Puncture denies Hamilton victory

Updated 14.42 Sun Aug 03 2008

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix but remains on top of the drivers championship.

Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen won the race, inheriting the lead with three laps to go when Hamilton's championship rival Felipe Massa ground to a halt.

Hamilton's chances of claiming his third win in a row vanished when he suffered a puncture halfway through the race

Massa's unreliable Ferrari ensured Hamilton's championship lead would remain intact and handed Kovalainen his first-ever Grand Prix victory.

Hamilton's chances of claiming his third win in a row vanished when he suffered a puncture halfway through the race.

After an unscheduled pit stop, he rejoined the race in 12th place and seemed destined to slip down the standings.

But he fought back to earn four championship points, leaving him eight points ahead of Massa and five ahead of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who finished third.

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