Mark Webber was untouchable in the Spanish Grand Prix and claimed his first win of the season from pole position.
But Lewis Hamilton suffered cruel disappointment as a failure on his front-left wheel caused him to crash out of the race on the penultimate lap.
That elevated Fernando Alonso to second place in front of his home crowd with Sebastian Vettel third for Red Bull.
Vettel fell behind Hamilton at the first round of pit stops. He lost time being held in his pit box and when Hamilton came out the McLaren driver threaded between Vettel and Lucas di Grassi’s Virgin to stay ahead.
The German driver struggled to keep up with the McLaren as his adjustable front wing flap failed. Life got even more difficult for Vettel when he was forced to make an extra pit stop and nurse a brake problem to the end of the race. Not for the first time his RB6 lacked nothing in performance but needed better reliability.
Michael Schumacher scored the best result of his comeback with fourth place, spending much of the race defending his position from Jenson Button.
Button, who retained the championship lead by finishing fifth, criticised Schumacher’s driving, saying he was moving about too much on the straight: “You think with his experience he would know,” he said afterwards.
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Felipe Massa took sixth for Ferrari despite damaging his front wing by clipping Karun Chandhok while lapping the HRT driver.
Adrian Sutil kept Robert Kubica behind him for seventh place and Rubens Barrichello was ninth for Williams.
A second home driver, Jaime Alguersuari, scored the final point of the day after an eventful race. He made an exceptional start, gaining six places to run ninth in the early stages. But he picked up a drive-through penalty after clipping Chandhok’s car, knocking the front wing off the HRT.
Vitaly Petrov climbed from 19th to finish 11th ahead of Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, who lost several places with a poor start.
But Nico Rosberg suffered a terrible race, finishing 13th and lapped after two pit stops – the first delayed when his right-front brake caught fire. He battled past Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Hulkenberg late in the race.
The revised Lotus and Virgin cars finished just 1.5 seconds apart after 200 miles of racing, Jarno Trulli leading home Timo Glock. Lucas di Grassi was 79 seconds behind his team mate in the old VR-01, suggesting the team have made a step forward with the new car raced only by Glock today.
Neither HRT made it to the finish – Chandhok retired shortly after changing his front wing and Bruno Senna crashed out on the first lap.
Sebastien Buemi and Pedro de la Rosa also failed to finish, retiring separately after colliding on the first lap. Heikki Kovalainen’s race never started, the Lotus driver being wheeled into the pits before the start of the race.
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sumedh
9th May 2010, 15:21
Jenson throwing tantrums after the race was the most exciting event of the race.
Sideshow bob
9th May 2010, 16:55
Has anyone noticed that Vettel has gotten the short end of the reliability stick every time? It’s like these Red Bull reliability problems are confined to one side of the garage.
Just saying…
Mike
9th May 2010, 17:05
Don’t worry, I’m sure Schumacher is cheating because he didn’t like being the 2nd fastest German so he made a call to Todt who has paid money to corrupt people within the Red Bull garage to sabotage Vettel’s car.
Actually It’s about time Webber had a bit of the good luck ^_^
Sideshow bob
9th May 2010, 17:24
Webber better make hay while the sun shines, or else I think he could become like Barrichello, or maybe Pattrese – spends a couple years in a killer car but doesn’t convert it into a title, and is never a force again.
Skett
9th May 2010, 18:17
Don’t you mean 3rd fastest german? Up until today Rosberg was beating him too!
As for Vettel’s reliability, maybe hes just harder on the car? I know the commentators were saying he hits those curbs harder.
Or maybe hes just unlucky
m0tion
10th May 2010, 7:17
Webber doesnt hit the kerbs like Vettel.
Todfod
10th May 2010, 8:09
Well actually he didn’t like being the fourth fastest German. Lets not forget Sebastian, Nico and Adrian have all been quicker than him.
But as long as Vettel is around.. Schumi will remain the second fastest German. He will run out to strings to pull sooner or later
Ed
9th May 2010, 17:46
Webber had brakes at Singapore last year – that’s the only one I can think of.
However, Webber seems to have had a lot more operational problems – like bad pitstops, bad strategy or unsafe pit exits etc.
