F1 - The European Grand Prix - 26.06.11

Vettel eases to European GP victory

Sebastian Vettel resumed his domination of the 2011 Formula 1 season after his Montreal blip, by winning the European Grand Prix in Valencia with ease.

The world champion broke his rivals' challenge with an early charge that saw him establish a three-second lead within a few laps and then nurse a similar advantage for the rest of the afternoon, before a push for fastest lap in the final stint took his winning margin up to 10.8 seconds.

Fernando Alonso finished a very encouraging second for Ferrari in front of his home crowd. Both Ferraris had jumped Lewis Hamilton's McLaren at the start, with the flying Felipe Massa dodging between Hamilton and Alonso, then trying to get down the inside of Mark Webber for second. But as he had to back out of the move, Alonso went around the outside of his team-mate and took third.

Alonso then stayed close behind Webber and managed to grab second place with an outbraking move on lap 21. The Spaniard could not shake the Australian off, and when the Red Bull made its second stop one lap sooner, Webber was able to vault back ahead of Alonso.

But the battle was not over, as at the final tyre changes Alonso regained the advantage by running three laps further on used softs while Webber was on his new medium tyres. The Ferrari rejoined just in front, and any hope Webber had of coming back at Alonso ended when the Red Bull team ordered him to back off and take care of a gearbox finish. He held on for third.

Running longer at most pitstops did not help Massa, who fell back to fifth in the end behind Hamilton, closing on the McLaren late on without ever threatening.

Montreal winner Jenson Button had a very low-key afternoon. He was passed by Nico Rosberg at the start and by the time he had dived back ahead of the Mercedes with a bold move at Turn 2 on lap six, the rest of the leaders were out of reach. A later KERS fault ensured Button would finish a lonely sixth.

Rosberg took seventh, having battled for a while with the impressive Jaime Alguersuari, as the Toro Rosso driver converted his miserable 18th on the grid to an eighth place finish by making a two-stop strategy work on a day when nearly everyone else had to pit three times. Alguersuari fended off Adrian Sutil to the finish, as the Force India escaped from an early battle with Nick Heidfeld's 10th-placed Renault.

Sauber's Sergio Perez pulled off a unique one-stop strategy but narrowly failed to convert it to points, chasing Heidfeld home in 11th.

Michael Schumacher's hopes of points ended when he made contact with Vitaly Petrov's Renault as he joined from the pit exit after his first tyre change. That meant an extra stop for a new front wing, leaving the Mercedes 17th. Petrov was only 15th, having never really recovered from a bad start.

The European Grand Prix
Valencia, Spain;
57 laps; 310.080km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h39:36.169
2. Alonso Ferrari + 10.891
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 27.255
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 46.190
5. Massa Ferrari + 51.705
6. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:00.000
7. Rosberg Mercedes + 1:38.000
8. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
10. Heidfeld Renault + 1 lap
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
15. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
16. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
17. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
18. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
23. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps
24. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:41.852

World Championship standings, round 8:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 186 1. Red Bull-Renault 295
2. Webber 109 2. McLaren-Mercedes 206
3. Button 109 3. Ferrari 129
4. Hamilton 97 4. Renault 61
5. Alonso 87 5. Mercedes 58
6. Massa 42 6. Sauber-Ferrari 27
7. Rosberg 32 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 16
8. Petrov 31 8. Force India-Mercedes 12
9. Heidfeld 30 9. Williams-Cosworth 4
10. Schumacher 26
11. Kobayashi 25
12. Sutil 10
13. Alguersuari 8
14. Buemi 8
15. Barrichello 4
16. Perez 2
17. Di Resta 2

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

Acropolis Rally - 6 - 19 Jun 11

Ogier clinches Acropolis victory

Sebastien Ogier won a final-day battle with Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb to take an Acropolis Rally victory which underlined that he is still a threat for this year's title.

The younger of Citroen's two Frenchmen had made a low-key start to the event, running in the lower part of the top five as independent Citroen driver Petter Solberg stormed into a huge lead on Friday.

But when Solberg struggled with running first on the road on Saturday, it was Ogier who hunted down and caught the 2003 champion fastest, gaining nearly a minute on Solberg in just three stages.

Ogier took the lead on Saturday afternoon, before backing off to hand it to Loeb so that the champion had to run first on the road today.

At first it looked like this strategy might have been misguided, as Loeb managed to match Ogier's pace on this morning's opening loop. But over the final three stages Loeb found his road position more costly, and Ogier was able to pull away and clinch the win by 10 seconds.

