Vettel Holds Off Raikkonen for 2012 Bahrain GP Win

Photo Credit: Nissan/Infiniti

While the Bahrain Grand Prix, the fourth race on the Formula 1 series tour in 2012, took place under a warm, sunny day, the mood around the event's weekend was anything but picture perfect overall.

Due to ongoing political tensions in Bahrain, the Formula 1 race on the 5.412-kilometer was centered in a volatile circumstance that caused many to decade before, during and after the event whether holding the 2012 grand prix race was in everyone's best interests. Ultimately, drivers and team cars took the grid Sunday for the 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix committed to run the 4th race of the year as planned.

Taking an important pole Saturday, defending Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel was set to start the Bahrain Grand Prix at the front for the first time in 2012. From his standing start, Vettel launched his Red Bull-Renault to a quick advantage over Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren-Mercedes.

Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

While Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull Racing car leapt to the lead of the Bahrain Grand Prix early, teammate Mark Webber incurred a less than impressive start losing ground. Webber would recover to an admirable fourth place finish and faired better than the 6^th starting Scuderia Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo. Receiving damage to his STR-Ferrari while fighting in traffic, Ricciardo pitted on lap 7 for tires and a new front nose assembly. Daniel Ricciardo crossed the line 16^th after what could have been a promising points-scoring day at Bahrain.

Only four drivers would retire from the 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix dominated by the two Williams-Renault cars. The first Williams race car, Pastor Maldonado, completed 25 laps after suffering a tire puncture after spinning in turn 1. The #19 car of Bruno Senna pushed deeper into the Bahrain Grand Prix despite what was described as a major vibration. Retiring 3 laps short of the race’s full distance, Senna and the Williams F1 Team chose to safety park the vehicle when handling problems became too severe.

With one Renault-engined team leading the event, another group running the French-badged power plants emerged in impressive form. The Lotus F1 Racing team had a landmark race on the Bahrain International Circuit as car pilots 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean surged into the top-5 after gaining from mid-front qualifying positions. In the second-half of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Lotus-Renault of Kaikkonen was stalking Vettel’s Red Bull race car. The third Formula 1 season since the Lotus name returned to active competition, the race team is hunting to put the British marque into victory lane for the first time since the US Grand Prix in Detroit in 1987.

The final pit stops of the race sealed a victory for the Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel. At lap 39 of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Vettel and second-place Raikkonen made final pit stops. While Vettel receives much of the credit for grand prix victories, this race saw the Red Bull Racing pit crew emerge as the key to the German’s success at Bahrain. Belting on the Pirelli slick tires at a lightning-fast pace, Vettel sailed out of the pit lane with a lead of more than 2 seconds over the Lotus-Renault of Raikkonen. The interval was maintained by Sebastian Vettel through the last stint of the event for the Bahrain Grand Prix victory.

Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

Winning the Bahrain Grand Prix by 3.3 seconds over Raikkonen's Lotus-Renault, Vettel and Red Bull Racing stood at the top of the podium for the first time in 2012. A starkly different than last season where Sebastian Vettel won three of the first four events, the reigning champion driver and team is now the four different Formula 1 combination to win during the 2012 season. It was 2003 when the last time four separate drivers began the Formula 1 with victories. Along with Vettel being the fourth Formula 1 driver to win in four races, Red Bull Racing is also the fourth different vehicle make prevailing this season. The last time four grand prix teams won in the first four-race span of the Formula 1 season occurred in 1983 when Brabham, McLaren, Renault and Ferrari teamed up for that rare honour.

“It was an incredible race, extremely tough. A good start was crucial and I was able to pull away from the pack, which was a big advantage as we always had to go on scrubbed tires due to the fact we had used almost all of them in qualifying yesterday." said Vettel. Sebastian Vettel recognized the intense fight from the Lotus F1 Racing cars on the Bahrain International Circuit but realized at the end of the race "... everything seemed to work well today; strategy was good and I can only say a big thank you to the whole team and the guys in the garage.”

