April 04, 2010

Australia's Mark Webber has rounded out a Red Bull one-two the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix, finishing second to German teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel took the chequered flag in dry conditions ahead Webber with Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes third.

Reigning world champion Jenson Button, who won the second race of the season in Australia, finished eighth in his McLaren-Mercedes.

As the anticipated tropical downpour failed to materialise, the 56-lap race was run in dry conditions that were clearly to the Red Bulls' liking as they streaked clear from the start to dominate an intriguing contest.

Vettel took the lead on lap one when he outpaced his teammate and, apart from short periods during the pit-stops, stayed there to the chequered flag.

It was his sixth career win and lifted him into contention for the title after he and Webber had suffered car failings and disappointment in the season opening Bahrain and Australia races.

Vettel had pole for both of those races but failed to take advantage.

"It was anything but comfortable," Vettel said of a race driven in dry conditions, but searing tropical heat.

"I had a great start and a big battle with Mark and I just made it. We have big respect for each other and we had a great fight. It was so hot I was hoping it would rain.

"It was a great race for us, for the team, and a great result for the team after the last two races when we just didn't get the results we wanted."

Webber, clearly disappointed, stood with hands on hips on the podium, but shrugged aside his feelings.

"I had some wheel-spin at the start and I didn't know where Nico (Rosberg) was either," he said.

"We had a chat before it started and (team boss) Christian Horner said 'behave yourselves' which we did, but the spirit in this team is awesome.

"It was a great fight and a one-two is sensational for the team after those first two races where we didn't get what we deserved."

German Nico Rosberg, who started second on the grid behind Webber, came home third for the new Mercedes team, but his celebrated 41-year-old teammate Michael Schumacher retired having lost a wheel nut after only eight laps.

Poland's Robert Kubica was fourth for Renault, another fine result after his second place in Melbourne, ahead of German Adrian Sutil of Force India.

Sutil held off Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren in a close duel for much of the race.

Hamilton finished sixth, after starting 20th, following an exhilarating drive through the field which left him fending off a chasing Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari in the final laps.

Massa was seventh, Button was eighth and Spaniard Jaime Alguerasurari ninth for Toro Rosso ahead of rookie Nico Hulkenberg in a Williams who claimed his first point in Formula One.

Almost amazingly, after Saturday's tropical storms that disrupted qualifying, the race was run in dry conditions and searing heat.

"Well done boys, thank you all, thank you boys," shrieked a relieved Vettel on his slowing down lap.

"What a fantastic car."

Two-times world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard to claim points after starting close to the back of the field with Hamilton, Button and Massa, but his engine blew in the final laps.

F1 Drivers Ladder
1 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 39
2 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 37
3 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 37
4 Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren 35
5 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 35
6 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 31
7 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 30
8 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 24
9 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 10
10 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 9
11 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 8
12 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 5
13 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 2
14 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 1
15 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 0
16 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
17 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 0
18 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0
19 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
20 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
21 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
22 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0
23 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 0
24 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 0

Team Pts
1 Ferrari 76
2 McLaren 66
3 Red Bull 61
4 Mercedes GP 44
5 Renault 30
6 Force India 18
7 Williams 6
8 Toro Rosso 2
9 BMW Sauber 0
10 Lotus 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0

April 18, 2010

Defending champion Jenson Button delivered a perfectly-judged drive in treacherous wet conditions to win a dramatic Chinese Grand Prix ahead of his McLaren team-mate, Lewis Hamilton.

The two British drivers delivered their first one-two of the season in sumptuous style to prove that though the Red Bull team may have the fastest car for qualifying, they retain great race performance.

The two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who had scored a one-two in Malaysia two weeks ago, came home sixth and eighth.

Button's triumph in a winning time of one hour, 46 minutes and 42.163 seconds was his second in four races since joining McLaren this season and the ninth of his career.

His early decision not to pit for intermediate tyres, when others acted hastily during an early rainstorm proved decisive.

It lifted him 10 points clear at the top of this year's drivers' championship ahead of Nico Rosberg, who finished third for the new Mercedes team.

Rosberg's veteran team-mate and compatriot, 41-year-old seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, struggled home 10th to claim a single point.

"Wow, what a victory! What a win!'' screamed Button over the team radio during his slowing-down lap.

"We really earned that one. Well done everybody.''

"When the safety car came out to clear debris from the track, my heart was in my mouth. This victory is very special, it means a lot. It was a tough race and we made the right call,'' he said later.

