Alonso vs Webber and Hamilton at Eau Rouge

It's difficult to find a precedent for Mark Webber's frightening pass on Fernando Alonso last Sunday, but there is an interesting contrast.



On the first lap of the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren team-mates Alonso and Hamilton raced wheel-to-wheel down to Eau Rouge, with Hamilton on the inside for the left-hand entry.

On that occasion, however, Fernando was able to take more speed into the corner, and claim the position into the right-handed uphill element. Here's Lewis's account of it at the time:

"At Eau Rouge it was just common sense to ease off a fraction. Fernando had the momentum and was going quicker into it. It would have been stupid of me to keep it flat, but I was tempted. That worked in a Formula 3 car in the wet, but I'm not sure it would in a Formula 1 car..."

The two situations are not completely similar, because Webber was able to use the slipstream on Sunday, and gain extra momentum over Alonso. Nevertheless, the fact that Hamilton failed to make the move stick from the inside against the same adversary, provides a vivid demonstration of just how much commitment Webber needed.