BUDAPEST - Defending Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen, of Finland, took the lead in the drivers' world title race yesterday when he won the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hakkinen, starting in third position in the grid in his McLaren, grabbed the lead at the start from Ferrari's German driver Michael Schumacher, who was in pole position, and stayed in control all the way to the chequered flag.
Schumacher came home second, ahead of Briton David Coulthard in the second McLaren, after a race in high temperatures at the Hungaroring.
Hakkinen now has 64 points, two more than Schumacher, with Coulthard on 58.
Hakkinen, who made a similar start in the previous race, in Germany, said: "I said then that you make a start like that once a year but that's not true - it's twice a year.
"It was very close, but Michael and I came around the first corner in one piece - both drivers did the right thing."
The Finn, almost a second slower than Schumacher in the race warm-up, said of his sudden improvement: "It was a combination of things with the engine and chassis. I'm not going to tell you exactly what we did but the car went very fast."
The victory was Hakkinen's third this season to Schumacher's five, and the 17th of his 140-race career.
Schumacher, in control of the championship since winning the opening three races, said: "Mika was the fastest man today. Even if he hadn't passed me at the start he would probably have passed me later."
Hakkinen's win also meant that he and Coulthard have now equalled the record total of a team drivers' partnership of 25 wins, established by Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost when they were also with McLaren.
It was a perfect way for them to mark their record 77th race as a pairing.
Ferrari's Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, came home fourth, followed by German Ralf Schumacher, in a Williams, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was sixth for Jordan.
Meanwhile, New Zealand driver Scott Dixon extended his lead in the IndyLights motor racing series after finishing second in the latest round in Lexington, Ohio, yesterday.
Dixon, aged 20, who qualified in just eighth position on the grid, made a great start to improve to fifth by the end of the opening lap.
He moved to fourth four laps later after narrowly missing a spinning Jeff Simmons.
On lap 12, Jonny Kane and Felipe Giaffone, who were second and third, respectively, came together to bring out a full-course yellow flag and Dixon moved to second.
Dixon, who now has 93 championship points, 13 ahead of his nearest rival and yesterday's winner, Townsend Bell, said he was happy with the handling of his Invensys/Powerware.
"The car was the easiest I have had to drive this year and that allowed us to get a good start and go on with the job," he said.
"We had several restarts, but my top gear just wasn't tall enough to catch Bell, who was running a different wing configuration to us.
"To finish second after having such an ordinary lead-up is testimony to the commitment of this team.
"It just goes to show that if you keep chasing the set-up and are willing to take calculated risks eventually it will come around."
- NZPA
Motorsport: Hakkinen's Hungarian rhapsody
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