Brazilian GP 2010

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Race Notes - Vettel wins Red Bull 1-2 at Brazilian GP

Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Brazilian GP 2010
© The Cahier Archive

Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian GP in commanding fashion in his Red Bull-Renault, leading home his team mate Mark Webber in second by 4.2 seconds, and championship leader Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari in third place, 6.8 seconds behind.

The win is Vettel's fourth of the season and the team's eighth. With the 1-2 finish Red Bull clinches the Constructors Championship with one round to go. Alonso leads the Drivers' Championship with 246 points to Webber with 239, Vettel with 231 and Hamilton with 222 - the four drivers go to the final round with a mathematical chance at the title.

Lewis Hamilton (14.6s) in the McLaren-Mercedes finished in fourth, followed by his team mate Jenson Button (15.5s) in fifth, Nico Rosberg (35.3s) in the Mercedes GP in sixth, his team mate Michael Schumacher (43.4s) in seventh, Polesitter Nico Hulkenberg (1 lap) in the Williams-Cosworth in eighth, Robert Kubica (1 lap) in the Renault in ninth and Kamui Kobayashi (1 lap) in the BMW Sauber-Ferrari in the final points position.

Before the start, Sebastien Buemi was dropped to 19th, and Adrian Sutil to 22nd on the grid due to their penalties in the Korean GP.

Christian Klien in the HRT has a problem coming to the grid. The Austrian driver will start from the pitlane.

Rookie Nico Hulkenberg, winning his first pole position yesterday, leads the field around to the grid.

At the start. Vettel takes the lead, from Hulkenberg at the first corner. Webber takes second place from him at the fourth corner.

At the start of lap 2, Alonso tries to pass Hamilton on the outside of turn 1, but Hamilton holds on - Alonso keeps the pressure up and Hamilton makes a mistake, and Alonso passes for fourth place.

On lap 3 Schumacher passes Button for ninth place.

Alonso pressures Hulkenberg for third place.

At lap 5, Vettel leads Webber by 2.6 seconds, followed by Hulkenberg (8.0s), Alonso (8.3s), Hamilton (8.8s), Kubica (9.8s), Barrichello (10.5s), Felipe Massa (11.0s), Schumacher (12.0s) and Button (12.8s) in tenth place.

On lap 7 Alonso passes Hulkenberg for third place, and pulls out a gap and chases the Red Bulls, 8 seconds up the road. Hamilton tries to pass Hulkenberg on the outside of the first turn the next lap, but Hulkenberg stays ahead. Hamilton tells his team that he has no grip with his option tyres.

Alonso has clear track in front of him and is lapping in the 1m17s range, but is several tenths slower than the Red Bulls, and is losing ground.

Webber sets fastest lap in the 1m16s, Vettel barely behind his time.

On lap 12 Button pits from tenth place - he rejoins 18th. Massa pits on the next lap from 11th - he rejoins in front of Button, but the McLaren driver passes him on the run down to corner 4.

On lap 14 Rubens Barrichello pits and has a slow stop with trouble with the right rear tyre. Massa pits again with a wheelnut problem with the right front tyre, but rejoins.

On the next lap Hulkenberg, Kubica and Nick Heidfeld pit. Hulkenberg comes out behind Button. Jaime Alguersuari pits the next lap, and then Vitantonio Liuzzi.

On lap 18 Button passes Vitaly Petrov for tenth place. Sebastien Buemi pits from seventh place the next lap.

Alonso is now matching the pace of the Red Bulls. Massa sets fastest lap.

On lap 20 Hamilton pits from fourth and Schumacher from sixth - Hamilton rejoins in from of his team mate.

At lap 21 Vettel still leads Webber by 2.9 seconds, followed by Alonso (13.0s), Rosberg (31.9s), Kobayashi (39.4s), all yet to pit, followed by Hamilton (43.9s) in sixth, Button (44.9s), Adrian Sutil (47.7s), Schumacher (48.1s) and Hulkenberg (49.7s) in tenth place.

Vettel reports his tyres are in good shape. Hamilton sets fastest lap. The Red Bulls start to break into the 1m16s laps again.