If Button demonstrated smooth style, perfect skills and great management of tyres, it was Hamilton who produced the thrills in a race punctuated by rain storms, accidents and two safety car periods by charging through the field in a flurry of passing moves.

Hamilton was also involved in a dramatic pit-lane wheel-to-wheel racing duel with Vettel, an incident that was due to be investigated after the race by the stewards.

"The team released me at what they thought was the right time. I got quite a bit of wheel-spin when I left and I noticed Sebastian was there and he pushed me a little to the right. But I think it was OK,'' he said.

The two Red Bulls started from the front row of the grid, but lost their advantage almost immediately when, after Alonso had jumped the start, the first Safety Car call was followed by rain.

Webber said Red Bull were unable to cope with the strategic and racing demands of the race.

"We got blown away, so it was a very difficult Grand Prix for us. We just weren't quick enough, simple as that. We know we have to improve that,'' he said.

"They were difficult, changeable conditions, but they are the same for everyone and the car, our car, is sensitive in these conditions. It is not going one way or the other for you... An interesting Grand Prix!''

"I think we know where we lost it and we have got to improve it. ''

Red Bull have dominated qualifying this season in all four races and taken four pole positions, but their race results have not followed and they have won only once.

The result gave McLaren their first one-two finish since the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 2001. Button now leads the title race on 60 points ahead of Rosberg on 50 with Alonso and Hamilton equal third on 49.


Result
1. Jenson Button (ENG/MLA) 1hr 46min 42.163sec

2. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/MLA) +1.530

3. Nico Rosberg (GER/MER) 9.484

4. Fernando Alonso (ESP/FER) 11.869

5. Robert Kubica (POL/REN) 22.213

6. Sebastian Vettel (GER/RBR) 33.310

7. Vitaly Petrov (RUS/REN) 47.600

8. Mark Webber (AUS/RBR) 52.172

9. Felipe Massa (BRA/FER) 57.796

10. Michael Schumacher (GER/MER) 1min 1.749

11. Adrian Sutil (GER/FOR) 1min 2.874

12. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/WIL) 1min 3.665

13. Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/TOR) 1min 11.416

14. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/LOT) 1 lap

15. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/WIL) 1 lap

16. Bruno Senna (BRA/HRT) 2 laps

17. Karun Chandhok (IND/HRT) 4 laps

Driver Team Pts
1 Jenson Button (GBR) Lotus 60
2 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 50
3 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 49
4 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Lotus 49
5 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 45
6 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 41
7 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 40
8 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 28
9 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 10
10 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 10
11 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 8
12 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 6
13 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 5
14 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 2
15 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 1
16 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 0
17 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
18 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) Lotus 0
19 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0
20 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
21 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
22 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
23 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0
24 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 0

Team Pts
1 Lotus 109
2 Ferrari 90
3 Red Bull 73
4 Mercedes GP 60
5 Renault 46
6 Force India 18
7 Williams 6
8 Toro Rosso 2
9 BMW Sauber 0
10 Lotus 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0

Formula 1? - The Official F1? Website

Faultless Webber wins with style in Spain

Mark Webber drove the race of his life in Barcelona on Sunday afternoon, leaving Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel behind on the way to the third Grand Prix victory of his career. The Australian won the race to the first corner as Vettel tucked into second place ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, and steadily set the pace as he pulled away.

By the time they had all made their first pit stops, Webber was more than nine seconds ahead of Hamilton, who had outfumbled Vettel in the tyre changes. The German got held up waiting for Alonso to come by to his pit, and then Hamilton went one lap longer than Red Bull had expected. As Lewis rejoined, Sebastian was heading for the outside line into Turn One, but as Hamilton had to jink round one of the Virgins which was hugging the inside line to let them go, Vettel had to run wide into the run-off area and that cemented Hamilton’s position.

As Webber controlled things at the front, Hamilton drove like a demon to keep Vettel at bay, while further back Alonso established himself in a comfortable fourth ahead of a three-way scrap for fifth between the rejuvenated Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes, McLaren’s Jenson Button (who had lost out to the German in the stops) and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

While there was always the threat that something might shake out of these various groups, there wasn’t much action as stalemates set in, and it was not until Vettel ran wide in the Turn Seven esses on the 54th lap that things came to life. The German pitted at the end of the lap for a fresh set of Bridgestone’s soft tyres, but thereafter never set the pace that might have been expected of fresh rubber, suggesting that his RB6’s handling problems were more serious than worn rubber. It transpired that the balance was never good, and that subsequently the brakes had lost their edge.