TommyC
10th May 2010, 1:27
i think it’s the first race this year where webber hasn’t had a problem in hs pitstop, thank goodness. what a fantastic drive. absolute dominance. keep it going Mark!
nik
9th May 2010, 19:02
is there a video anywhere of the button tantrum?
also – what is going on at Williams? I was expecting to find a story about it online but nobody has mentioned it. Apparently there was some bickering prior to the race – and Sam Michael inspecting the pit stop during the race makes it more intriguing.
damonsmedley
10th May 2010, 8:22
Yes… What is all this about a Jenson Button tantrum? Can somebody catch me up?
Mr. T
10th May 2010, 23:41
At the end of the race, Button got out of his car, threw his steering wheel onto the ground and kicked the sidepods to pieces in fury.
Only joking – check out the iPlayer where he just complains about Shumacher’s driving under his breath in an interview with BBC.
damonsmedley
11th May 2010, 8:21
I live in Australia so iPlayer is not an option… But I thought you were serious there! Those steering wheels aren’t cheap! Nor are those sidepods…
damonsmedley
11th May 2010, 8:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVx3NvsD7hQ Is this it?
Mr. t
2nd July 2010, 2:20
Yup, that’s it – at 47 secs or so
Harry D
9th May 2010, 15:21
Webber was class…..Lewis well I have no words……
Gutted
TommyB
9th May 2010, 15:50
Any thoughts for driver of the day. I’d say Webber or Hamilton…
Sandman
9th May 2010, 16:01
How, in the name of God, does name “Hamilton” come up when considering “Driver of the Day”. Unless we’re talking “the most reckless” one.
TommyB
9th May 2010, 16:02
Because it was a “foregone conclusion” that the Red Bull’s were getting a 1-2 and Hamilton split them until the failure at the end while his team mate was 55 seconds down the road.
BeenDun
9th May 2010, 16:31
That’s far from “Driver of the Day” material. Doing a fastest lap at the end of the race was all about ego for LH. He paid for it when hos tire went. All he had to do was chill out and cruise to the podium. What was he thinking? Button is cleaning his clock this season.
Mike
9th May 2010, 17:02
I suspect his tyre would have gone even if he had gone at the slowest possible pace, And seeing as it wasn’t a driver error issue I think it’s a bit harsh to blame him for it.
I do dislike the little annoying egotist, but he is faster than Button and it’s only incidents like this or lucky calls that are making button look good.
Chris
9th May 2010, 16:03
I’m confused: what part of Hamilton’s drive today was reckless? I’m guesing we have a Hamilton hater on hand…
monsol
9th May 2010, 16:24
Just ask Vettel
Vishy
9th May 2010, 16:32
Wow what an unbiased opinion! Are you another Alonso fanatic?
sato113
9th May 2010, 16:53
how was HAM reckless?
SD
9th May 2010, 17:32
towards the end of the race, Alonse backed off and slowed down.
Hamilton kept pushing, knowing very well he could not catch webber.
I guess that extra bit of pushing led to that accident (McLaren seem to have a diff theory)
Gazz.
9th May 2010, 19:02
In reply to Sandman’s Comment.
What a load of nonsense, I am a huge Lewis Fan but I am not being biased when I say he deserved Driver of the Day.
He has been by far the best driver in the field this season. he has been the only driver that has produced consistent exciting and inspired drives throughout all weekends this season.
In Bahrain he Picked up A well deserved Podium.
In Melbourne He Drove his heart out and was on for a good result until Webber took him out.
In Malaysia he drove from 20th to 6th.
In China he could have won if he had not been brought in for Intermediates, and still managed to drive to second after being at the near back of the grid.
And now he could have had a brilliant second place, splitting the two fastest cars on the grid by almost a second, had his Tyre not have failed.
Enough Said.
delendaEst
9th May 2010, 19:12
OK but being the most exciting racer doesn’t score WDC points for you. Usually the WDC title goes to pretty unexciting drivers who just manage to be all the time on top of things (Just like Mark did today) and not having to overtake everybody trying to recover from catastrophic mistakes, or forcing their stuff beyond reason.
Dane
9th May 2010, 23:44
Hamilton Driver of the Day??
He started 3rd, got up to 2nd, then crashed. That is not driver of the day material
Achilles
10th May 2010, 6:45
Very Bitchy……
steph
9th May 2010, 16:03
If Jaime hadn’t have been occassionally thick due to lack of experience or whatever he could have been a contender. I would say Webber though
delendaEst
9th May 2010, 19:16
Jaime is extremely young and unexperienced, and drives an uncompetitive car. But I’d say he’s pretty good for a rookie. I do expect a lot from him in upcoming seasons, especially if he gets his hands on a better car.
