Webber wins the British Grand Prix

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Webber wins the British Grand Prix

Webber wins the British Grand Prix

12/07/2010

Red Bull Racing were back to their usual 1-2 qualifying form at the British F1GP (that’s 9 out of 10 poles this season) and although it was Sebastian Vettel on P1 it was Mark Webber that lead the team home at the historic Silverstone track.

The British GP produces exciting F1 races, usually because of its notorious weather, but in 2010 the new upgrades to the track attracted blue skies and some of the best racing of the season. From the first lap heartbeats hit overdrive as Vettel went spectacularly off the track and Webber made the most of the less grippy P2 side of the track as the two Red Bull Racing drivers jostled for the top spot through the first few corners. In pictures that were very reminiscent of the Turkish GP, the two raced wheel-to-wheel and although it was Mark that wrangled his Bull to the lead, surely it was Sebastian’s stellar drive from last to seventh that truly set the race alight.

Sebastian Vettel drove the race of his life and dominated the television coverage after a disastrous start which saw him go from first to last but fought his way back to a seventh place finish. Aided by a safety car incident on lap 28 which bunched the field closely Vettel was a man on a mission as he made his way from the back of the pack and had there been another 10 laps to go, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Sebastian would have been on the podium.

But even Sebastian’s other-worldly drive didn’t take the shine off Mark’s win following his horrific shunt at the European GP two weeks ago. Red Bull Racing dominated the practice sessions and the headlines as the tension between the two drivers created much fodder for sports sub-editors across the globe following a decision to take the latest front wing from Mark’s car and put it on Sebastian’s - RBR unveiled their newly upgraded front wing at the British GP but only had two available. Sebastian used up both when the first one broke in spectacular fashion during Saturday’s practice session and Mark was clearly unimpressed but remained tight-lipped during the post-qualifying press conference. But Mark proved he didn’t need the improved font wing to finish up front and his euphoria on the top podium reigned over the Silverstone track which is just kilometres from his home.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton challenged Webber forcefully on that first lap, but it was clear that only a major drama could take a deserved win away from Webber. He was in a class of his own. Hamilton had to settle for a second place finish which was still enough to keep him in the lead of the drivers’ championship.

The crucial safety-car period came on lap 28 after Adrian Sutil hit the back of Pedro de la Rosa’s BMW Sauber on the pit straight proved to be Vettel’s lifeline. Gradually he made his way up the order, passing Nico Hulkenberg in the Williams and Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher until he came behind Sutil. The Force India driver kept him at bay lap after lap as Vettel struggled on increasingly worn tyres, but finally he made it through after a gutsy move resulted in a minor collision, with both still able to continue.

It was a disastrous day for Ferrari, as Alonso got it wrong by passing Robert Kubica lap 17 after running wide then cutting in ahead of the Kubica’s Renault. Had Alonso surrendered the place all would have been well and he would have been in a position later to challenge for third; instead he got a drive-through penalty which coincided with the safety-car period, dropping him from fourth to 15th. For many laps he was unable to find a way past Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India, and when he finally made it they touched, necessitating a late stop for a fresh set of tyres.Alonso had to be content with 14th ahead of fellow Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who also needed a late stop for tyres after surviving a spin.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari had a good race for a long time after a long opening stint took him as high as sixth, before ending up in the gravel thanks to a brake problem.

Drivers’ championship

1. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes – 145
2. Jenson Button - McLaren-Mercedes – 133
3. Mark Webber - RBR-Renault – 128
4. Sebastian Vettel - RBR-Renault – 121
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari – 98
6. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP – 90
7. Robert Kubica - Renault – 83
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari – 67
9. Michael Schumacher - Mercedes GP – 36
10. Adrian Sutil - Force India-Mercedes – 35

14. Sebastien Buemi - STR-Ferrari – 7
16. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari – 3

Constructors’ championship

1. McLaren-Mercedes – 278
2. RBR-Renault – 249
3. Ferrari – 165
4. Mercedes GP – 126
5. Renault – 89
6. Force India-Mercedes – 47
7. Williams-Cosworth – 31
8. BMW Sauber-Ferrari – 15
9. STR-Ferrari – 10
10. Lotus-Cosworth – 0
11. HRT-Cosworth – 0
12. Virgin-Cosworth -0

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