He was lucky to drop only to fourth behind Alonso, and another slice of fortune awaited him as, 10 laps later, Hamilton’s left front Bridgestone gave up and sent him into the wall in Turn Three. That was a bitter blow for the Englishman, after a fantastic drive in which he had really taken the fight to the Red Bulls.

Now Alonso was second, and as Vettel claimed the final podium position, Schumacher led a beaten Button home with Massa sixth.

Adrian Sutil drove a great race for Force India to claim seventh after resisting huge pressure from Renault’s Robert Kubica, who lost out at the start in a collision which sent BMW Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa to the pits with a tattered right rear tyre.

Behind them, Rubens Barrichello put in a superb performance for Williams to move from 17th on the grid to ninth place, and Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari claimed a point at home despite a drive-through penalty for clobbering Karun Chandhok’s HRT in an odd accident in which the Spaniard passed the Indian but turned in well before he’d cleared his car. Chandhok subsequently lost his front wing but retired with associated damage after pitting for a replacement. With HRT’s Bruno Senna crashing in Turn Four on the opening lap, it wasn’t a great outing for the Spanish team.

Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished 11th and 12th, separated by eight-tenths of a second after a race-long scrap, while Nico Rosberg was a lowly 13th after getting bundled back in the infighting on the first lap and later having a bungled pit stop which required his Mercedes to be pushed back to its pit for a wheel to be retightened.

Hamilton was classified 14th ahead of Vitantonio Liuzzi, who had an oversteering afternoon in a Force India that stopped out on the track on the last lap. Then came Nico Hulkenberg who had several good fights before losing ground in the second Williams. Three laps down, Jarno Trulli took a narrow ‘new teams’ victory for Lotus with Timo Glock challenging him all the way for Virgin and finishing only 1.4s adrift. Team mate Lucas di Grassi was a further lap down, the final finisher in 19th.

Sebastien Buemi had a poor start and was later given a drive-through penalty after Toro Rosso released him into Trulli’s path. He was the final retirement after Chandhok. De la Rosa didn’t make it either, thanks to the damage sustained early on; Senna crashed; and Heikki Kovalainen was denied a start after his Lotus developed mechanical problems on the grid formation lap.

Thanks to the revised points system, Webber’s victory throws him back into contention again. Button still leads the drivers’ championship with 70 points, followed by Alonso on 67, Vettel on 60, Webber on 53, Rosberg on 50, and Hamilton and Massa on 49.

McLaren still lead the constructors’ with 119, with Ferrari second on Ferrari 116 from Red Bull on 113, Mercedes GP on 72 and Renault on 50.

Webber leads F1 Championship - Formula One - Fox Sports

Australian Mark Webber leads Formula One Championship after Monaco win

May 17, 2010

A delighted, but modest Mark Webber paid rich tribute to his Red Bull team after leaping into serious contention for this year's drivers' championship with a dominant display in an incident-hit Monaco Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old Australian led from his fourth pole to the finish and made light of four interruptions for the introduction of Safety Cars on his way to a second win after Spain last weekend.

He finished, unchallenged, half a second ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel as the Red Bulls delivered their third successive one-two and fourth in six races this year, this time ahead of Pole Robert Kubica who was third for Renault.

Webber's win lifted him to the top of the drivers' standings on 78 points, level with Vettel as the season continued to unfold as a Red Bull contest.

It is the first time an Australian has led the championship since Alan Jones in 1981.

“Unbelievable - thank you,” said Webber over the team radio after taking the chequered flag.

“You deserve every bit of this. The car is fantastic.”

It was the fourth win of his career and his second this year as he became the first Australian victor on the famous Mediterranean street circuit, bathed in more glamour than sunshine this time, since Jack Brabham won in 1959, on his way to the world title.

“This is incredible, the greatest day of my life,” said Webber.

“To win here is very special, this place is such a test for any driver - two hours means a lot of work too and today the track conditions changed, there were back markers and the Safety Cars.

"I knew I had to get all the basics right - the stuff like the re-starts, tyre pressure and the rest of it - to make sure. I am honestly so ecstatic and it is very, very special to win here and join those guys like Ayrton Senna and the rest. Today, this is a real 'ripper' for me.”

Defending champion Briton Jenson Button slipped off the top in his McLaren when his engine failed as he ran slowly behind a Safety Car on the opening lap.

“I think it got a little bit hot on the way to the grid,” he explained.

“We left a bung in on the left-hand side of the car that obviously you're meant to take out on the way to the grid. That's cooked the engine.”

