| At the completion of Sunday's French Grand Prix, | | | | Kovalainen. Kovalainen nearly overtook Trulli late in the |
| Felipe Massa walked away the victor. The win was | | | | race. |
| his third for the 2008 season and granted him the lead | | | | Trulli said he enjoyed doing that and it is what he |
| in the championship race. The final standings included | | | | wants to be doing, when asked about the near-miss |
| Massa, Raikkonen, Trulli, Kovalainen, Kubica, Webber, | | | | with Kovalainen. "I don't think we touched, just |
| Piquet and Alonso. Massa followed fellow Ferrari team | | | | wheel-to-wheel like we did in go-karting. I'd love to fight |
| mate Kimi Raikkonen, maintaining second position | | | | every race like that," he said. Trulli dedicated his third |
| through more than half of the race. The Ferrari team | | | | place win to Toyota's former team boss, Ove |
| kept a grip on the top two positions for the duration of | | | | Andersson who was killed in a rally accident the week |
| the race. Raikkonen's car suffered from a cracked | | | | before the race. |
| exhaust that caused him to drop from first position to | | | | Barcelona winner Robert Kubica completed the race in |
| second. | | | | fifth position. Although Massa is now leading the |
| "I just kept losing power and then it came back. A few | | | | championship chase, Kubica is still a close second. |
| more laps and I don't think I would have finished the | | | | For Red Bull driver Mark Webber, the French Grand |
| race," Raikkonen revealed the extent of his problems | | | | Prix also proved to be the most competitive race of |
| after the race. He continued with, "I had a good car all | | | | his 2008 season. He was hard pressed to hold off |
| weekend, was easily on the poll, but then I have a | | | | Nelson Piquet Jr. and Fernando Alonso for his sixth |
| problem with the car. I almost stopped a few times at | | | | position win. Piquet finished in seventh, and his team |
| the end." Raikkonen is happy he received eight points | | | | mate Alonso came in eighth. |
| for his second-place win, keeping him in the running for | | | | McLaren driver, Lewis Hamilton, began the race at a |
| the championship. | | | | disadvantage because of an accident involving |
| In a post race interview Massa said, "Sometimes you | | | | Raikkonen in the pits during the last race. Hamilton was |
| need a bit of luck, and we got that with Kimi's exhaust. | | | | penalized 10 grid positions and completed the French |
| It was a good present." He went on to say, "It was a | | | | Grand Prix in 10th position behind David Coulthard. |
| great race. We showed our performance here, we | | | | Hamilton is now 10 points behind Massa in |
| are heading in the right direction, with the team doing a | | | | championship standings. |
| fantastic job." The win and second position place were | | | | Massa is the first Brazilian to lead the championship |
| welcomed victories for the Ferrari team. | | | | chase since 1993's winner, Ayrton Senna. Massa |
| Toyota team driver Jarno Trulli completed the race in | | | | currently has 48 points. Kubica is only two points |
| third position, the first podium placement finish for the | | | | behind at 46, with Raikkonen trailing with 43 points. |
| Toyota team since 2006. Trulli may have been able to | | | | Hamilton is still in the running with 38 points after |
| catch Raikkonen and take second position if he hadn't | | | | completing his second race in a row without scoring |
| had to defend his third place position from Heikki | | | | any points. |