How Kubica won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix for BMW Sauber

Robert Kubica won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix for BMW Sauber, the first win for the team and the first by a Polish driver. The race was shaped by a crumbling track surface and by a pit-lane collision that ended Lewis Hamilton's race after he had taken pole.

Why did the track cause such trouble in Montreal?

The track surface was breaking up, with drivers complaining about turn two, the exit of turn seven and the apex and exit of turn 10. The authorities applied chemicals at turn two and resurfaced the hairpin after Saturday's qualifying session. Overnight track work was carried out to fix the problems at turn 10 before the race.

Qualifying was hampered by the same surface. Most drivers recorded slower times than in the first part of the session, and track officials cleared debris between sessions. Toyota's Jarno Trulli spun twice in the second session and was one of five drivers who did not progress, along with Glock, Nakajima, Coulthard and Piquet.

The organisers used the week to make other changes. A new paddock and media centre was unveiled, and the wall where Kubica had crashed the previous year was moved closer to the track to reduce the angle of impact. Debris fencing was added to that wall.

A pit-lane collision ended Hamilton's race, and BMW Sauber's first win came with a one-two.

How did practice unfold in the wet?

The Friday practice session started in wet conditions, so most drivers waited until the second half of the hour before heading out. Massa set the fastest lap, followed by Kubica and Kovalainen. Hamilton was among those who only ventured out in the final minutes.

Glock hit the wall at turn four during practice. On Saturday Rosberg surprised the field by topping the session ahead of Raikkonen and Hamilton. The session was red-flagged 45 minutes in, when Vettel lost control at turn nine and hit the wall, and Bourdais crashed at turn five as well.

How did qualifying shape the grid?

Hamilton took his second pole position at Montreal. He had been quickest in the first session, ahead of Massa and Kovalainen, and he topped the second session with Massa and Raikkonen behind him. Kubica came close, and Hamilton beat him on his final flying lap.

Raikkonen started third, Massa sixth and Alonso fourth. Rosberg was fifth. Webber could not compete in the third session after he damaged his car during the second session.

Vettel did not take part in qualifying after his crash in third practice, and Bourdais received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. Sutil, Fisichella and Button were eliminated in the first session.

How did Hamilton and Raikkonen collide in the pit lane?

Raikkonen came to a stop at the end of the pit lane because the exit was closed, with the red light showing. Hamilton, who had been running behind, did not notice the light at first and slid into the back of Raikkonen's Ferrari. Rosberg then hit Hamilton from behind.

Both Hamilton and Raikkonen retired, each leaving their car at the exit of the pit lane. Rosberg kept going, but he had to stop again for a new wing. Hamilton said he saw the light too late and could not avoid the Ferrari. It was his only retirement of the 2008 season.

The collision came during a safety car period. Adrian Sutil had suffered a gearbox failure on lap 16, and his car caught fire after turn three, which brought out the safety car. Hamilton had built a lead of over 5 seconds over Kubica before that, and the leaders had all pitted together.

Which drivers had trouble before the finish?

Piquet Jr. retired on lap thirty-nine with abnormal brake wear, his fifth retirement of the year from seven races. Alonso, chasing Heidfeld for second, spun and damaged his front wing and suspension. Fisichella's engine stalled at his first stop, and he later spun and hit the wall after the turn nine chicane.

Nakajima broke his front wing after hitting Button at turn ten on lap forty-six, and the wing ended up trapped under the chassis as he approached the pit lane. Massa's afternoon was a comeback from the back, after three pit stops had left him last.

Key moments in the race

Who led the race after the pit stops?

Seven different drivers led during the early pit cycle, and the order was never settled for long. When the pit stops ended, Heidfeld was in the lead. Kubica had the lighter, quicker car, and after one lap on track he had passed Heidfeld.

Kubica then pulled away. He had built a substantial lead over the course of the race and was never threatened, although Heidfeld held onto second place to give BMW Sauber its first one-two.

Behind them the field was thinning out, and the cars still running were fighting for places rather than for the lead.

How did the BMW one-two come about?

Heidfeld finished second after a poor start, when he lost a position to Barrichello. He passed Barrichello back and was one of the fastest cars on track from that point. He had stayed out when most cars pitted, and the team later switched him to a one-stop plan, running heavy on fuel and on soft tyres.

Massa fought back from last after making three pit stops. He passed Barrichello and Kovalainen at turn ten and then overtook Trulli with a few laps to spare, finishing fifth. Toyota drivers finished fourth and sixth, with Massa between them.

What did the teams say about the track?

The teams were severely critical of the surface, which was breaking up at turn two, at the exit of turn seven and at turn 10. Crews treated turn two with chemicals, redid the hairpin surface after qualifying, and worked overnight at turn 10.

The track's condition shaped the race itself. A surface that degraded as the laps went on made every mistake more costly, and the cars that had already lost time in qualifying had little room to recover.

Why was the Canadian result historic?

The win was the first by a German constructor since the 1962 French Grand Prix, when Dan Gurney won for Porsche. It was also the first win for a BMW-engined car since Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix for Williams. It was the last Grand Prix win by a car built neither in Great Britain nor Italy.

McLaren failed to score at all, a first since the 2006 United States race. Neither Ferrari nor McLaren finished on the podium, which had not happened since the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.

How did Coulthard reach the podium?

Coulthard finished third, scoring his first points of the season and his first podium since the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. His car ran out of fuel 50 metres from the place where the podium finishers park, so he had to walk the last part of the way to the podium.

Heidfeld, second, had been on a single stop, a choice made after the early pit stops.

What did Kubica say after the win?

Kubica was delighted with his first race victory. He said he was very happy to win the first race for BMW Sauber, and he was happy for Poland and his fans. He added that the race had been very difficult, because he had started on the dirty side of the track and Raikkonen had nearly been able to pass him.

What did the championship look like afterwards?

Kubica took the Drivers' lead with 42 points, four ahead of Hamilton and Massa, who were level on 38. Raikkonen was fourth. Heidfeld stayed fifth.

In the Constructors' Championship BMW Sauber moved into second, three points behind Ferrari. McLaren fell to third, 17 points behind BMW.

Kubica said the race had been a difficult one for him.