Vettel said: “I couldn't keep up with him today. He was gone too far away for me and I had to race to stay second this time.”

Kubica added: “I tried to pass Sebastian, but I lost the place on the first lap and that was it.”

Brazilian Felipe Massa came home fourth for Ferrari ahead of the 2008 champion Briton Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren with seven-times champion Michael Schumacher crossing sixth for Mercedes after a controversial move behind the Safety Car to pass Spaniard Fernando Alonso on the final lap.

Schumacher was later given a 20-second penalty for the move and that dropped him to 12th in the official placings.

That promoted Alonso to sixth ahead of Schumacher's Mercedes team-mate and compatriot Nico Rosberg with another German, Adrian Sutil of Force India, eighth.

Webber was almost drawn into a late drama when he came into the Rascasse hairpin to find Italian Jarno Trulli of Lotus colliding with Indian Karun Chandhok of the Hispania team in spectacular fashion.

“He flew in the air and I was just hoping there would be some room to go through on the inside and I would have some options,” said Webber.

“Thankfully I did.”

Chandhok said: “Jarno Trulli has just apologised to me - there was absolutely no way he could get through there. It's a real shame because I was driving my best race of the year so far and I was on track to be the best of the new teams.

“His car just missed my head. I ducked down and it came over and hit the roll hoop.”

While Trulli's crash may have been spectacular, it was no more horrifying than the two that saw the two Williams men eliminated earlier when they crashed out - German rookie Nico Hulkenberg in the tunnel and Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello at Massanet - in separate incidents.

Both were huge accidents that caused great damage to the cars, ripping off wheels and wings.

“After my pit stop, the car was not together, the steering wheel felt numb,” said Barrichello.

“Something was not good until the crash. They are analysing what went on.”

For Webber, there was no immediate analysis pending.

“I predict a few sore heads in the morning,” he said.

“You have to celebrate your wins and they don't come any better than this.”

F1 Drivers Ladder
Driver Team Pts
1 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 78
2 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 78
3 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 75
4 Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren 70
5 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 61
6 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 59
7 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 59
8 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 56
9 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 22
10 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 20
11 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 10
12 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 7
13 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 6
14 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 3
15 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 1
16 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 1
17 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
18 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 0
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) Lotus 0
20 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0
21 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
22 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
23 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
24 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0

Team Pts
1 Red Bull 156
2 Ferrari 136
3 McLaren 129
4 Mercedes GP 78
5 Renault 65
6 Force India 30
7 Williams 8
8 Toro Rosso 4
9 BMW Sauber 0
10 Lotus 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0

Red Bulls collide, Hamilton wins - Formula One - Fox Sports

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber crash during Turkish Grand Prix

May 30, 2010

Red Bull's impressive start to the 2010 Formula One season blew up in their own faces at the Turkish Grand Prix - when they gifted a one-two triumph to hot rivals McLaren.

Teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were left blaming each other after colliding during an ambitious overtaking manoeuvre, by Vettel, on lap 40 of the 58-laps race at Istanbul Park.

Drivers' championship leader Webber, 33, led after starting from pole position until Germany's Vettel, 22, challenged him at turn 12.

The pair collided and Vettel was forced to retire while Webber lost positions to eventual winner Briton Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, and McLaren teammate and compatriot Jenson Button, the defending champion.

Webber maintained that he was not to blame and said that the crash was caused by Vettel who turned right too early.

"Seb had a good top-speed advantage and he went down the inside," said the Australian.

"We were side by side and then it looks like he turned pretty quickly to the right and we made contact. I was just holding my line.

"It wasn't a major contact, but at that speed there doesn't need to be much. Neither of us wanted to make contact, but it can happen sometimes when both are in front. It is never ideal but it happened."

Vettel insisted that he was not at fault and that it was Webber who hit him.

"Obviously, I think if you look at the pictures it was clear I had the inside," said Vettel.

"I went on the inside, I was ahead and just going down to focus on the braking point and honestly, you can see he touched my right rear wheel and I went off."

Webber finished third and now holds a five-point lead in the drivers' standings, while McLaren took over as leaders in the constructors championship after their one-two finish.

"I still got a few points, but it wasn't the result either of us wanted," said Webber.

It also confirmed a suspicion that the Red Bull team, for all their speed and brilliance in the pit-stops, remain brittle and unreliable under pressure - they have taken seven poles out of seven this year, but won only three of those races.

Last year, they were also the fastest team with the fastest car, but failed to exploit that advantage due to technical and mechanical failings.