"I’m slightly disappointed we didn’t take the win because we had the pace." said Lotus F1 Racing's Kimi Raikkonen who finished a team-best runner-up position. Raikkonen adding "I only had one chance to overtake Sebastian (Vettel) and unfortunately I chose the wrong side to try and get past. If I hadn’t made a small mistake at the start and allowed Felipe (Massa) to get through then maybe it would have been a different story, as we spent quite a lot of time fighting with him." Raikkonen’s teammate Romain Grosjean was also able to speak highly of a career effort with Lotus F1 Racing saying, "We’ve known all season how quick the car can be, but with such a tight field any small mistakes can make a huge difference. Today I think we got everything right, and we’ve finally been able to prove how competitive we are."

Outside of the podium-scoring position, Mark Webber made the Bahrain Grand Prix a major triumph for Renault engines covering the top-four spots at the end of the 57-lap event. Nico Rosberg driving for Mercedes GP was declared the top non-Renault powered vehicle in 5^th place.

Winning the first race of the series in dominate fashion, the McLaren F1 racing team has found it difficult to match their opening event success. With Hamilton starting 2^nd and Jenson Button positioned in 4^th at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the McLaren-Mercedes vehicles would progress through the 57-lap event with increasing frustration. Foiled during the last stint of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton suffered a lackluster pit stop that allowed the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion to finish no better than 8^th. For Button, he settled with a 18^th place result after a late race tire puncture.

Thanks in part to a two-pit stop strategy by Force India, Paul Di Resta scored an impressive 6^th place finish enduring 24 laps on his final set of medium compound Pirelli tires. Though finishing in the lower part of the top-10, both Ferrari race cars left the Bahrain Grand Prix sporting point-scoring efforts. Malaysian Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso crossed the start/finish line of the Bahrain International Circuit 7^th while teammate Felipe Massa finished 9^th. Massa’s first points of 2012, the much-needed effort for the Brazilian driver could be effort to spare his seat in the Scuderia Ferrari race car for at least the remainder of this Formula 1 season. Michael Schumacher was the last driver locking up points in the final results of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Formula 1 teams get three weeks off ahead of their first European continent event. The 2012 Spanish Grand Prix is the next race on the Formula 1 circuit set for May 13th.



2012 Formula 1
Grand Prix of Bahrain
Race Results

1	1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2	9 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault
3	10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault
4	2 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
5	8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
6	11 Paul di Resta Force India
7	5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari
8	4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
9	6 Felipe Massa Ferrari
10	7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
11	15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari
12	12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
13	14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari
14	17 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
15	16 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
16	21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault
17	20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault
18	3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
19	24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth
20	22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth
21	23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth
22	19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault
23	18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault
24	25 Charlie Pic Marussia-Cosworth

Hamilton Slays Vettel's Perfect Formula 1 Season with China Win

Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

The first two races of the 2011 Formula 1 season took on a very predictable tone as 2010 World Champion driver Sebastian Vettel claiming victories in dominant fashion in the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix. Planting Red Bull Racing in an affirmative position, Vettel took his Renault powered Formula 1 car to a third consecutive pole for the Chinese Grand Prix. However, for those who have grown used to Formula 1 lacking raw, on-track competition, the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix was an event that suspended all garden variety notions of the world championship of open wheel racing.

Setting the grid for the start of the grand prix, the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel was beside the McLaren-Mercedes of Jenson Button and ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren. Favoured in his 2011 title defense drive, the Chinese Grand Prix standing start changed the complex of this season. Though Vettel launched well off the line, both McLaren Formula 1 race cars rocketed past the Red Bull-Renault into the first corner. Shuffled back to third early in the Shanghai race, Vettel entered into an unfamiliar place for this season.