TommyB
9th May 2010, 16:14
Yeah I’d say Webber or Hamilton. Has to be Webber though, he didn’t put a foot wrong.
Salty
9th May 2010, 17:43
Webber has to get driver of the day. Led from start to finish – did exactly what was required, including out driving and out pacing his teammate. Outstanding job by a driver generally overlooked as a WDC contender.
Alonso shone in the latter stages when his car seemed to come back to him, but the Ferrari looked rather lumbering in the early stages when the Bully boys and Hamilton streaked off into the distance. Rather lucked into his podium after the wheels came off for for Seb and Lewis. Good result from an average day at the office then.
Vettel seemed to struggle all day somehow. Indecision when confronted with Hamilton and a backmarker cost him the position. And his light footed RBR6 still seems a little too fragile for his quite punchy driving style. Lucky to make the podium in the end when we were all expecting a 1-2 for that famous Austrian town of Milton Keynes’ finest.
Well done Michael. Smart defence from a much racier McLaren earned him a good result and much needed points to silence the nay-sayers. Just hope they can get some performance into the Merc soon. Schumi was noted as a great and smart racer, but following China and today, he might find himself re-christened as the new Jarno Trulli.
Button and Massa both disappointed, though at least Jenson was driving the car on his own. These Massa-baby radio transmissions really are quite incredible. Has there ever been such a symbiotic relationship between a driver and his race engineer?
Hamilton again provided some of the most exciting moments of the race, having a nibble at Vettel and Webber at the first corner whilst defending Alonso, then nailing Vettel after the pitstops with a very decisive move, then finally by losing it 2 laps from home. Shame for the poor guy, but there’s still that niggly feeling that his aggressive driving style, whilst great for us to watch, doesn’t help with his tyre reliability.
The race had it moments, but definately not a classic. Finally, sincerly hope the report of the crowd reaction to Hamilton after his retirement is incorrect. Any question of race belongs on the track.
Skett
9th May 2010, 18:21
Ha! Schumi train doesn’t quite have the right ring to it ;)
BasCB
9th May 2010, 19:38
Make that “Schumi-Zug” in German and it sounds a lot better!
delendaEst
9th May 2010, 19:22
No driver of the day today, i’d say. Mark and Fernando won, made no mistakes, but their race was uninspiring. MSC was better than in previous races this year, but still nothing to write home about.
Jenson once again showed why he is the defending WDC and once again outscored HAM without any fanfare.
Ben
10th May 2010, 1:13
Webber would be hard to go past for drvier of the day. But Rubens would also be a contender, 17th to 9th with some serious team issues, good result.
massa
9th May 2010, 16:49
michael shumacher did a solid drive today and kept jenson behind very well
alonzo got lucky yet again
massa found the good ballance of his car bye braking his front wing chandok should hav been penilized for that.
vettel should hav retired because if his tyre came of or his breaks didnt work at all then that could of caused danger to the other cars and drivers
abosulty no overtaking
and it was the most boring f1 race i have ever seen
even in 2008 behind the saftey car in a wet race was more exting than today
monaco gp will be carnige because u cant over take there
i wish the specticle could be changed immediatly bye removing double diffusers
TommyB
9th May 2010, 17:12
Chandhok tried to get out of the way. He gave Massa space but Felipe locked up and ran into Chandhok. Not Karun’s fault…
steph
9th May 2010, 17:21
Chandhok didn’t do anything wrong,. he tried to get out of the way and stay there but Massa arrived too quickly and was out of control so hit Karun.
Salty
9th May 2010, 18:02
Totally agree – Chandhok, poor devil, is on a hiding to nothing. He left space for all 3 lapping cars, Massa mis-read and locked up. To add insult to injury, Algi then completely trashed his front wing in what should of been a simple lapping. God knows that HRT is a demoralising dog of enough to drive without faster cars actually gunning for you.
Icthyes
9th May 2010, 17:40
With respect, not the most contributory of comments anyway, but I’m seeing this echoed a lot as the day goes by.
I’ve followed 10 F1 seasons all the way through and can safely say the Barcelona race we saw today has been pretty much the average standard of quality of an F1 race over that time.
