F1: Webber take half-time lead

Mark Webber made his 150th Grand Prix start in this year's Hungarian Grand Prix. It was also Red Bull's 100th Grand Prix. What better way, then, to celebrate than to take the win?

Sebastian Vettel didn't think so and, until today, it's seemed as if what Vettel wants, Vettel gets. Drive your team-mate off the track? No prob, Seb. Need the latest, fastest tweaks for your car? Sure, we'll just nick them off Mark's car.

Vettel finished third after a drive through. He says that the problem arose because he had lost the radio - but it was working just fine when he exploded in rage at being told of the penalty - and when the team pointedly told him to hold his tongue as the race finished. He hinted at the real reason he had fallen more than ten car lengths behind as the safety car came in: he was, it appeared, asleep at the wheel.

No such things for Webber. Glued to the back of the Mercedes safety car, he hoofed it up the track as soon as he was able and he slotted in one of the most dominant wins ever seen in Formula One, certainly in recent years. Pitting to change tyres, he was still so far ahead of Alonso in second place that even after slowing down at the end of the race, Alonso wasn't in the picture.

Webber lapped more than half the field.

For sure, he's got a great car: he's using a different chassis after his major crash and, although he said he liked the first one, the later chassis is, without doubt, more suited to his driving style even though they are supposed to be identical.

Alonso credited at least a part of his place to luck, saying that Spa and Monza will favour McLaren and so Ferrari will struggle to match their results in Hockenheim and Hungary. Both he and Massa reckon Red Bull are strongest everywhere.

Sauber were also counting the races: Hungary was their 300th race. P7 and P9 were good markers for the team that has virtually no sponsorship this season and to get both cars in the points in such a numerically important race has boosted morale.

Not a lot of morale boosting at McLaren. Investigation of a vibration on the warm up lap led to Hamilton's brakes being dismantled on the grid but no fault found. It turned out that the problem was in the gearbox and that failed a few laps into the race, wasting his 5th position on the grid. But Button got hung out to dry from his dismal 11th grid-spot and dropped four places, eventually fighting back to split the Saubers. Four points means he is only half-a-win behind Webber but those wins are looking increasingly difficult for everyone except Red Bull at present.

It's beginning to look as if Red Bull's main competition is itself - either throught driver problems, strategy errors or component failures. Left to his own devices, Webber is starting to seem immune to them, too.