MOTOR SPORT/Hungarian Grand Prix: Kimi Raikkonen's hoodoo is finally broken. Plagued by mechanical problems in recent weeks, forced to stand by as his main rival, Fernando Alonso, notched finish after finish, all on the podium, the Finn must have arrived in Hungary over the weekend feeling his race was run before this one even started.

But there's a capricious streak to misfortune and yesterday it switched its attentions away from the troubled Finn. But only across the McLaren garage, to where Juan Pablo Montoya was preparing a late-season charge.

The Colombian played himself into contention in Budapest with quiet precision. Solid times on Friday and Saturday were translated into a fine qualifying lap on Saturday afternoon, which left him second on the grid behind a resurgent Michael Schumacher, who claimed his first pole since the Japanese Grand Prix last year.

Montoya looked well set too as the race reached its mid-point. Passed by Raikkonen on lap three, after a first-corner melee that claimed the Red Bull cars of Christian Klien and David Coulthard, Montoya held station in third, knowing he was on a much heavier fuel load than either Schumacher or Raikkonen.

The Colombian was on a two-stop strategy and eyeing a possible second win of the season, after Silverstone three weeks ago.

And it seemed to be shaping up as he emerged from his first stop with a nine-second advantage over the front pair, who were due another visit within 10 laps.

But then on lap 41 this season's McLaren curse switched targets. Montoya slowed rapidly, was passed by Raikkonen and Schumacher and eventually limped to the pits with a broken driveshaft.

"I pretty much had the race in the pocket, I was pitting a lap later than Kimi," said Montoya. "Even if Kimi had caught up with me I don't think he would have . . . so it's a bit of a shame. It's just one of those things, we are pushing right to the limit."

So the race came down to the new front pairing. It was a foregone conclusion. Earlier Raikkonen looked to be in trouble. The Hungaroring is notorious as one of the trickiest circuits at which to overtake, and for 37 laps the Finn was penned back by Schumacher. The German was slower, less agile, but on the tight, twisting track his Ferrari would have loomed as big as a tractor. There was no way past.

Schumacher pitted on lap 36 and Raikkonen was left with just enough fuel for a single lap - no time to eke out a gap. Time for some quick thinking on the pit wall from McLaren.

Raikkonen dived in on lap 37 and McLaren wasted little time. Splashing just 12 laps' worth of fuel into his car, the team were able to get the Finn out just ahead of Schumacher. Now with an open track ahead and a handful of laps left, Raikkonen again demonstrated the pace that has startled so many this season. He blazed around a full two seconds quicker than any of his rivals. Within six laps he had 24 seconds in hand over the champion.

Schumacher had realised that racing Raikkonen was pointless. He had throttled back and was enjoying a 13-second gap to his brother. Raikkonen would charge to the chequered flag alone with a 40-second advantage. Ample time to thank his stars for the lifting of a curse that has left him with a mountain to climb as the season hits its three-week summer holiday.

"It looks better now than after the last race but it's just unlucky that we always seem to throw away 10 points and then he (Alonso) gets it and the next race we get it back," said Raikkonen.

"We are just going backwards and forwards the whole time. But there are still six races to go and if we can do this kind of result and maybe something happens to him we can still fight for the championship."

But while the Finn's ill-luck had still fixed its gaze on McLaren, it had given a passing glance to the man Raikkonen is chasing - Fernando Alonso.

The championship-leading Spaniard had a nightmarish weekend. Qualifying in sixth, he begged his team for more power in the future as he watched McLaren advance to a sharper end of the grid.

And yesterday he was ruled out of the podium equation at the start as he damaged his front wing in a collision with Toyota's Ralf Schumacher in the first-corner chaos and had to pit for repairs at the end of lap one. Dropped to 17th on such an unfriendly circuit, there was no way back. He finished 11th, out of the points and with Raikkonen 10 closer to his lead.

"All our chances of scoring were over at the first corner when I lost my front wing," Alonso said. "I was pretty unlucky in that incident."

It all starts up again in Istanbul in three weeks. A new circuit no driver has raced before. Unfamiliar surroundings, a tighter title battle. Could be fun.