Formula 1 News

Vettel takes fourth win of 2011 in Spain 

Hamilton second, Button third.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win in the 2011 season – his 14th career win – at the Spanish Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished second, ahead of team-mate Jenson Button and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Fifth place for Fernando Alonso, sixth for Michael Schumacher, seventh for Nico Rosberg, eighth for Nick Heidfeld, ninth for Sergio Perez and tenth for Kamui Kobayashi.

2011 Spanish Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The fifth race of the 2011 season is about to start in Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona.

Mark Webber starts from pole position for the first time in the season after beating by 0.2 seconds teammate Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton starts from the third spot of the grid in the first of the McLarens ahead of local hero Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, Jenson Button in the other McLaren, Vitaly Petrov in the Lotus Renault GP, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado and Michael Schumacher.

Nick Heidfeld has been permitted by the race stewards to start the race – from the back of the grid – even though no time was set during qualifying.

Formation lap: the grid clears ahead of the formation lap.

Race start: Lights go off! Race start in Spain! Amazing start for Alonso, P1, P1. Vettel P2, Webber P3.

Lap 2/66: Button down to 10th. Kobayashi has pitted. Schumacher up to 6th.

Lap 3/66: Button trying to pass Buemi for P9. Button passes Buemi but Buemi re-passes him. Rosberg P7, Massa P8.

Lap 5/66: Alonso P1, Vettl P2, Webber P3, Hamilton P4, Petrov P5, Schumacher P6. Button made it past Buemi. Button P9, Buemi P10.

Lap 6/66: Vettel closing in on Alonso.

Lap 7/66: Button pressuring Massa for P8.

Lap 8/66: Perez pits from P13. Meanwhile Heidfeld is upt to 17th. Maldonado pits and rejoins in P18.

Lap 10/66: Vettel pits and rejoins in P10 behind Button and Massa. Vettel overtakes Button and Massa.

Lap 11/66: Alonso pits from the lead. Webber pits. Alonso rejoins in P3. Button passes Massa.

Lap 12/66: Hamilton and Massa pit. Petrov and Rosberg pit. Alguersuari pits.

Lap 13/66: Alonso P1, Vettel P2, Hamilton P3, Webber P4, Button P5.

Lap 14/66: Pit stop for Sutil.

Lap 15/66: Button pits from P5. He rejoins in P7. Karthikeyan pits in the HRT.

Lap 16/66: Di Resta pits from P7. Pit stop for Trulli in the Lotus. Button overtakes Schumacher. Button P5, Schumacher P6.

Lap 17/66: Fastest lap for Button: 1:28.792. Pits stop for Kovalainen, Glock and Liuzzi.

Lap 19/66: Second pit stop for Vettel. Hamilton pressuring Alonso for P1.

Lap 20/66: Alonso and Webber pit for the second time. Alonso rejoins in third, behind Vettel.

Lap 21/66: Fastest lap for Hamilton: 1:28.024. Maldonado pits from P13. No pit stops yet for Heidfeld (P14).

Lap 22/66: Fastest lap for Vettel: 1:27.394. Massa makes his second pit stop. Massa rejoins in 12th. First pit stop for Heidfeld.

Lap 23/66: Webber tailing Alonso for P3.

Lap 24/66: Second pit stop for Hamilton. Hamilton rejoins in P2, ahead of Alonso and Webber. Vettel P1, Hamilton P2, Alonso P3, Webber P4, Button P5.

Lap 25/66: Alguersuari pits from P12.

Lap 26/66: Heidfeld passes Kovalainen and Kobayashi for P17. Buemi has pitted.

Lap 27/66: Schumacher pits from P6. Petrov pits from P8.

Lap 28/66: Rosberg pits in the other Mercedes. Alguersuari overtakes Sutil for P15.

Lap 30/66: Alonso and Webber pit. ALonso stays ahead. Perez, Trulli and Karthikeyan pit.

Lap 31/66: Button pits for the second time. He rejoins in fifth.

Lap 32/66: Sutil pits from 17th. Liuzzi retires in the HRT.

Lap 33/66: Webber pressuring Alonso for P3. Di Resta pits.

Lap 34/66: Alonso fighting hard to keep the position.

Lap 35/66: Vettel makes his third pit stop. Replays show Webber passing Alonso, with Alonso repassing the Australian.

Lap 36/66: Hamilton pits and rejoins in second. Vettel P1, Hamilton P2. Button’s strategy paying the most now as he – thanks to a tyre advantage – overtakes Webber for P4 and Alonso for P3.

Lap 38/66: Alguersuari, Maldonado and Heidfeld all pit.

Lap 40/66: Fourth pit stop for Alonso. Glock pits from P21.

Lap 42/66: Schumacher pits from P7. Petrov pits too.

Lap 43/66: Rosberg pits.

Lap 45/66: Vettel P1, Hamilton P2, Button P3, Webber P4, Alonso P5, Schumacher P6, Rosberg P7, Massa P8. Third pit stop for Trulli. Vettel is told by his engineer to turn off and not use his KERS.

Lap 46/66: Kobayashi pits from 13th. Hamilton is being informed of Vettel’s KERS problem.

Lap 48/66: The Red Bull mechanics are getting ready for a pit stop. Webber pits and rejoins in P4.

Lap 49/66: Another pit stop at Red Bull: Vettel pits for the fourth time. The German rejoins in P2. Button pits and rejoins in P3.

Lap 50/66: Fourth pit stop for Hamilton. Hamilton rejoins in P2. Vettel P1, Hamilton P2, Button P3, Webber P4, Alonso P5.

Lap 51/66: Vettel is now being told to use KERS. Kovalainen has gone off at Turn 4, into the tyre barriers.

Lap 55/66: Hamilton closing on race leader Vettel.

Lap 56/66: Hamilton tailing Vettel’s RB7 now.

Lap 59/66: Perez passes Massa for P8. Heidfeld passes Massa for P9.

Lap 60/66: Massa has gone off into the gravel. He’s out with a gearbox failure.

Lap 61/66: Heidfeld overtakes Perez for P8.

Last lap: Sebastian Vettel crosses the finish line for first and scores another win today in Spain. Lewis Hamilton finishes second ahead of his team-mate Jenson Button, third. Fourth place for Mark Webber in the other Red Bull ahead of local hero Fernando Alonso, Mercedes GP’s duo with Michael Schumacher beating Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld in the first of the Renault’s, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi.

2011 Spanish Grand Prix, Race Results: