Fernando Alonso started 11th on the grid in his Ferrari at the European Grand Prix in Valencia and won the race in his home country of Spain, on a weekend where his national soccer team also chalked up a victory, and he gave the Spanish fans a surprise celebration they never expected. It was an unlikely scenario as Sebastian Vettel had scored pole position in his Red Bull and led the race until his car broke down on Lap 35 and he dropped out.
There was so much action at the end of the race that Michael Schumacher, who had been climbing up the pack passing cars throughout the race – on a track where passing is so difficult – suddenly found himself in third place for the first time since his return to Formula One in 2010 after three years of retirement. After two and a half years’ of criticism, the German driver, the greatest in history, finally, at the age of 43, got the final word. Now for a victory!