Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win from five races in 2011 despite relentless pressure from Mclaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Vettel, who qualified second, finished just 0.6 secs ahead of Hamilton in a race which produced some much overdue excitement at the Circuit de Catalunya. Although not a toe to toe battle ala Alonso vs Schumacher at Imola in 2005, it was refreshing to see both drivers of immense skill go head-to-head on a level playing field. Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button completed the podium.
The start of the race provided the biggest hint yet that this year’s Spanish Grand Prix would be very different. Normally a precession, 2011 saw the rebirth of one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar. As the lights went out, pole-sitter Mark Webber found himself instantly under attack from not just Vettel and Hamilton, but also home favourite Fernando Alonso. As the Red Bull’s squabbled on the run down to the first corner, Alonso sneaked up the inside of Webber to take the lead despite starting from fourth and on the dirty side of the grid. Queue wild celebrations from Alonso’s fanatical home crowd, who were more than a little shell-shocked to see their hero storm into the lead.
If Alonso’s start was sensational, Button’s was sluggish. The 2009 world champion was bogged down at the start and having been squeezed to outside at Turn Two, dropped to tenth. Schumacher meanwhile made his customary good start up to sixth ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg and caused a minor surprised by starting the race on the softer tyre.
Vettel was the first of the front-runners to pit on lap 10. Unlike previous years whereby those who pit later reap the rewards, regulations have dictated that those who come in earlier in 2011 are at an advantage. Vettel hit traffic on his out lap, yet remained undeterred by the cars in front and passed Button, Felipe Massa’s Ferrari and Rosberg in the undercut of his new soft tyres to limit the damage. Alonso and Webber were quick to cover him the following lap while Hamilton stayed out. In comparison to Vettel, whose overtakes kept his challenge alive, Webber hit traffic and was passed by Hamilton in the undercut.
Button, as is his want, managed his tyres superbly to get to lap 14, which was the target time to pit for a three-stop strategy. He, like Vettel and Hamilton, made good use of the undercut on the fresher tyres and passed Schumacher’s Mercedes three laps later. Lap 19 was the turning point in the race, though. Vettel stopped for a new set of soft tyres to gain clear air on lap 19 and his aggressive strategy paid instant dividends as he passed Alonso, who attempted to cover him the following lap, in the undercut.
Alonso began to fall away following his second pit stop. Hamilton also usurped him even though the Mclaren was running on older tyres. The 2008 World Champion made the older tyres work and rose to second, much to the despair of the partisan Spanish crowd. Alonso and Webber pitted for a third time on lap 31 for the slower, harder tyre, while Button made his second stop for the softer compound and dropped to fifth.
Much like Turkey, Alonso and Webber dueled again here and on lap 34 the Australian dived down the inside into the La Caixa hairpin. Alonso, however, had other ideas and immediately retook third after Webber got poor traction following his overtake. Up ahead, Vettel made his third stop on the same lap while Hamilton followed suit one lap later. The squabble for third place allowed Button to get back in the action and on lap 36 he passed Webber thanks to the DRS system down the pit straight and incredibly snatched third from Alonso on the same lap. Webber finally passed Alonso on lap 48 after staying out much longer on his first set of prime tyres.
Hamilton made sure Vettel wasn’t resting on his laurels, however, and relentlessly pressured the German into the closing stages. Vettel made his final stop on lap 49 and Hamilton followed immediately after on lap 50. Hamilton remained within a second on Vettel on almost identical tyres but could not get close enough to pass the Red Bull ahead.
Vettel was also aided by the fact his KERS dramas throughout the Grand Prix were fixed following his final stop, ensuring Hamilton could not get close enough coming out of the final corner. That, entwined with the Red Bull’s superb grip, meant not even the DRS could give Hamilton the opportunity he needed for victory. This was also a test of Vettel’s maturity and he passed with flying colours. Under pressure from a real racer like Hamilton, who can overtake just about anywhere, Vettel did not buckle and that is testament to his defensive skills which have rarely been called into question in 2011. Despite his best efforts, Hamilton was unable to find a way past and had to settle for second place behind Vettel, who took the 14th victory of his career. Although finishing almost a second down on the Red Bulls in qualifying, Mclaren once again proved that on race pace they are much closer.
Monaco next weekend should reduce much of Red Bull’s car advantage, which should play into Mclaren’s hands given that Hamilton and Button have won their previously. In spite of his astonishing start, Alonso had to settle for fifth in front of his adoring fans but will be boosted by the growing competitiveness from his Ferrari. The Mercedes’ of Schumacher and Rosberg followed him home in sixth and seventh, while Renault’s Nick Heidfeld drive an impeccable race from the back of the grid to take eighth. The Sauber’s of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi completed the top 10.
Vettel remained cool in adversity and despite being under extreme pressure from Hamilton fully deserved the full 25 points. He leads the championship by a considerable 41 points from Hamilton after just five races and one must wonder how much bigger that margin can grow. Prior to the top three going onto the podium, it was pleasing to hear Vettel say to Hamilton and Button that he was going flat out. All three drove on the limit, but yet again it was the Red Bull man who came out on top.
Spanish GP result
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1hr 39mins 03.301secs
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren + 0.630
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren + 35.697
4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull + 47.966
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari +1 Lap
6 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP +1 Lap
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP +1 Lap
8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault +1 Lap
9 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber +1 Lap
10 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber +1 Lap
11 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault +1 Lap
12 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India +1 Lap
13 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India +1 Lap
14 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso +1 Lap
15 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams +1 Lap
16 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso +2 Laps
17 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams +2 Laps
18 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Team Lotus +2 Laps
19 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing +3 Laps
20 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing +4 Laps
21 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) Hispania +5 Laps
Not Classified
22 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 58 Laps completed
23 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Team Lotus 48 Laps completed
24 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Hispania 28 Laps completed
Josh.
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