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

With Jenson Button leading, the McLaren-Mercedes preceded at the front of the Chinese Grand Prix as concerns existed in durability of the Pirelli racing tires. Featuring two tread options, most drivers and teams chose the softer set of tires for racing. One notable exception early was Vettel's Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber who started on harder racing slicks in efforts to seek a solution in overcoming a disastrous qualifying attempt Saturday which nested an 18th place grid position. Perhaps planning to gain track position through potentially running longer on his Pirelli tires, Webber's work in advancing places on the racetrack was hindered by the slower, harder compound. Ultimately, Mark Webber would pit on the same strategy with the other front-running teams negating early race plan for more competitive, softer compound Pirelli tires.

The pit road would ultimately shake up the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. In the case of early race leader Jenson Button, the first pit stop on lap 13 for the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion involved a most bizarre moment in the driver's career. Taxiing down pit road, Button mistakenly steered into the Red Bull Racing team pit stall. Awaiting Sebastian Vettel, the bewildered Red Bull Racing crew were eager to see the McLaren promptly leave the pit service area. Barely stopping, Jenson Button quickly noticed his error continuing on to his McLaren pit crew. Due to the graffe, Button did lose track position to Vettel placing the Red Bull-Renault one place higher in the race standings.

As front-running drivers Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel surrendered their position for pit stops, the Mercedes GP team emerged as a Chinese Grand Prix contender. In the hands of Nico Rosberg, the German driver and race organization mastered short-pitting to place themselves in the lead for 8 laps. After a tough first two races in the 2011 Formula 1 season, the showing for Mercedes GP in China reestablishes the momentum the team started their inaugural 2010 season. Nico Rosberg would remain at the front through the reminder of the grand prix but lost positions running on worn tires in the late race stages. The Mercedes GP team chanced a different pit road plan to vault the German up to 2rd place until the faster cars of McLaren and Red Bull Racing overhauled Nico Rosberg. Rosberg would just miss the podium but finish a season best 5th at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

Scuderia Ferrari also gambled on a two-pit stop race strategy for track position. The success was mixed during the 56-lap distance as Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished 6th as well as 7th place. The longer late stint also proved costly to the Ferrari team as they rode in higher positions just ahead of the checkered flag.

As part of the story in the closing stages of the Chinese Grand Prix focused on the slowing of some vehicles, the McLaren-Mercedes piloted by Lewis Hamilton was on a mission to the front lapping the Shanghai track. Sitting in 4th place on lap 40, Hamilton utilized his fresher tires, KERBS and adjustable rear wing system to pass Rosberg and Massa in only 4 laps setting sights on the leading Red Bull-Renault. Eating into the modest lead of just under 4 seconds, Lewis Hamilton's superior lap times put the silver McLaren right on the gearbox of Sebastian Vettel. On lap 52, Hamilton brief attempt at working over Vettel for the lead paid off in turn seven ending off a thrilling climb to the front. As Hamilton led the final 4 laps of the Chinese Grand Prix, the 2008 World Champion pulled a 5.1 second lead on the second place Sebastian Vettel.

Though disappointed by his attempt at a fifth straight Formula 1 season victory going back to last season's Brazilian Grand Prix being foil, Vettel and Red Bull Racing maintains an ongoing streak of podium finishes. Sebastian Vettel could also take relief with the arrival of the lap 56 checkered as his hard-charging teammate was closing distance. Starting 18th, Webber's strategy adjustment allowed the second Red Bull Racing car to surge through the field at an alarming rate. Clocked as one of the fastest cars on the racetrack, Mark Webber's three-stop plan allowed the Australian to maneuver himself to the front. With some Formula 1 observers noting Webber's results as considerably lackluster compared to his dominating teammate, the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix establishes again the strength of both Red Bull Racing cars.

Rolling out the top-10 behind the Nico Rosberg and the Ferrari Formula 1 cars, Michael Schumacher continues to challenge fellow drivers on-track with skills that only a 7-time World Champion would possess. Finishing 8th, Schumacher was more than 26 seconds in front of Lotus Renault Racing's Vitaly Petrov and 10th place Kamui Kobayashi.

