raikkonen have sent a chilling message to the rest of the teams today - we're back! Not even the dominant Red Bull could cope with the pace of McLaren, and Brawn could only manage seventh with Jenson Button limping home after another disappointing race.

Formula 1 now enters its four-week summer break, but it won't be so relaxing for the championship leaders. In fact, it would be reasonable to think that the performance of the rest will play on Button's mind on every day until the sport reconvenes in late August.

This was the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend on AUTOSPORT Live. We hope you have enjoyed the coverage throughout the weekend and thank you for joining us.

Have a pleasant break and we will see you again for the European Grand Prix at Valencia in four weeks' time.