HOCKENHEIM, Germany, July 17, 2008 (AFP) - Story of the Formula One season so far ahead of the German Grand Prix here on Sunday:

Australian Grand Prix - March 16

Lewis Hamilton showed that he had lost none of his sharpness over the close season by cruising to victory in his McLaren while world champions Ferrari melted in the Melbourne heat. The 23-year-old British star, who came within a point of landing the world driver´s title in his rookie season in 2007, controlled the race from the outset and had more than five seconds to spare at the chequered flag. Hamilton - recording his fifth win in 18 Grand Prix´ - came in ahead of BMW-Sauber´s German Nick Heidfeld and his compatriot Nico Rosberg in a Williams to strike first blood in the 18-race F1 campaign.

Standings: Hamilton 10pts, Heidfeld 8, Rosberg 6.

Malaysian Grand Prix - March 23

Ferrari bounced back as world champion Kimi Raikkonen took the cheqeured flag, though, team-mate Felipe Massa once again failed to finish. The Latin American´s error gave Pole Robert Kubica in his BMW a perfect opportunity to grab his career-best finish in second coming in ahead of steadily-improving Finn Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren Mercedes-Benz. Hamilton finished fifth after being demoted several places on the grid.

Standings: Hamilton 14pts, Raikkonen 11, Heidfeld 11.

Bahrain Grand Prix - April 6

With embattled FIA president Max Mosley missing from the crowd Ferrari´s revival continued with Brazilian Felipe Massa storming to victory in what was a perfect riposte to his mounting critics. Ferrari celebrated a comfortable 1-2 with Kimi Raikkonen following him across the line. Third place went to BMW´s Polish driver Robert Kubica, who had set out from pole for the first time in his career. His teammate Nick Heidfeld took fourth. Lewis Hamilton endured a nightmare race. Slipping back from third on the grid to 10th and then colliding with Fernando Alonso. He trailed in 18th.

Standings: Raikkonen 19pts, Heidfeld 16, Hamilton, Kovalainen and Kubica all on 14

Spanish Grand Prix - April 27

Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed a stroll in the Spanish spring sunshine, the Finn cruising to his 17th career win with a flawless display. Ferrari celebrated their second successive 1-2 with Felipe Massa leading the chasing pack. Lewis Hamilton took third with BMW´s Robert Kubica in fourth. Hamilton´s McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen was fortunate to emerge unscathed after his car smashed into the barriers after a puncture at high speed.

Standings: Raikkonen 29pts, Hamilton 20, Kubica 19, Massa 18

Turkish Grand Prix - May 11

Felipe Massa, starting from pole, delivered another domineering display from Ferrari, with McLaren´s British driver Lewis Hamilton overcoming a three-stop strategy to grab second. Massa had 3.7sec to spare over Hamilton, with reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen in third. Hamilton pulled off the overtaking move of the season so far when darting past Massa coming up to turn 12 on lap 24 at 180 mph to take the temporary lead.

Standings: Raikkonen 35pts, Massa 28, Hamilton 28, Kubica 24

Monaco Grand Prix - May 25

A thriller on the rain-lashed street circuit with Lewis Hamilton achieving a lifetime´s ambition and arguably driving the race of his life to notch up his first Monaco win. The McLaren driver overcame sliding into a crash barrier in the early stages and a punctured tyre to become the first Englishman since 1969 to win here amd to take the lead in the standings. Robert Kubica´s BMW took second with polesitter Felipe Massa in third but there were no points for world champion Kimi Raikkonen who came ninth.

Standings: Hamilton 38pts, Raikkonen 35, Massa 34, Kubica 32

Canadian Grand Prix - June 8

Robert Kubica built on his bright showing in Monaco to claim his maiden Grand Prix success exactly a year after his horrific crash at Montreal´s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Pole led a shock BMW Sauber one-two after pre-race favourite Lewis Hamilton took himself and Ferrari´s Kimi Raikkonen out of the fray in an early pit lane collision. Nick Heidfeld took second place and David Coulthard was third but the day belonged to Kubica who shot four points clear in the title race. Hamilton picked up a time penalty for his pit lane crash.

Standings: Kubica 42, Hamilton 38, Massa 38, Raikkonen 35

French Grand Prix - June 22

Felipe Massa and Ferrari dominated the Magny-Course leg of the season. The 27-year-old Brazilian´s third win this year and eighth of his career lifted him back on top of the drivers´ title race and increased Ferrari´s lead in the constructors´ championship after eight of this year´s 18 Grands Prix. Massa, from Sao Paulo, took full advantage of exhaust problems that hindered his team-mate defending champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen´s progress for a comfortable triumph from Raikkonen and Italian Jarno Trulli. Briton Lewis Hamilton, who started 13th following a penalty for his pit-lane crash in Canada, endured another madcap and controversial contest in which he was penalised again before finishing 10th.

Standings: Massa 48, Kubica 46, Raikkonen 43, Hamilton 38

British Grand Prix - July 6

Lewis Hamilton rebounded brilliantly from two showings which called into question his ability to win the title as he streaked to victory, delivering a masterful drive in wet conditions to delight a vociferous home crowd and reignite his world title challenge. Persistent rain saw nearly all the drivers spin at some stage of the race and though BMW´s Nick Heidfeld produced a good drive to finish second and Rubens Barrichello was third, no one could come close to Hamilton who won his home race by a staggering 68.5 seconds. An emotional Hamilton heralded his third win of the season and the seventh of his Formula One career as "by far" his best ever. Hamilton became the first Englishman to win at Silverstone since Johnny Herbert in 1995.

Standings: Hamilton 48, Massa 48, Kimi Raikkonen 48

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