Formula 1 News

Vettel leads Red Bull one-two in Turkey 

First podium finish in the season for Fernando Alonso

2010 world champion Sebastian Vettel took his third – dominant – win in the 2011 season at the 2011 edition of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Teammate Mark Webber finished second, securing a one-two finish for the Milton Keynes based team.

Third place and first podium finish in the season for Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button.

Seventh and eighth place for the two Renaults with Nick Heidfeld beating Vitaly Petrov, ninth for Toro Rosso’s for Sebastien Buemi and tenth for Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.

2011 Turkish Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The fourth race of the 2011 season is about to start in Turkey’s Istanbul Park circuit.

2011 world champion Sebastian Vettel starts from pole position for the fourth consecutive time in the season after beating by 0.4 seconds teammate Mark Webber. Nico Rosberg starts from the third spot of the grid in the first of the Mercedes GPs ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Lotus Renault GP’s Vitaly Petrov, Michael Schumacher, Nick Heidfeld in the other Renault and Felipe Massa.

A last minute gearbox problem surfaced on Timo Glock’s Marussia Virgin MVR-02. The mechanics are desperately trying to fix the car and allow Glock to start from the pitlane.

Formation lap: it’s time for the formation lap. Glock still in the pits.

Race start: Lights go off! Race start at Istanbul! Into turn 1, Vettel, Rosberg, Webber. Hamilton P6.

Lap 2/58: Perez pits. New front wing for the Mexican. Massa overtakes Heidfeld for P9. Schumacher pits after a collision with Petrov. Massa jumps in seventh.

Lap 3/58: New front wing for Schumacher. DRS now enabled.

Lap 4/58: Schumacher now down to P22.

Lap 5/58: Vettel P1, Rosberg P2, Webber P3, Alonso P4, Button P5, Hamilton P6, Massa P7. Webber overtakes Rosberg for P2.

Lap 6/58: Petrov P8, Heidfeld P9.

Lap 7/58: Alonso overtakes Rosberg for P3.

Lap 8/58: Great battle between Button and Hamilton.

Lap 9/58: Petrov pits from P8. Vettel P1, Webber P2, Alonso P3. Massa overtakes Hamilton thanks to DRS.

Lap 10/58: Massa and Hamilton pit. McLaren do faster stop, Massa falls behind the Briton.

Lap 11/58: Webber, Alonso, Heidfeld, Rosberg all pit.

Lap 12/58: Race leader Vettel pits. Di Resta and Maldonado pit. Replays show Heidfeld and Petrov colliding.

Lap 13/58: Button pits. Kobayashi pits.

Lap 14/58: Alguersuari and Trulli pit. Hamilton passes Rosberg for P4.

Lap 15/58: Schumacher and Karthikeyan pit. Vettel P1, Webber P2, Alonso P3, Hamilton P4.

Lap 16/58: Pit stop for Liuzzi in the HRT.

Lap 17/58: Perez pits from P18.

Lap 18/58: Massa putting some pressure on Rosberg for P5.

Lap 19/58: Fastest lap for Perez: 1:32.261.

Lap 20/58: Petrov pits from P8.

Lap 21/58: Hamilton pits from P4 for the second time. Massa overtakes Rosberg for P5. Webber has pitted.

Lap 22/58: Button overtook Rosberg.

Lap 23/58: Vettel P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3, Massa P4. Rosberg and Heidfeld pit. Alonso makes his second pit stop. Button overtakes Massa.

Lap 25/58: Barrichello pits. Di Resta pits. Vettel still in the lead, ahead of Webber, Alonso, Button, Hamilton.

Lap 26/58: Pit stop for Vettel.

Lap 27/58: Button pitted. All top ten drivers made their second pit stop.

Lap 28/58: Alonso pressuring Webber for P2.

Lap 29/58: Alonso overtakes Webber for P2. Button pressuring Massa for P6. Alguersuari pits.

Lap 31/58: Vettel P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3, Hamilton P4, Petrov P5, Massa P6, Button P7, Rosberg P8. Third pit stop for Schumacher.

Lap 33/58: Di Resta and Perez pit.

Lap 34/58: Rosberg pits from P8.

Lap 35/58: Hamilton pits while Button passes Massa. Hamilton lost time in the pits: issues with a wheel nut.

Lap 36/58: Third pit stop for Webber.

Lap 37/58: Pit stop for Alonso. Heidfeld pits. Fastest lap for Hamilton: 1:31.586.

Lap 38/58: Fastest lap for Webber: 1:31.005.

Lap 39/58: Fastest lap for Alonso: 1:30.953. Pit stop for Kobayashi.

Lap 40/58: Vettel P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3. Button pits from fourth.

Lap 41/58: Pit stop for Vettel. Buemi pits from P6. Barrichello and Sutil pit.

Lap 44/58: Vettel has a 7.2 second lead to Alonso. Maldonado is under investigation for speeding in the pitlane.

Lap 45/58: Drive through penalty for Maldonado. Fourth pit stop for Rosberg.

Lap 46/58: Webber pits from third. Di Resta has stopped.

Lap 47/58: Alonso pits. Hamilton pits. Rosberg overtakes Massa. Massa pits.

Lap 48/58: Vettel pits for the fourth time. Vettel P1, Alonso P2, Webber P3.

Lap 49/58: Alonso 6.2 seconds off the lead.

Lap 50/58: Hamilton passed Button for P4. Webber is catching up Alonso.

Lap 51/58: Webber passed Alonso. Webber P2, Alonso P3.

Lap 54/58: Vettel P1, Webber P2, Alonso P3, Hamilton P4.

Lap 55/58: Rosberg passed Button for P5.

Last lap: Sebastian Vettel crosses the finish line for first and scores another dominant win today in Turkey. Mark Webber finishes second, completing the first one-two finish for Red Bull in this season. Third place for Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in his first podium finish in the 2011 season ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov, Sebastien Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi.

2011 Turkish Grand Prix, Race results: