Fernando Alonso on his victory and why he stopped the car:
It’s difficult to express in words how I feel at the moment it’s a special
feeling. I had the opportunity in 2006 to win in Barcelona and now I have
done the same here in Valencia with a special team with the grandstands full
of red and Spanish flag. There’s a lot of Spanish atmosphere and I feel very
proud to be involved in Spanish sport at the moment. It’s my favourite
victory in terms of emotions. We had a problem in the car and stopped it.”
Interesting email from John Giles regarding Alonso’s celebrations.
John, as far as I remember Hamilton was sent to the back of the grid in
Barcelona for stopping his car on the track rather than returning to pits. I
understand you can park up after the race.
Did Alonso actually drive his car into Parc fermé? I seem to remember Hamilton
being disqualified recently because he stopped his car on the circuit in
order to have enough fuel for subsequent testing…
Pastor Maldonado’s take on the collision with Lewis Hamilton
He tried to put me out of the track we were side be side and I jumped over the
kerb I couldn’t avoid the accident I don’t know why he was driving that
that. I was making good pace it’s difficult but he made an unimpressive
movement on me.”
Alonso clearly overwhelmed and looks like he is tearing up on the podium as
the national anthem is belted out. The Ferrari team all in fine voice. He’s
the first driver to secure a second win this season and he is back on top of
the championship standings and 20 points clear of second place Mark Webber.
Lewis Hamilton slips to third while defending champion Vettel is in 4th.
Schumacher delighted to have finished a race and he is FINALLY on the
podium after such a dismal season, wonderful achievement for him he’s the
oldest man to get on the podium since 1970.
FranallF1, is Valencia boring?
“On the contrary Valencia is second to Monte Carlo in my
opinion. It’s a refreshing change from the purpose built tracks that all
look like clones of one another! GP fan of 30 years”
Lap 57 well I think that was Maldonado’s fault but they were
wheel-to-wheel, Hamilton had the advantage and I think replays show that to
be the Williams fault. Either way, Maldonado has lost position and for now
Schumacher is third.
Lap 56 it’s all going wrong for Hamilton he is now under huge pressure
from Maldonado and they went wheel-to-wheel. Hamilton for now stays on the
podium but it’s not over and that was very gutsy driving from the Williams. HAMILTON
IN THE WALL HE IS OUT
Lap 55 Hamilton locking on corner 25 and Raikkonen has made some ground
and an error from Hamilton but somehow the McLaren holds his position! How
Raikkonen didn’t take second I don’t know! But second time’s a charm and RAIKKONEN
GOES SECOND
Lap 54 let me know your thoughts on Massa, just seen he is way back
down in 16th, think he will finish the season with Ferrari? I imagine he has
another week of speculation coming up. Schumacher and Webber take the
position from Di Resta, Force India on a one-stop and his tyres are giving
up.
Lap 53 Schumacher is past the Sauber and there’s some traffic here
between 6-9. Webber also over takes and there’s a late surge from these two
cars! Schumacher now 7th, Webber 8th and Di Resta in 6th wants to watch out
Lap 52 Alonso being very vocal on the radio, but unfortunately I don’t
speak Italian so if any of you can translate that, be sure to send it my
way! No further action between Ricciardo and Petrov
Lap 51 Raikkonen struggling with the dirty air coming out of Hamilton’s
car and is now over a second behind the McLaren. Schumacher doing well in
8th and has set his sights on Perez. it’s even turned out ok for Senna who
at one point was in the pits for almost a minute and then handed ad rive
through, he looks set to finish out side the points but will no doubt be
happy with 12th.
Lap 50 Hamilton currently driving faster that Alonso the gap has dipped
under four seconds again.
Lap 49 busy afternoon it’s been for the stewards, now Petrov and
Ricciardo under investigation. Schumacher makes a move on Button and
overtakes for 8th and no sooner has he lost that position, Webber makes the
same challenge so suddenly Button is desperately holding on for a single
point.
Lap 48 Petrov’s car not looking normal and that’s because he’s lost his
front wing, he’s heading into the pits, there was contact with Ricciardo in
the Toro Rosso and the latter was sent airborne. Kobayashi handed five-place
penalty for Silverstone for causing the earlier accident that led to his
retirement.
Lap 47 Alonso pulling further ahead and almost four seconds clear,
fantastic Mexican wave from the crowd following the Spanish driver all
around the circuit. Di Resta and Perez are duelling for 6th but I imagine
the Force India will be forced to yield, he’s on a one-stop strategy so his
tyres will not hold out 10 laps of defensive driving.
Susannah Baring Tait in Costa Rica:
“I can’t believe another pit mess-up for Hamilton, and now he is under
investigation. Seems these things happen only when I’m watching. Yes, I
missed the Montreal race!!
Lap 45 this could be a heck of an 11 laps, both Hamilton and Raikkonen
have been told they are in with a chance of wining this race. Hamilton needs
to pull his finger out though as he’s currently in danger of losing 2nd.
Further back, Maldonado is in 4th and Hulkenberg in 5th while Button is 8th
and Webber is in 11th battling to get into the points.
Sebastian Vettel on his retitrement:
We don’t know yet [what the problem was], I lost drive on the straight down
to 17b and I had to give way. The engine stalled and switched off and there
was nothing we could have done but it’s not clear what the issue is. The
safety car was not ideal for us; it might be that the retirement is in some
regards down to the safety car. It’s a shame.”
Lap 43 Webber and Schumacher duelling for 11th but the German isn’t
making life easy. Alonso flying at the front and is a good three seconds
ahead of Hamilton…but the McLaren is three tenths quicker on lap time and
the team think they can get a win out of this.
Lap 42 so now Alonso remains in the lead and now it’s for Hamilton to
challenge for the lead. How bizarre what is going on with these cars this
afternoon that’s four retirements. Raikkonen now on the podium with Alonso
and Hamilton if it remains like this.
Lap 41 Alonso reacting to Grosjean’s pressure and clocks a 1:43:66. But
hold your horses Webber is on the charges. HOLD ON, GROSJEAN’S RACE IS
OVER!
Lap 39 Button has turned this around a little, well he is back up to
his grid position having spent much of the afternoon out of the top 10.
Karthikeyan has been handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit
lane. Button under pressure from Perez in the Sauber but holds position for
now.
Lap 38 less than a second now between Alonso and Grosjean, what are the
chances we’re going to see out 8th winner of the season? Also safe to say
Grosjean will be the most hated man in Valencia if he makes this overtake.
Hamilton is just over two seconds behind the Frenchman
1-10 Alonso, Grosjean, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Schumacher, Webber,
Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Di Resta
Think I must apologise for my earlier tweet saying I though Valencia was a
dull track. Andy Holgate, Gavin Fox, I’m sorry!
“Who says Valencia is boring?? This is excellent! Come on Grosjean,
get past Alonso.”
Lap 36 still no clue as to what happened to Vettel’s race. Alonso has a
lot of work to do, this race is by no means over and Grosjean behind him has
better tyres as things stand and still 21 laps to go! WHAT A RACE
Lap 35 So it looks like Massa is staying in this race but is not going
to score any points, not helped by his team putting the wrong tyres on his
care. Hamilton is back in with a chance here! Don’t write him off he’s just
overtaken Ricciardo for 3rd. Astonishing that Vettel’s car is being pushed
off by stewards while cars go past!
Lap 34 Alonso challenging Grosjean for second AND IS THROUGH! Spanish
crowd on their feet for Alonso who is now making a move on Vettel! And
there’s contact between Kobayashi and Massa, the Ferrari has a puncture!
Hamilton makes a move on Raikkonen and is through to take. ALONSO LEADS
AS VETTEL’S RACE ENDS
Lap 33 safety car preparing to come in and the race is back underway!
Lap 32 lapped cars have overtaken the safety car and this is where this
might just spice up even more! Vettel was over 22 seconds out in front,
let’s see what Grosjean and Alonso have from the re-start.
Thank you Andy Holgate for pointing out the problem with my email
address! Please re-send if I haven’t posted yours.
“Lotus win today for Grosjean I think. Button has imploded this
season. Time to retire. I’d like Kimi as my chauffeur. Not only a good
driver but has a personality as well. “
Lap 31 safety car remains out and there’s a huge number of changes in
the order. Alonso is now up to third behind Grosjean and Vettel. This safety
car time has done Ferrari very well the Spaniard was back in 11th. Ricciardo
is 4th with Raikkonen behind.
Lap 30 DISASTER IN THE PITS FOR MCLAREN Hamilton is overtaken by Alonso
after problems with the jack and it may be fair to say another McLaren
garage worker’s career just bit the dust!! I’ve lost count of how many times
this has happened this season. The guy in the right of the picture, you can
just tell he’s messed up.
Lap 28 and it looks like we have out first retirement of the afternoon,
Heikki Kovalainen and Jean-Eric Vergne make contact and it results in a
punctured rear left for the Toro Rosso and a punctured front right for the
Caterham. SAFETY CAR IS OUT
Lap 27 Webber’s gained a place and is now 13th and chasing Schumacher.
Button pits for the second time and is now on the harder compound.
Hulkenberg really must be getting on Massa’s nerves in 8th he’s not letting
go and it’s a great drive from the Force India so far this afternoon.
Lap 26 1:44.4 the fastest time this afternoon and it’s come from Romain
Grosjean. Alonso now gaining on Hamilton and they could well be side by side
in a few laps time. Vettel now 20 seconds ahead of grosjean in second,
Hamilton nine behind the Lotus.
Lap 25 Massa told by Rob Smedley he “needs to look after the rears
we’re still in a position for good points”. Not sure what’s going on
with the Red Bull but Webber has dropped back to 14th. Such a shame for
Senna this afternoon, he was really looking like he’d responded to the
pressure being put on him by team-mate Maldonado. He’s completed his
drive-through penalty.
Lap 24 Drive through penalty for Senna, now I did not expect that to be
the result of that investigation but I won’t argue.
Lap 23 investigation by the stewards into the incident and it’s Senna
and Kobayashi that are the subject of that. Di resta losing a lot of time
here now and Force India need to bring him in…the team are in the pits and
waiting.
Here’s the bird’s eye view of Senna’s spin
Lap 22 Di Resta struggling with the rear tyres and told “not many
more laps to go” he’s the only car that hasn’t pitted and will be alone
in going for a one-stop strategy.
1-10 Vettel, Grosjean, Hamilton, Alonso, Di Resta, Raikkonen, Maldonado,
Massa, Hulkenberg, Button
Lap 21 there will be an investigation into that incident, Senna is in
the pits and that’s hugely damaging to his race. Senna did exceptionally
well not to end up smashing into a wall there.
Lap 20 Raikkonen and Senna have touched and the Williams car spun out!
Fantastic recovery for him and it looks like his race is over. Also damage
to Kobayashi’s front wing.
1-10 Vettel, Grosjean, Di Resta, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso Schumacher
Senna, Raikkonen, Webber
Lap 19 fantastic defensive driving from Schumacher but he is forced to
yield on the fourth turn. Webber and Schumacher caled into the pits
Lap 18 Alonso makes the move on Webber down the outside and DOES! The
Spanish crowd are on their feet as their man takes another place and is up
to 8th. Forget that he’s up to 7th having taken Senna and next up is
Schumacher. Alonso tries but the German holds him up. Hamilton furious on
the radio, McLaren tactics not working for him.
Lap 17 Grosjean also brought into the pits but given the advantage he
had, Vettel is back in front, great strategy from Red bull this afternoon,
Webber now chasing Senna for 7th but the Australian has Alonso behind.
Lap 16 So Alonso has pitted, blink and you miss it, that was fantastic.
he’s now on the soft option and he emerges in front of the Lotus of
Raikkonen in 9th. All these pits mean that behind leader Vettel is Grosjean
[2nd] and Paul Di Resta [3rd]. Vettel pits and gets on the sift tyres. GROSJEAN
LEADS
Lap 15 traffic in the pits there Lotus, Force India and Williams all in
at the same time. Lewis told to “take a few cars” while his tyres
are fresh. Basically, move it. He reacts immediately and makes the move on
Maldonado, Hamilton up to 7th and now he chases Alonso.
Lap 14 Hamilton comes into the pits and it’s good from McLaren, he’s
now onto the medium compound. Hamilton emerges behind Senns in 12th place.
Alonso has ganied another place and is up to 5th having overtaken
Maldonado…the Williams not showing the pace it was during qualifying.
Lap 13 Webber’s up to 14th now thanks to a number of pits stops, Button
came out from his stop is 19th. Vettel now 12.5 seconds ahead. Alonso being
told he needs to push having overtaking Hulkenberg. Teh Ferrari is now 7th
and shownig good speed. GREAT DUEL between Raikkonen and Maldonado and the
Lotus takes 5th place. Great move, wheel-to-wheel racing!
Lap 12 I think Hamilton’s just been told he needs ton change the front
wing when he stops. Massa is in the pits and it’s a good stop for Ferrari,
they’ve been the best team in the stops so far this season. Raikkonen
creeping up behind Maldonado now and is almost close enough to challenge for
5th. Kimi playing it safe at the moment but that position swap doesn’t look
far off.
Lap 11 Perez has been in the pits and is followed by Jenson Button.
Lap 10 Vettel’s lead now up 10 seconds, Grosjean getting close to
Hamilton in second and he makes the move AND OVER TAKES! GROSJEAN GOES
SECOND! wonderful move by the Lotus driver round the outside of the
breaking zone on turn 13
Lap 9 what do we think, can all 23 cars finish this race? last year all
24 completed with no problems, I would imagine more than anyne Michael
Schumacher wants to see that chequered flag this weekend…he’s had a
nightmare season so far. Further forward, Alonso is putting the prerssure on
Hulkenberg, he’s within touching distance.
1-10 Vettel, Hamilton, Grosjean, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Raikkonen,
Hulkenberg, Alonso, Di Resta, Massa
Lap 7 Vettel now over eight seconds ahead at the front of this race, in
6th and 7th Raikkonen and Hulkenberg doing well to hold off a threat from
Alonso. Di Resta assured he is doing a good job and the critical signs on
the rear of the car are reducing. Good news for the Brit who is still coping
well with Massa behind.
Lap 6 Sebastian Vettel the fastest driver out there with a 1:45:4. Di
Resta being told to “lift and coast” in a bid to control the rear
of his car. He’s currently in 9th but under a lot of pressure from Felipe
Massa. Further back, Button remains in 12th and he lost three places at the
start of this race, in his rear mirrors he will see Schumacher. Webber
making no progress from 17th just yet.
Lap 5 look at Kobayashi, great duel between him and Grosjean for third
place. Hamilton told he is doing a “great job” at the moment, he
may question that if he knew how many secnds out in front Vettel was but the
McLaren team will want to read their opposition strategy a little better
this time, they came close to making a fatal error in Canada.
Lap 4 looking at the replay of the start Raikkonen played it safe and
held off to avoid a collision with Maldonado. Great driving from Hulkenberg
this afternoon, he put great pressure on Rosberg at the start and forced the
Mercedes to yield.
Here’s the latest from our man Tom Cary down at the track:
Just back from the grid. It’s a breezy 26C in Valencia today, around 10C
cooler than when I arrived on Thursday. The Fleet St sweepstake is in full
swing. I’m playing the percentages today, going for Vettel, Hamilton and
Maldonado to finish in the order they start. I don’t really think that’s
likely to happen – we think the Lotuses may be pretty quick here – but then
no one has correctly predicted the top three at any race this season so the
rollover is huge. I am therefore banking on a Valencia procession and will
be happy to be proved wrong or right.
