Following a good showing at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa once again showed his driving prowess when he took pole position and eventually took it straight to winning the Spanish Grand Prix. This win made Massa the first multiple winner this season. In both the Bahrain and Spanish race, Massa took the pole position and recorded the fastest lap. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Massa recorded a lap time of 1:22:680 in lap number 14. Sharing the podium with Massa are team McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton in second and Fernando Alonso in third. Meanwhile Massa's teammate Kimi Raikkonen who started third on the grid was forced to retire after his car's electric components failed on lap number nine.
The race's start was called off after Jarno Trulli who was driving for Toyota stalled his car on the grid which resulted to another formation lap. Aside from Trulli, Alonso was the first driver to receive the first beating of the race when he was forced off the track after colliding lightly with Felipe Massa. Alonso though regained control of his car and slid in at fourth behind Massa, Hamilton and Raikkonen respectively. While Alonso was lucky that his race did not end with the slight collision, eight drivers were no so lucky including Raikkonen.
On the first lap, Alex Wurz who was driving for Williams Toyota met an accident which saw him retiring. The second casualty is Mark Weber driving for Renault when his car's hydraulics failed on lap number seven. Another driver who did not finish the race is Jarno Trulli of Toyota when his car's fuel pressure forced him to the pits. Kimi Raikkonen was the fourth casualty. Scott Speed suffered a tire blowout on lap number nine. On lap number 19, Vitantonio Liuzzi who was driving for Toro Roso Ferrari also retired. Toyota's Ralf Schumacher also did not finish the race due to suspension problems on lap number 44. The final casualty of the fourth race of the season is BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld when his car's gearbox acted up on the 46th lap.
Meanwhile, a milestone was reached by the rookie driver Lewis Hamilton after his third consecutive second place finish. The British driver became the youngest driver to lead the drive's championship. It is only fitting that Hamilton broke the record of team McLaren founder Bruce McLaren. Hamilton currently has 30 points to his credit and his lead in the driver's championship shows his consistency since he has yet to win a race but still managed to top the driver's championship. Next to Hamilton on the standings is teammate Fernando Alonso, the two-time defending champion with 28 points to his credit. This year's only multiple winners Massa sits on third with 27 points. The consistency of Lewis Hamilton is evident in the fact that for all of his four races in his short career in Formula One, he has recorded four podium finishes. Currently, only McLaren and Ferrari achieved podium finishes.
Following his record-breaking win at the Spanish Grand Prix, the 22-year old Hamilton is showered with much praise. Sir Jackie Stewart, the three-time world champion, is one of the most vocal admirers of the young driver. Sir Jackie Stewart, who is known as the Flying Scotsman, has this to say: "I think he, (Hamilton) is going to rewrite the book. I think Lewis will create the new benchmark for a whole generation of drivers." He added that: "There are hundreds of millions with driving licenses, very few million have competition licenses, a few hundred thousand do it on a regular basis. A few thousand make a living out of it, a few hundred make a decent living out of it and 22 are on the grid and of those 22 only six are any good. And out of those six only three are extraordinary talents and out of those three there is usually only one genius. Lewis is exceptional. We'll see a new generation of what I call properly-prepared drivers. Schumacher became that - but I am talking about fully rounded. Schumacher was not as good as he should have been. Not in his driving but the total package."
Meanwhile, the young driver has this to say: "We're leading the championship, I couldn't be happier. I've been working so many years for this, me and my family, and to be in this position is a dream. I'm enjoying it, and I need to keep enjoying it."
The driver previously became the youngest person to be awarded an F1 contract when he was just thirteen years old. He is also the first back driver of African or Caribbean descent to compete in the Formula one. Aside from these distinctions, Hamilton is also the first driver to record top three finishes in the four Formula One race he has participated in. He currently drives the Number two car for McLaren which have been known for fielding cars with higher performance output than vehicles equipped with aftermarket parts such as .
Following the second and third finishes for Hamilton and Alonso respectively, team McLaren increased their lead in the constructor's championship. The team currently has 58 points while Ferrari sits in second with 49 points. BMW Sauber is in third with 24 points. Renault is on the fourth spot with 11 points after four races. Williams and Toyota are tied with five points each. Red Bull is number seven with four points. Super Aguri recorded their first point at the Spanish Grand Prix to make them the eighth team in the standings.
