* Pre-race: The initial start is aborted when sixth-fastest qualifier Jarno Trulli stalls. An extra formation lap is ordered. Trulli is wheeled to the pits.
* Lap 1: On pole position for the fifth time in six Grands Prix, Felipe Massa makes a good start but Fernando Alonso bids to pass around the outside of Turn One. The Spaniard is squeezed through the gravel and slips to fourth, behind Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, who swap positions on the run to the first corner. Robert Kubica settles into fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld, David Coulthard, Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella, Takuma Sato, Scott Speed (up from the back row), Vitantonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil, Anthony Davidson, Trulli and Christijan Albers. Ralf Schumacher and Alex Wurz both pit – the Austrian ran into the German’s Toyota when the latter got slightly sideways in front of him. Only Schumacher rejoins.
* Lap 2: Massa leads by 2.1s. Webber and Davidson pass Sutil.
* Lap 3: Massa moves 2.5s clear. Alonso is all over Räikkönen. Webber passes Liuzzi.
* Lap 4: Massa posts a 1m23.017s to extend his lead to 3.2s. Trulli passes Sutil.
* Lap 7: Webber retires to the pits.
* Lap 8: Massa laps in 1m22.978s to lead by 5.6s. Trulli pits and heads straight for the garage.
* Lap 9: Räikkönen suddenly slows and heads towards the pits at a crawl. Alonso moves up to third.
* Lap 10: Speed suffers left-rear tyre failure on the main straight and pulls off onto the grass.
* Lap 12: Massa goes faster again: he leads Hamilton by 7.2s. Alonso is 3.9s further adrift.
* Lap 14: Massa ups his pace once more: 1m22.680s. The McLarens are still lapping in the 1m23s.
* Lap 17: Both McLaren drivers set personal bests – 1m22.951s and 1m22.966s respectively – but Massa remains 8.7s to the good.
* Lap 18: Barrichello makes the race’s first scheduled stop.
* Lap 19: Massa pits – and rejoins with his car briefly spewing flames. Alonso peels in too, as does Kovalainen. Hamilton leads. Liuzzi slows and heads for the pits.
* Lap 20: Coulthard pits and has to swerve around Liuzzi as he comes in.
* Lap 21: Kubica, Button and Fisichella pit.
* Lap 22: Button rejoins and collides with team-mate Barrichello at Turn One. He returns to the pits for a new nose. Hamilton pits and resumes behind Massa.
* Lap 23: Rosberg and Sutil pit.
* Lap 24: Heidfeld pits and has problems rejoining. He completes a slow lap and returns immediately to the pits for remedial work. Sato and Albers pit, too.
* Lap 27: Davidson and Schumacher pit.
* Lap 28: Massa leads Hamilton by 11.1s, with Alonso a distant third. Kubica is fourth from Coulthard and Kovalainen – running almost as one – Rosberg, Barrichello, Fisichella, Sato, Davidson and Schumacher. Sutil, Albers, Heidfeld and Button are all one lap down.
* Lap 30: Kovalainen makes a second scheduled stop. Heidfeld passes Albers.
* Lap 31: Heidfeld passes Sutil.
* Lap 33: Albers is handed a drive-through penalty for failing to heed blue flags.
* Lap 35: Local hero Alonso is running significantly slower than Hamilton – Kubica and Coulthard are both edging closer to the Spaniard.
* Lap 40: Fisichella makes his second stop.
* Lap 41: Barrichello pits.
* Lap 42: Massa, Coulthard and Kovalainen all pit. Hamilton leads. Massa splits the McLarens.
* Lap 43: Rosberg pits.
* Lap 44: Schumacher pits and pulls into his garage.
* Lap 46: Hamilton leads Massa by 11.5s. Alonso is third, 16.0s behind the leader. Sato pits from seventh. The lapped Heidfeld and Sutil also come in – the former to retire.
* Lap 47: Hamilton pits, as does Kubica.
* Lap 48: Alonso pits. Button follows suit.
* Lap 49: Massa leads Hamilton by 10.5s. Davidson pits.
* Lap 52: Alonso, running the softer Bridgestone, moves 0.4s closer to Hamilton, who is on the harder tyre. They remain 14.9s apart, however, with 13 laps to go.
* Lap 58: Fisichella makes a quick stop. Sato moves into the points.
* Lap 59: Coulthard laps in the 1m30s… but soon speeds up again, albeit marginally.
* Lap 62: Coulthard posts a 1m26.322s – Rosberg and Kovalainen are closing fast.
* Lap 65: Massa wins by 6.7s from new world championship leader Hamilton, Alonso, Kubica, Coulthard, Rosberg, Kovalainen and Sato – who scores Super Aguri’s first F1 point.