Lap 3 Incredible speed from Red Bull at the moment, that or McLaren
have a huge problem – Vettel is clocking times that are two seconds faster
than his closest threat. Rosberg told his tyre temperature is approaching
the critical point, he needs to look after them if he wants to salvage this
race.
Lap 2 Grosjean got into third then and also a great start from
Kobayashi who has jumped from 7th to 4th with Maldonado behind in 5th.
Webber – who you will remember started back in 19th – has climbed to 17th.
Lap 1 Rosberg made a terrible start from 6th and is now back with
Schumacher in 11th. Massa claims a place from Rosber. Alonso showing great
speed and comes close to overtaking Hulkenberg but the Force India holds for
now. Button drops from 9th to 13th.
First corner: Vettel makes a great start and Hamilton was in danger
there but just holds place! Raikkonen is over taken and Grosjean gets into
third! All cars safely through first corner.
1302 so what do you all think? Vettel for the win? Let me know your
thoughts, cars on the grid and here we go, round eight, Valencia Street
Circuit….
12:59 driver son their formation lap. Looks like Webber, Schumacher,
Perez and Vergne are on the medium tyre compound. Everyone in the top 10 on
the soft option.
12:57 Pretty stuffy then for the drivers this afternoon, it’s 26
degrees in Valencia and climbing meaning the track temperature currently
stands at 44 degrees.
How they line up:
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull)
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren)
2nd row
Pastor Maldonado (VEN/Williams)
Romain Grosjean (FRA/Lotus
3rd row
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Lotus)
Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes)
4th row
Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/Sauber)
Nico H|lkenberg (GER/Force India)
5th row
Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren)
Paul di Resta (GBR/Force India)
6th row
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Ferrari)
Michael Schumacher (GER/Mercedes)
7th row
Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari)
Bruno Senna (BRA/Williams)
8th row
Sergio Perez (MEX/Sauber)
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/Caterham)
9th row
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Toro Rosso)
Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA/Toro Rosso)
10th row
Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull)
Vitaly Petrov (RUS/Caterham)
11th row
Pedro de la Rosa (ESP/HRT)
Narain Karthikeyan (IND/HRT)
12th row
Charles Pic (FRA/Marussia)
Timo Glock (GER/Marussia) no longer racing due to illness
Jenson Button’s in a better mood this afternoon, he’s starting in 9th
and this is the latest from him:
I have a positive attitude and I have that today. I watched the replays
from last year and I overtook on turn 1-2. There’s no issues and I think
from where were are and have a good strategy we could still have a good race.”
12:48 prediction time? I have a feeling Vettel’s going to get his
hat-trick this afternoon and first corner and pit-stops providing I think
Hamilton will join him in second. My interest this afternoon is the Williams
v Lotus races in 3/4/5th. Maldonado looked great in qualifying but
Grosjean’s consistency across all seven races this season makes me think
he’ll join the McLaren and Red Bull on the podium.
12:42 more F1 news from this week and plans for a London Formula One
Grand Prix on a track running in and around the Olympic Stadium is among the
bids being considered for London 2012’s showpiece arena. According to our F1
man Tom Cary:
The ambitious plan could allow another British round of the world
championship – Silverstone is locked into a long-term deal – to be staged in
Stratford is one of four bids accepted for consideration by the London
Legacy Development Corporation earlier this year. The bid was tabled by a
company based in Wanstead, east London, which discussed its plans with
Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone before finalising its bid.
Valencia in numbers:
- Laps: 57
- Race distance: 308.883km/191.930miles
- Lap record: 1min 38.683secs (Timo Glock, 2009)
- 2011 pole position: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1min 36.975secs
- 2011 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
- 2011 fastest lap: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1min 41.852secs
- Number of corners: 25 (11 left/14 right)
- Tyre compounds to be used: medium/soft
- Overtaking chance: very low
- 2011 winning strategy: 3 stops (laps 14, 30, 47)
12:35 While Vettel is on pole today, it was not such a great day for
his team-mate Mark Webber. The Australian is near the back of the grid
[19th] having struggling with similar problems to practice when he spent
most of the final session in the pits while his team frantically tried to
fix hydraulic and gearbox issues with his car.