This year, it looks now as if drivers' errors can be added to their self-inflicted wounds.


Turkish Formula One GP - Result
1. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/MLA) 1hr 28min 47.620sec
2. Jenson Button (ENG/MLA) +2.645
3. Mark Webber (AUS/RBR) 24.285
4. Michael Schumacher (GER/MER) 31.110
5. Nico Rosberg (GER/MER) 32.266
6. Robert Kubica (POL/REN) 32.824
7. Felipe Massa (BRA/FER) 36.635
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/FER) 46.544
9. Adrian Sutil (GER/FOR) 49.029
10. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/SAU) 1min 5.650
11. Pedro de la Rosa (ESP/SAU) 1min 5.944
12. Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/TOR) 1min 7.800
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/FOR) 1 lap
14. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/WIL) 1 lap
15. Vitaly Petrov (RUS/REN) 1 lap
16. Sebastien Buemi (SUI/TOR) 1 lap
17. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/WIL) 1 lap
18. Timo Glock (GER/VIR) 3 laps
19. Lucas Di Grassi (BRA/VIR) 3 laps
20. Karun Chandhok (IND/HRT) DNF 6 laps
DNF: Bruno Senna (BRA/HRT) 12 laps
DNF: Sebastian Vettel (GER/RBR) 19 laps
DNF: Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/LOT) 25 laps
DNF: Jarno Trulli (ITA/LOT) 26 laps

June 07, 2010

Australian Mark Webber has extended his contract with the Red Bull team until 2011, ending speculation that he would sign with Ferrari.

"It was an easy decision to remain with Red Bull Racing," the 33-year-old world championship leader said.

"We began talking very early this year and were in a position to sign by the Barcelona Grand Prix."

Webber added: "It's widely known that I'm not interested in hanging around in Formula One just for the sake of it and at this stage of my career I'm happy to take one year at a time.

"I continue to feel very comfortable here - I have a fantastic relationship with the whole team and the factory at Milton Keynes feels like home.

"It's incredible to be part of the team as it's moved forward from a mid-field competitor to one that is challenging for the championship.

"I hope we experience more success together in the future and achieve our ultimate goal of winning the world championship."

Red Bull's second driver Sebastian Vettel will also be under contract with the team until next year.

Red Bull are currently second in the constructor's standings behind McLaren.

McLaren one-two at Canadian GP - Formula One - Fox Sports

Lewis Hamilton leads McLaren one-two at Canadian Formula One Grand Prix

June 14, 2010

Lewis Hamilton has taken the lead in the Formula One drivers' championship after he led teammate and fellow-Briton Jenson Button home in a dramatic one-two for McLaren at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The 2008 champion benefited from a well-judged two-stop strategy after starting on the softer tyres, his smooth-driving teammate Button looked after his tyres well while rivals Red Bull duo Australian Mark Webber and German Sebastian Vettel struggled with tyre degradation.

All eyes were on Hamilton to see how he coped with his tyres during the first stint of the race with Vettel behind him, in second place, after Webber was put back to seventh on the grid after changing his gearbox on Sunday morning.

Webber was leading into the final stint of the race but suffered from tyre degradation and was eventually overtaken by Hamilton, then Alonso and Button who took second place from the Ferrari driver with twelve laps remaining.

Double champion Alonso also benefited from starting with the softer tyres and claimed the final podium position ahead of Webber and teammate Vettel in fourth and fifth.

German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes finished sixth followed by Poland's Robert Kubica of Renault.

Toro Rosso driver Swiss Sebastien Buemi finished the race in eighth ahead of Force India drivers Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi and German Adrian Sutil in the final points-scoring positions.

Hamilton's win means he now leads the drivers' championship on 109 points ahead of Button on 106. Webber dropped to third with 103 points.

In the constructors' championship McLaren extended their lead over Rivals Red Bull to 22 points.

Driver Team Pts
1 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 109
2 Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren 106
3 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 103
4 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 94
5 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 90
6 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 74
7 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 73
8 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 67
9 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 34
10 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 23
11 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 12
12 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 7
13 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 6
14 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 5
15 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 3
16 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 1
17 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 1
18 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) Lotus 0
20 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0
21 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
22 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
23 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
24 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0

Team Pts
1 McLaren 215
2 Red Bull 193
3 Ferrari 161
4 Mercedes GP 108
5 Renault 79
6 Force India 35
7 Toro Rosso 8
8 Williams 8
9 BMW Sauber 1
10 Lotus 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0

Mark Webber wins Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone for Red Bull

July 12, 2010

Australian Mark Webber cruised to his third win of the Formula One season when he dominated the British Grand Prix for Red Bull at Silverstone.