As Sebastian Vettel's early season showing and Mark Webber's drive in China reflects, the Red Bull Racing team is shown as a formidable squad again in 2011. However, McLaren F1 is proving to be an early challenger having at least one car on the podium at the end of grand prix this season. After three races in the 2011 Formula 1 season, Vettel is 21 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Next race for the Formula 1 tour will ake place on May 8th as drivers and teams are given a long preparation for the Turkish Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing Battle Results With Webber Claiming British Grand Prix

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Photo Credit: Mercedes GP


The British Grand Prix's running at Silverstone is one of few F1 events which actually predates the inception of the current Formula 1 sanctioning body. Ever since the first running of the event on the former World War 2 Era RAF Bomber airfield, there have been some memorable developments which included the collision with a sheep in the inaugural Silverstone race.

Flashing forward to the 2010 race, the reigning winner Sebastian Vettel grabbed pole ahead of his Australian teammate Mark Webber perhaps thanks to aerodynamic revisions Vettel's Red Bull-Renault wore through qualifying. Showing to be a class above other teams through Saturday's time trial for grid position, the Red Bull Racing drivers looked to once again duke amongst themselves. With both Red Bull-Renaults showing near equal pace within the season, Vettel and Webber have not always shown the best in teamwork when starting close together. Dramatically resulting in a collision at the Turkish Grand Prix, the rivalry between the Red Bull Racing F1 drivers has been bordering on an all-out feud.

First and second on the British Grand Prix grid as the lights went out, Webber found the edge on his teammate Vettel from the standing start. Starting 3rd, looking to spoil the Red Bull Racing party, Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren-Mercedes was aggressive early seeking a move on the now displaced polesitting car of Sebastian Vettel. In result of the contentious start, Vettel suffered a major setback as he lost pressure in one of his Bridgestone tires. With some speculation that the dice from the start with teammate Mark Webber had some direct involvement for the tire puncture, Vettel speculated contact might have been with Lewis Hamilton's McLaren air dam. With Sebastian Vettel forced to make a pit stop on lap 2, Mark Webber was left as the lone Red Bull-Renault left to fight for British Grand Prix victory.

Now in 2nd place, the McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton fell into hot pursuit of the Renault-powered Formula 1 leader with another factory-backed Renault of Robert Kubica running 3rd. Enjoying another run near the front in the improved Renault R30 race car, Kubica was one-half of another major race battle. Between his Renault and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, Kubica fought hard to hold back the challenger to the 3rd place position. On lap 17, Alonso speared for the podium spot ducking his Ferrari on the inside of Kubica heading into turn 8. In a defense driving move which appeared that Robert Kubica was squeezing the Ferrari into the corner, Alonso refused to let up remaining alongside into the S-shaped area. In fact, Fernando Alonso would make his way around Kubica's Renault Possibility a controversial decision considering that Kubica played a part in forcing the Ferrari off-track initially, Alonso was assessed a drive-through penalty for the pass off the track surface.

With an impending penalty for Fernando Alonso, Robert Kubica was not free from trouble. Unfortunately for Kubica, his quest to score points in a 9th straight grand prix events was ended when his Renault R30 suffered a left rear driveshaft failure. Kubica's retirement was presided only by the Virgin-Cosworth of Lucas di Grassi for what would eventually in a very light race casualty list.



Photo Credit: Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic

On lap 28, the BMW Sauber-Ferrari of Pedro de la Rosa shed debris from a damaged rear wing. Landing within the racing groove littering the Silverstone frontstretch, the FIA pulled out the Mercedes-Benz SLS safety car.

Prior to the safety car period, Webber was enjoying a comfortable lead over Hamilton. With the Red Bull Racing team experimenting with new parts for improving their on-track performance, McLaren was also involved in extracting greater potential from their current car coming with an all-new exhaust system which was planned to improve aerodynamics. Instead, through Friday practice, the team found the new exhaust pieces were actually impeding the car's performance. McLaren team mechanics worked hard to remove the systems on both cars reverting back to another existing exhaust. While improving the McLaren-Mercedes cars, both were ultimately short on catching the Red Bull-Renault of Mark Webber.