If F1 is boring to crisis levels because of the race we’ve had today, how come it hasn’t imploded by now?
TommyB
9th May 2010, 18:24
How was this boring were you watching Bahrain. Results were changing till the final lap!
I think just because of the last 3 races peoples expectations were too high on a circuit that always produces poor racing.
Metallion
9th May 2010, 18:03
Why should Vettel have retired? Can you really imagine any driver in 4th place or any other point scoring position retiring because of such issues with so few laps left? He could afford to slow down enough to bring it back safely for those last few laps.
I can imagine if he had had brake problems from lap 1 it would have been pointless to continue but as long as you have a chance to score points you’ll try as hard as you can to do so.
Also, removing double diffusers won’t magically change everything.
Indian
9th May 2010, 15:22
Adrian Sutil once again proved the level of Force India. Nice and consistent racing in the recent days from him and his team.
Mike
9th May 2010, 16:00
Sutil has his fair share of bad luck, but when things go his way he can get some pretty impressive results.
Tim Sculthorpe
9th May 2010, 16:14
It’s a really solid car again. I’m hopeful if circumstances allow they can get a break near the front again this season.
Salty
9th May 2010, 18:05
Sooty did well again indeed. Do wonder if some of the other teams arn’t casting another eye over this very sharp driver. Good job.
nemo
9th May 2010, 15:22
..I almost cried for Lewis
Macca
9th May 2010, 15:38
..I almost laughed
cyanide
9th May 2010, 16:47
I was sleeping during the race, only woke up when the commentators were shouting about Lewis’ accident.
David A
9th May 2010, 17:09
Same here, but I hadn’t really got any sleep over last night.
Mr. T
10th May 2010, 23:49
Glad to see I’m not the only one who occasionally drifts off in the middle of TV coverage!
Younger Hamilton
9th May 2010, 17:19
I was laughing at Vettel’s problems calling the Red Bull ‘sick’ then Lewis’s accident came up,then i stopped laughing and started crying because i knew God punished me and Lewis.Its a utter shame i hate Vettel and Alonso even more Alonso and Vettel didnt deserve 2nd and 3rd respectively Button didnt deserve 5th either after his problems but at least he finished there.This has costed Lewis Horribly, in the Title Race
polishboy808
9th May 2010, 19:21
Well maybe Lewis didn’t deserve to crash, but as was posted above he was pushing far too hard for nothing. It was clear nobody could catchup to Webber, yet he went right along pushing harder then ever at the end. I wouldn’t say this was a rim failure as they say it is, but just a matter of the tires being used up so badly that they just let go. The same thing happened to him in Monza last year. Why push so hard if your not going to go any further anyway? Preserve the engine, and your position. I was saddened by Vettle’s problem and then hearing that Ham had crashed I broke out into hysterical laughter, knowing that he must be hating himself for pushing so hard.
Scribe
9th May 2010, 21:33
Hamilton was not pushing to much for nothing, his tyres where busted by debris on track. He was pushing for a damn good reason, what if the problem on Vettles car popped up on Webbers?
So really when you say “no good reason” what you mean is possible race victory.
m0tion
10th May 2010, 7:21
Yep that late purple lap was all ego and no brains
damonsmedley
10th May 2010, 8:51
[quote] “Its a utter shame i hate Vettel and Alonso” [/quote]
Um… If I am not mistaken, Sebastian is one of the most likeable drivers on the grid!
David A
9th May 2010, 21:13
Vettel and Alonso crossed the line, picled up the points, hence they deserved 2nd/3rd ;)
delendaEst
9th May 2010, 19:26
I laughed my heart out, for Jenson actually.
Jenson Button WDC!!!
Jay Menon
10th May 2010, 2:13
I laughed…very hard. It was a good feeling.
damonsmedley
10th May 2010, 8:34
It would be quite unusual if Button took out the title. But at this stage, you wouldn’t discount it…
Filmon
9th May 2010, 15:24
I hope the backward Spanish people did not plant nails on the track;as they were advocating before in order to crash Hamilton…
bobo
9th May 2010, 15:29
who are you quoting genius?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
9th May 2010, 15:36
He’s referring to a Spanish website that was set up a few years ago where the point of the game was to plant nails on the track for Hamilton to hit.
bobo
9th May 2010, 15:41
I see, thanks. People are just as inspiring everywhere, makes one proud…