Dejected, Webber said:
We had no DRS. That’s worth 1.3 seconds, so it makes it very difficult when
you have no DRS. The car’s put up a big fight today. We’ve only managed four
laps all day, and three of those were in qualifying. We had one lap on
primes at the start and then went to the pits because the gearbox hydraulics
were playing up. The guys did the right thing by putting me onto the options
because we were in a desperate situation there to try and get through
because it’s very tight. The laptime wasn’t too bad given the DRS was out,
but it doesn’t do anything to help our situation. So now we have to do what
we can tomorrow.It’s a big hit for us. With this one and Barcelona, that’s
two difficult qualifyings through no fault of my own, but that’s the way it
can go over 20 races.”
12:25 Championship leader Hamilton starts alongside Vettel on the front
row this afternoon though questions were asked about whether or not he
should have been penalised after qualifying yesterday. Mercedes driver Nico
Rosberg claimed the McLaren driver had impeded his performance and forced
him to slow down just before he started his fastest flying lap in Q3…
Rosberg said:
In this case, me and (Pastor) Maldonado were arriving flat out, and Lewis was
driving extremely slowly all of a sudden. It’s just a very dangerous
situation, and that’s what the rule is there for. At the same time, as a
side point, it did ruin my lap because I started the lap stuck behind him.”
Havnig been summoned to the stewards office immediately after the third
session however, Hamilton was found to have done nothing wrong.
A statement was then released which read:
The sector time for Car 4 (Hamilton) was actually faster than a time set
previously in that same sector by Car 8 Nico Rosberg, which is an indication
that Car 4 was not being driven unnecessarily slowly between turns 21 and
25. The smallest gap between Car 4 and Car 8 was 18 metres and 1.1 seconds.”
12:18 The latest from Valencia this morning and there was disappointing
news for Marussia who announced that Timo Glock is not well enough to race
this afternoon and is suffering with an intestinal infection. He missed
qualifying yesterday and a medical examination dictated that the German is
too unwell to compete.
Marussia released the following statement:
“Further to the medical problem which prevented Timo from participating
in yesterday’s qualifying session, the Marussia F1 Team can confirm that
Timo is unable to compete in today’s race. Timo received medical guidance
yesterday afternoon and his symptoms suggest he is suffering from an
intestinal infection. He has been advised that it would be unwise for him to
race given the severity of the complaint and that he should focus instead on
recuperating.”
12:15 Good morning/afternoon/evening, it’s time for round eight of the
season, the European Grand Prix and Valencia’s turn to host. Sebastian
Vettel yesterday took a third successive pole position for Red Bull after
clocking the fastest time during qualifying. It was ye4t another record
levelling day for the 24-year-old as he claimed his third pole of the year
and 33rd of his career, equalling F1 legends Alain Prost and Jim Clarke.
Having seen him in practice on Friday I can’t say I thought he would take it
as he’d struggled for pace, but he drove a stunning final lap to finish
almost half a second ahead of his closest rival and front row company today,
Lewis Hamilton.
How they line up:
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull)
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren)
2nd row
Pastor Maldonado (VEN/Williams)
Romain Grosjean (FRA/Lotus
3rd row
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Lotus)
Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes)
4th row
Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/Sauber)
Nico H|lkenberg (GER/Force India)
5th row
Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren)
Paul di Resta (GBR/Force India)
6th row
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Ferrari)
Michael Schumacher (GER/Mercedes)
7th row
Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari)
Bruno Senna (BRA/Williams)
8th row
Sergio Perez (MEX/Sauber)
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/Caterham)
9th row
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Toro Rosso)
Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA/Toro Rosso)
10th row
Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull)
Vitaly Petrov (RUS/Caterham)
11th row
Pedro de la Rosa (ESP/HRT)
Narain Karthikeyan (IND/HRT)
12th row
Charles Pic (FRA/Marussia)
Timo Glock (GER/Marussia) no longer racing due to illness