On lap 25 Alonso pits from third place, with a fast stop switching to the harder tyre,rejoining still in third.

On lap 26 Vettel pits from the lead, rejoining in second place ahead of Alonso. Hamilton passes Kobayashi for fifth place into the first corner.

Webber pits from the lead on the next lap, with a 3.5 second pit stop, comes out in second place behind his team mate. Rosberg pits from fourth place - rejoining in seventh place behind Button.

Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m15.969. Kobayashi, Sutil and Lucas di Grassi have still not pitted.

Webber and Vettel continue to trade fastest laps.

On lap 29 Button passes Kobayashi for fifth place.

At lap 30 Vettel leads Webber by 2.8 seconds, followed by Alonso (16.3s), Hamilton (26.9s), Button, (32.5s), Kobayashi (34.2s), Rosberg (38.4s), Sutil (43.4s), Schumacher (44.2s) and Hulkenberg (44.9s) in tenth place.

On lap 30 Di Grassi pits.

Alonso asks his Ferrari pit what the pace of the Red Bulls is, and the team reports that they are out of touch of their pace.

On lap 35 Barrichello tries to pass Alguersuari on the outside of the first corner for 13th place - the two touch and Barrichello limps around to the pits with a punctured left front tyre and rejoins 1 lap down.

Hamilton asks the team if his F-duct is still working, and the team report back to him that it is.

On lap 39 Rosberg passes Kobayashi into the first corner for sixth place.

Schumacher pressures Sutil for eighth place, a line of cars following closely behind. Di Grassi pulls into the garage, the mechanics start working on the car.

At lap 45 Vettel continues to lead a closing Webber, 1.5 seconds behind, followed by Alonso (16.0s), Hamilton (27.4s), Button (37.7s), Rosberg (49.2s), Kobayashi (59.3s), Sutil (67.3s), Schumacher(68.0s) and pole-sitter Hulkenberg (68.9s) in tenth place.

On lap 48 Vettel laps the Ferrari of Massa in 15th place. Di Grassi rejoins the race after several laps in the garage.

On lap 49 Kobayashi pits from seventh place switching to the softer tyre and rejoins 15th. Vettel pulls out his lead to 2.5 seconds again.

On lap 51 Liuzzi loses it on the outside curb of the second corner, and crashes into the barrier. The Safety Car is deployed as the car is stuck in an hard-to-reach position.

Hamilton, Sutil, Heidfeld, Massa, Petrov, Barrichello and Klien all pit. Rosberg and Button pit the next lap.

On lap 53, behind the Safety Car, the order is Vettel leading Webber, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher, Rosberg, Hulkenberg, Kubica, Alguersuari in tenth, Buemi, Kobayashi, Sutil, Heidfeld, Massa, Petrov, Barrichello, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock and Bruno Senna in 21st place.

On lap 54 Rosberg pits again, taking on super soft tyres.

At the end of lap 55 the Safety Car pulls in and the race continues - Vettel still in the lead. With the field mixed with backmarkers, the order remains the same. Rosberg passes Schumacher for sixth.

On lap 56 Vettel sets the fastest lap breaking the 1m15s mark.

On lap 58 Massa passes sutil for 13th place.

On lap 60 Buemi and Massa come together - Massa runs wide but both continue.

At lap 60 Vettel leads Webber by 4.4 seconds, followed by Alonso (9.4s), Hamilton (16.4s), Button (18.0s), Rosberg (21.1s), Schumacher (23.3s) on the lead lap, followed by Hulkenberg, Kubica and Alguersuari in tenth place, all a lap down.

On lap 62 Alonso sets fastest lap.

On lap 63 Sutil and Buemi touch - Sutil taking 12th place. Hamilton sets fastest lap.

On lap 66 Heidfeld pits for a drive-through penalty.

On lap 67 Di Grassi pits.

Alonso closes to six seconds behind the leader, but the order remains the same to the flag and Vettel wins his fourth victory of the season - Red Bull wins the 2010 Constructors' Championship. Alonso, Webber, Vettel and Hamilton go to the final round of the season, still with a mathematical chance to win the title.