Through the last stage of the race as the top-2 stabilized, Nico Rosberg had quietly broke into the final podium spot with the Mercedes GP team car. The British Grand Prix would net Rosberg has 3rd podium finish of the season in another race where he outperformed Michael Schumacher. Schumacher himself finished 9th in the grand prix and has caught the ears of many Formula 1 insiders would have heard dissatisfaction coming from the 7-time world driving champion about the 2009 return to the series. In post race, Schumacher responded "Again a race which I am not really happy about today. It was ok and seeing Nico on the podium is good for the team but my race was obviously less rewarding."



Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

Coming down to the end, Fernando Alonso's attempt to regain points for the Formula 1 championship encountered another problem as contact with a Force India car resulted with a tire puncture sending him back to the pits for an unscheduled tire change. Finishing 14th in this British Grand Prix, the Scuderia Ferrari team hit a real sour note in the 2010 British Grand Prix as Felipe Massa was one place behind Alonso at the checkered flag.

Webber's Red Bull-Renault retained the lead while the second team car provided some jarring on-track action through the final laps of the British Grand Prix. Finishing 7th after a hard charge after the tire puncture, Sebastian Vettel was aided by the safety car period as well as his own determination to pass the Force India-Mercedes of Adrian Sutil on the final laps. Describing the race in the Red Bull Racing website, Vettel candidly admitted "There are some days where you should just stay in bed. Today was one of those days, or let's say, the beginning of the race was." As for the Webber/Vettel feud, Vettel made no indications of this even congratulating Mark Webber on the win.

Crossing the line to collect his 3rd 2010 Formula 1 win for Red Bull Racing, the Australian driver Mark Webber maintained a marginal gap on the two Mercedes-Benz engines within Hamilton's McLaren and Rosberg's factory-based Mercedes GP car. Another Mercedes-powered McLaren also rolled home 4th place on the Silverstone circuit for an important points day. Making a barn-burning charge within the early stages from a 14th place starting spot, 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button retained 2nd in the Formula 1 standings behind teammate Lewis Hamilton.

With the drama for Ferrari and struggles for one-half of Red Bull Racing, the 2010 British Grand Prix was noteworthy for the performance of some of the mid-marker Formula 1 teams. Both Williams-Cosworth cars of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg scored points for a race close to the team's home base. However, the most impressive single driver performance from a mid-marker team came from Japan's Kamui Kobayashi who brought his BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6th across the line as a career-best for the driver.

Leaving the historic British track, next for the Formula 1 cars is the German Grand Prix where several popular native drivers would try to score victory at the Hockenheimring. The German Grand Prix is set for two weeks on July 25th.


British Grand Prix

2010 Formula 1

Race Results


1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
4. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
5. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
6. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari
7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
9. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
10. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
11. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault
14. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
15. Felipe Massa Ferrari
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth
19. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth
20. Sakon Yaramoto HRT-Cosworth
21. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
22. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari
23. Robert Kubica Renault F1
24. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth

Button Masters Weather Again to Win the Chinese Grand Prix

Under threatening skies, the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix underwent final pre-race preparations with Formula 1 teams remaining on slick tires. Completing their warm up lap as the 24 f1 cars filed into grid, drivers Sebastian Vettel and teammate Mark Webber held the front row ahead of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso as well as the Mercedes piloted by Nico Rosberg. As the lights went out, it was the 3rd place Ferrari bypassed the pair of Red Bull-Renaults to lead the field into the first corner. However, upon review of the start, it was revealed that Alonso accelerated before the signal lights went dark. With the Ferrari committing a foul, Alonso was eventually sent to pit road to serve a drive-through penalty. "I made a serious mistake at the start as my reflexes let me down and I left early." Alonso would admit in a post-race interview. With much of the race ahead, Alonso was able to make-up for his uncharacteristic gaffe.