Webber, 33, made a dazzling start from second on the grid, and fought his way past Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel going into the first corner.

"I was obviously keen to make it my corner and it worked out well for me," Webber said.

"The car was faultless all day."

Webber's fifth victory of his career was particularly sweet as he took the chequered flag after an in-team row over favouritism on Saturday, after Vettel was given a special front wing part taken from the Australian's car.

"Not bad for a No.2 driver," Webber said to team chief Christian Horner over the radio afterwards.

Webber said later that he had been furious with the team's actions.

"I wasn't happy," he said.

" I'm sure we'll have some decent chats. I don't think it should happen.

"Honestly I would never have signed a contract for next year if I believed that was the way I thought it would be going forward."

Horner told the BBC that Saturday's "difficult decision" had been made on the basis of the fact that Vettel was ahead in the championship at the time.

"Mark is by my maths ahead on the points," he said.

"If we ever found ourselves with one component, we'd act differently at the next race.

"It's a very good problem to have, to have two such competitive drivers, and as a team we're doing our best to give them the same components week in, week out.

"Whether it's Sebastian or Mark, the important thing was we had one of our cars winning.

"Mark is a competitive animal, he's pushing very, very hard, and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, but I think we did the best we could, we won the race, and Mark should be very happy with the work he did today."

Webber's win lifted him back into contention for the drivers' world championship after a barren spell since winning the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

Vettel reflected on his bad start, saying "I had lots of wheel spin, but that's life".

"I had to let Mark pass," he said.

"People then said Lewis (Hamilton) touched me.

"I didn't feel anything ... I'm sure it wasn't his intention to give me a puncture but so early it was a big minus having the puncture."

Hometown favourite Hamilton, the 2008 champion, finished second for McLaren ahead of Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes.

Hamilton's McLaren teammate and fellow Briton, defending champion Jenson Button, finished fourth after starting 14th on the grid.

Brazilian Rubens Barichello finished fifth for Williams ahead of Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi.

Vettel finished seventh in the second Red Bull, after his first-lap pit-stop for a puncture, followed by fellow Germans Adrian Sutil of Force India and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in the second Mercedes.

Another German, rookie Nico Hulkenberg, finished 10th in the second Williams.



F1GP - British Grand PrixPos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 6 Mark Webber Red Bull 01:24:38.2000
2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren +1.3 secs
3 4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP +21.3 secs
4 1 Jenson Button McLaren +21.9 secs
5 9 Rubens Barrichello Williams +31.4 secs
6 23 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber +32.1 secs
7 5 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull +36.7 secs
8 14 Adrian Sutil Force India +40.9 secs
9 3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP +41.5 secs
10 10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams +42.0 secs
11 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India +42.4 secs
12 16 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso +47.6 secs
13 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault +59.3 secs
14 8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +62.3 secs
15 7 Felipe Massa Ferrari +67.4 secs
16 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus +1 Lap
17 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus +1 Lap
18 24 Timo Glock Virgin +2 Laps
19 20 Karun Chandhok HRTF1 +2 Laps
20 21 Bruno Senna HRTF1 +2 Laps
21 17 Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso DNF
22 22 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber DNF
23 11 Robert Kubica Renault DNF
24 25 Lucas di Grassi Virgin DNF


Driver Team Pts
1 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 145
2 Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren 133
3 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 128
4 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 121
5 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 98
6 Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes GP 90
7 Robert Kubica (POL) Renault 83
8 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 67
9 Michael Schumacher (GER) Mercedes GP 36
10 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 35
11 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Williams 29
12 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) BMW Sauber 15
13 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 12
14 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 7
15 Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault 6
16 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 3
17 Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Williams 2
18 Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) BMW Sauber 0
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) Lotus 0
20 Karun Chandhok (IND) HRTF1 0
21 Lucas di Grassi (BRA) Virgin 0
22 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Lotus 0
23 Bruno Senna (BRA) HRTF1 0
24 Timo Glock (GER) Virgin 0

Team Pts
1 McLaren 278
2 Red Bull 249
3 Ferrari 165
4 Mercedes GP 126
5 Renault 89
6 Force India 47
7 Williams 31
8 BMW Sauber 15
9 Toro Rosso 10
10 Lotus 0
11 HRTF1 0
12 Virgin 0