July 12, 2009

Mark Webber secured his maiden Formula One victory and Australia's first since 1981 when he led teammate Sebastian Vettel home in a triumphant one-two for the Red Bull team in the German Grand Prix.

Webber, in his 130th F1 race after eight years in the sport, started from his first pole position and overcame a drive-through penalty for a first lap collision on his way to a spectacular win at the circuit in the Eifel mountains.

The 32-year-old driver from Queanbeyan, in NSW, came home 9.3 seconds clear of Vettel as he raced to a victory that threw the fight for the world championship wide open.

Webber is third in the title race with 45.5 points behind leader Briton Jenson Button on 68 points and Vettel on 47. Brazilian Rubens Barrichello has 44 points and is fourth.

The two Red Bulls finished first and second ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa of Brazil, who grabbed his first podium finish of the year, with German Nico Rosberg fourth for Williams.

Button battled through to finish fifth ahead of teammate Barrichello, the Brawn pair resisting a late charge from two-times world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault.

Finn Heikki Kovalainen came home eighth for McLaren Mercedes.

Defending world champion Briton Lewis Hamilton finished 18th and last after a hot-headed attack on the opening lap saw him involved in a collision with Webber's Red Bull that cost him a puncture.

Webber bashed into Barrichello's car on the run from the start to the first corner, a collision for which he was punished with his drive-through penalty, but he overcame that with a dazzling drive to victory.

Watched by his father Alan, a motorcycle dealer in Australia, Webber romped to a triumph that ended Australia's long wait for another winner since Alan Jones won at Las Vegas in the 1981 United States Grand Prix.

As he completed his final lap, Webber screamed with joy: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Oh yes. You beauty! Yes."

And his teamboss Christian Horner said: "Mark Webber - you are a Grand Prix winner. Well done. You did it."

Last November, he broke his leg and a shoulder in a collision with a car while riding a bicycle in Tasmania.

On a much warmer day, under a cloudy sky, the race started with high drama when Webber, from his first pole position, was marginally slower off the line than Barrichello and steered to his right to bump cars and push the Brazilian towards the barriers.

It was a solid knock, but not enough to slow the Brawn car which pulled away to lead into the first corner ahead of the Australian while another spectacular incident saw Hamilton flying off the track.

The defending champion, from fifth, applied his KERS to pass almost everyone into the Castrol S curve, but out-braked himself in a vain attack to stay on the circuit.

In the process, he collided with part of the left-front wing of Webber's Red Bull and picked up a right rear puncture.

This impetuosity, in effect, ended Hamilton's race as he was forced back to the pits, from 20th and last, for new rubber - swapping his super-softs for a harder compound.

German Grand Prix Result
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 60 1:36:43.310 1 10
2 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 60 +9.2 secs 4 8
3 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 60 +15.9 secs 8 6
4 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 60 +21.0 secs 15 5
5 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 60 +23.6 secs 3 4
6 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 60 +24.4 secs 2 3
7 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 60 +24.8 secs 12 2
8 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 60 +58.6 secs 6 1
9 10 Timo Glock Toyota 60 +61.4 secs 20
10 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 60 +61.9 secs 11
11 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 60 +62.3 secs 18
12 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 60 +62.8 secs 13
13 8 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 60 +68.3 secs 10
14 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 60 +69.5 secs 16
15 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 60 +71.9 secs 7
16 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 60 +90.2 secs 17
17 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 60 +90.9 secs 14
18 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 59 +1 Lap 5
Ret 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 34 +26 Laps 9
Ret 11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 18 Hydraulics 19


Driver Team Pts
1 Jenson Button (GBR) Brawn 64
2 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Brawn 41
3 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 39
4 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 35.5
5 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 21.5
6 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 16
7 Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams 15.5
8 Timo Glock (GER) Toyota 13
9 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault 11
10 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 10
11 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 9
12 Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber 6
13 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 4
14 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 3
15 Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber 2
16 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso 2
17 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India 0
18 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 0
19 Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA) Renault 0
20 Kazuki Nakajima (JAP) Williams 0


Team Pts
1 Brawn 105
2 Red Bull 74.5
3 Toyota 34.5
4 Ferrari 26
5 Williams 15.5
6 McLaren 13
7 Renault 11
8 BMW Sauber 8
9 Toro Rosso 5
10 Force India 0