"It was a very good rally for me," said Ogier, who also picked up the bonus points for being quickest on the power stage. "A difficult start on Friday but finally I managed to find a good rhythm, especially yesterday when we pushed very hard. It's perfect to get this."

Loeb's second place was his 100th podium in the World Rally Championship. He felt Ogier's triumph had been achieved more through road position than outright speed.

"It's been a great battle. But for sure we were not in the same conditions," said Loeb. "It's frustrating not to win because I think we were the fastest in the rally, but we cleaned the road on two days and we were second on the road one day, so there was always a disadvantage."

Solberg faded to fourth in the end, as Mikko Hirvonen came through to third for Ford, closing to within 3s of Loeb by the finish.

Hirvonen's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was second behind Solberg until transmission and then turbo problems on Friday and Saturday cost him a massive 13 minutes. Seven stage wins as he recovered to ninth proved what Latvala might have achieved.

The Stobart Fords of Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson completed the top six. Their team-mates Evgeny Novikov and Mads Ostberg had to spend most of the weekend running under superally after breaking suspension in Friday incidents. Kimi Raikkonen (Ice 1 Citroen) had a fairly serene run to seventh on his return to the series.

Juho Hanninen now leads both the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the S2000 World Rally Championship standings, after taking his first win of 2011 in the latter in Greece. The Skoda driver was trailing Ott Tanak until the Estonian crashed on Saturday morning, leaving Hanninen to dominate the class and finish eighth overall.

Leading finishers after SS18:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 4h04m44.3s
2. Sebastien Loeb Citroen + 10.5s
3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 13.5s
4. Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen + 38.8s
5. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 5m24.7s
6. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 6m54.7s
7. Kimi Raikkonen Ice 1 Citroen + 8m29.4s
8. Juho Hanninen Red Bull Skoda + 11m34.7s
9. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 13m08.8s
10. Dennis Kuipers FERM Ford + 15m10.1s

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Canadian Grand Prix - 12.06.11

Button wins chaotic Canadian GP

Jenson Button, McLaren, Montreal 2011Jenson Button won a chaotic Canadian Grand Prix that finished over four hours after it started, and which included a red flag and five safety car periods, despite a penalty and two accidents.

The Briton, however, is under investigation for clashes with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Button's victory came only after Sebastian Vettel lost the lead on the final lap due to a driving error with just a handful of corners left.

The world champion had dominated the race from the start but came under pressure from a flying Button in the end.

Mark Webber was third for Red Bull, with Michael Schumacher in fourth position and Renault's Vitaly Petrov completing the top five.

Felipe Massa was the only Ferrari driver to finish, in sixth place, after beating Kamui Kobayashi to the spot right on the finish line.

Jaime Alguersuari, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Buemi completed the points-paying positions.

The event started under the safety car, as the race director deemed the track was too wet for a standing start. The move meant all drivers had to start will full wet tyres. The DRS was disabled while the track was wet.

The safety car dived into the pits after five laps, and Vettel managed to keep the lead despite an attack from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Vettel's team-mate Webber was not so lucky, however, and spun after making contact with the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, the Australian dropping down to 14th position. Hamilton lost a few places too, and then dropped behind Button after going wide at the hairpin when fighting with Schumacher.

The Briton tried to regain the position on lap seven, only to make contact with Button as he tried to pass on the main straight. Hamilton had been quicker coming out of the final corner and tried to pass his team-mate on the left, only for Button to close the door.

Their cars made contact and Hamilton hit the wall, retiring from the race a few corners later and forcing the deployment of the safety car after parking his damaged car after Turn 5. Button pitted for repairs and rejoined in 12th place.

The race was relaunched again on lap 12, with Vettel still leading from Alonso and Massa. Right after that, race control announced a drive-through penalty for Button for having sped under the safety car. The Briton, who had opted for intermediate tyres in his first stop, dropped down to 14th.

Up front, Vettel stretched his lead quite comfortably, but Alonso decided to pit for intermediates on lap 18, seeing that Button was the fastest man on track.

Alonso rejoined in eighth, right in front of Vitaly Petrov and Button himself, but the rain became a downpour moments later and the safety car was deployed for the third time, with Alonso deciding to pit again for full wets.

Leader Vettel and team-mate Webber pitted for full wets during the safety car period, the Australian also getting a new steering wheel as he was having problems shifting down gears. Several drivers followed suit into the pits, leaving Vettel in the lead again, ahead of Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, who had not stopped, and Massa.

Still under the safety car, Vettel told his team on the radio that it was impossible to drive and that the race should be stopped. On lap 25, Vettel's wish was granted, and the race was red-flagged.