Other than the Ferrari start, the first lap involved some additional drama as Force India of Vitantonio Liuzzi locked up his rear brakes slowing for turn 4. The rear of the Force India broke sideways siding collecting the BMW Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi and the Toro Rosso-Ferrari of Sebestien Buemi. Heading wide through the turn, Rubens Barrichello narrowly misses the tingling race cars in his William-Cosworth. Liuzzi cited problems placing heat in the braking system during the pre-race formation lap as contributing to his loss of control.


Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

The multiple-car crash on lap 1 drew the safety car allowing teams to switch their slick tire with wet weather Bridgestone rubber. This safety car period ended after four laps with Nico Rosberg leading Jenson Button and the Renault of Robert Kubica. With Rosberg padding to the interval between him and Button through over a dozen laps, Rosberg made a critical misstep on lap 20 spinning his Mercedes GP car in the final corner. While Nico Rosberg recovered, the McLaren-Mercedes of Jenson Button stormed by the slowed factory Mercedes GP racer.

On lap 25, the safety car came out once again as the remaining Toro Rosso-Ferrari of Jaime Alguersuari lost its front nose and wing assembly on track. The race restarted with a last set of pit stops looming for the Formula 1 cars. While Jenson Button would maintain his lead through the cycling as pit stops, the McLaren team went to work on teammate Lewis Hamilton's car. Running third before the stop, Hamilton's stop for intermediate thread tires allowed the McLaren-Mercedes to spring ahead of Nico Rosberg after the round of pit stops were completed.

Through the late laps, both McLaren-Mercedes race cars ran on the edge of control as Button and Hamilton struggled to sink their worn tires into the wet Shanghai track. Once possessing an almost 10 second lead over 2nd place, the interval shrank to 1.5 seconds by the time the McLaren teammate's crossed the start/finish line. Holding on, Jenson Button win in China made him the first multiple winner of the 2010 Formula 1 season.

Coming home 2nd, Lewis Hamilton brought his McLaren-Mercedes to a season-best finish. Complimenting his teammate Button for the victory, Hamilton felt the call for intermediate tires left something on the table. "...I think the whole team deserves this incredible one-two result. I hope the spectators and viewers enjoyed it, too!

Driving another dedicated race in the Mercedes GP team car, Nico Rosberg grabbed his second-straight podium finish in the Chinese Grand Prix. Also interesting to note, Rosberg's placement allows Mercedes-Benz engined car to own the podium for the race.


Photo Credit: Lotus Racing

Despite pitting 5 times through the Chinese Grand Prix including , Fernando Alonso's Ferrari was within striking distance of Mercedes GP car of Nico Rosberg. In fifth, Robert Kubica is still making the most of a growing year for the Renault F1 team. Along with Kubica's run, Renault F1 rookie Vitaly Petrov put together an overall strong effort in his young career finishing 7th and in the points. Driving against some seasoned veterans through the wet Shanghai International Circuit, Petrov passed drivers including Michael Schumacher for position.

As for the Red Bull Racing team, the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix will certainly send the Formula 1 team into a frenzy isolated the mistakes made after starting so promisingly on the front row. Losing the lead off the start, Sebestian Vettel never recovered the top spot and faded to 6th in the final results while Mark Webber could only gain 8th place.

Thanks to the two wins in four races, Jenson Button leaves China with the lead in Formula 1 points. Leading by 10 points, Button is holding off the very consistent Nico Rosberg who in turn is just a single point ahead of both Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

With a three-week break before the 2010 Formula 1 season gears for their first European round with the Spanish Grand Prix, the volcanic ash cloud activity over European skies has some officials concerned with flight arrangements. However, current reports place the likelihood of air travel being interrupted through three weeks as possible but not entirely creditable. Nonetheless, some teams will probably find the trip back to European countries from China could be complicated.


2010 Formula 1
Chinese Grand Prix
Finishing Order

1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
5. Robert Kubica Renault F1
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
7. Vitaly Petrov Renault
8. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
9. Felipe Massa Ferrari
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
12. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
13. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
14. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
15. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
16. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth
17. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth
19. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth
20. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari
21. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
22. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari
23. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
24. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth