Hungarian Grand Prix 2007 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lewis Hamilton claimed a dramatic victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix amidst one of the most controversial weekends in Formula 1 history, as the McLaren civil war exploded into full public view following Fernando Alonso's deliberate blocking of his teammate in qualifying. The rookie's third career win came after Alonso was stripped of pole position and relegated to sixth on the grid for his actions, while Kimi Räikkönen and Nick Heidfeld completed the podium in a race that marked the point of no return for McLaren's toxic driver relationship.

The qualifying scandal dominated headlines - Alonso, furious at perceived favoritism toward Hamilton, deliberately held his teammate in the pits during Q3 to prevent him from improving his time, blocking Hamilton long enough that neither driver could complete final runs. The FIA stewards penalized Alonso with a five-place grid drop for impeding, while McLaren was excluded from the constructors' championship standings for that round. Team principal Ron Dennis was forced to admit publicly that his drivers were at war, with Alonso demanding number one status and threatening to expose team secrets.

Hamilton drove brilliantly to win the race despite the chaos, starting from pole after inheriting the position and controlling proceedings throughout at the tight Hungaroring circuit. Räikkönen provided damage limitation for Ferrari with second place, while Heidfeld took his second podium of the season for BMW Sauber. Alonso recovered to fourth from sixth on the grid but the damage to his reputation and relationship with McLaren was irreparable - it was now clear he would leave the team at season's end. The Hungarian weekend exposed the depths of McLaren's dysfunction and set the stage for a dramatic second half of the season, with Hamilton retaking the championship lead despite the unprecedented internal strife.