Nearly two hours after it was stopped, the race was restarted behind the safety car and with mandatory full wet weather tyres.

Heikki Kovalainen became the second retirement even before the safety car was back in, the Finn suffering a driveshaft failure on lap 30.

After nine laps on track, the safety car drove into pits and the race was launched with Vettel on top, followed by Kobayashi, who managed to keep Massa at bay at the first corner.

The majority of the field pitted as soon as it was allowed to fit intermediates tyre, although Vettel stayed out for a couple of laps, before the safety car was deployed again when Button made contact with Alonso when trying to pass at Turn 3.

The Briton touched the Ferrari's right rear wheel and sent the Spaniard into a spin, his car getting stuck on the kerbs. Button had to pit to change his punctured tyre.

At the time of the fourth safety car of the day, Vettel led from Kobayashi, Massa, Heidfeld, Paul di Resta and Webber, with Button dropping down to the bottom of the field.

The race resumed on lap 41, with Vettel opening a clear gap right away as Kobayashi held a train of cars behind him.

There was a lot action behind the German, with several position changes which included a clash between Heidfeld and di Resta, the Scot having to pit for a new front wing. Heidfeld's team-mate Petrov was given a drive-through penalty moments later for having overtaken while the safety car was still on track.

Despite the track being still wet, the race director enabled the use of the DRS on lap 45.

By lap 50 - with 20 to go - Vettel was leading Kobayashi by over six seconds and Massa by seven, with Schumacher having charged to fourth.

On lap 51, Webber became the first of the lead drivers to change to slick tyres, as Schumacher passed both Massa and Kobayashi and set his sights on Vettel, both still on intermediates.

However, the Red Bull driver was still the quickest man on track, extending his lead over Schumacher to 11 seconds by lap 52. Schumacher pitted for slicks a lap later, with Massa following suit.

Vettel changed his tyres a lap later, as team-mate Webber showed slicks were the way to go, lapping three seconds faster than the German. The world champion rejoined the race in the lead, while Massa was forced to come into the pits after damaging his front wing when losing control of his car while lapping an HRT.

With 13 laps to go, the safety car was deployed for the fifth time when Heidfeld crashed out following contact with Kobayashi. The Renault driver had damaged his front wing in the clash, and then it got under his car at speed, sending him off the track, and leading to the safety car being deployed while the wing debris was cleared.

With nine laps to go, the race was relaunched once more with Vettel on top, followed by Schumacher, Webber, Button and Kobayashi. Vettel continued his flawless run, opening a gap quickly as Webber and Button pushed a slower Schumacher hard.

Webber passed Schumacher with six laps to go, but had to let German through as he had jumped the final chicane. On the following lap he made the same mistake again, this time losing third place to Button. The Briton took second with five laps left, passing Schumacher comfortably and launching his attack on Vettel.

Webber finally captured third place from Schumacher with three laps left as Button closed in on Vettel. The world champion, however, resisted the pressure until the final lap, when he lost control of his car and let Button through with just a few corners left.

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 4h04:39.537
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 2.709
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault + 13.828
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes + 14.219
5. Vitaly Petrov Renault + 20.395
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari + 33.225
7. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 33.270
8. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 35.964
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 45.117
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 47.056
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes + 50.454
12. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1m03.607s
13. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 1 Lap
14. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 1 Lap
15. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 1 Lap
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1 Lap
17. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 1 Lap
18. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 3 Laps

Retirements:

Driver Team Laps
Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 61
Nick Heidfeld Renault 55
Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 49
Fernando Alonso Ferrari 36
Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 28
Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 7
Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 0

World Championship standings, round 7:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Sebastian Vettel 161 1. Red Bull-Renault 255
2. Jenson Button 101 2. McLaren-Mercedes 186
3. Mark Webber 94 3. Ferrari 101
4. Lewis Hamilton 85 4. Renault 60
5. Fernando Alonso 69 5. Mercedes 52
6. Felipe Massa 32 6. Sauber-Ferrari 27
7. Vitaly Petrov 31 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 12
8. Nick Heidfeld 29 8. Force India-Mercedes 10
9. Michael Schumacher 26 9. Williams-Cosworth 4
10. Nico Rosberg 26
11. Kamui Kobayashi 25
12. Adrian Sutil 8
13. Sebastien Buemi 8
14. Jaime Alguersuari 4
15. Rubens Barrichello 4
16. Sergio Perez 2
17. Paul Di Resta 2

By Pablo Elizalde
http://www.autosport.com