British GP 2012

JULY 8, 2012

Race Notes - Mark Webber wins British GP

Mark Webber, British GP 2012
© The Cahier Archive

In dry conditions, Mark Webber won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in his Red Bull-Renault, passing pole sitter Fernando Alonso in the closing laps, the Ferrari driver finishing second. 3.0 seconds behind. World champion Sebastian Vettel finished in third place in his Red Bull, 4.8 seconds behind the winner.

Webber wins his second British GP for Red Bull (2010, 2012), and takes his fourth podium at the event. It is the Australian's ninth career victory. Alonso maintains his lead in the Drivers championship by 13 points over Webber. Red Bull continues to leads the Constructors' championship over Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren.

Felipe Massa (9.5s) had a strong run in the Ferrari to finish in fourth place, followed by Kimi Raikkonen (10.3s) in the Lotus-Renault in fifth, his team mate Romain Grosjean (17.1s) in sixth, Michael Schumacher (29.1s) in the Mercedes GP was seventh, Lewis Hamilton (36.4s) in the McLaren-Mercedes was eighth, Bruno Senna (43.3s) in the Williams-Renault was ninth and Jenson Button (44.4s) in the McLaren finished in the final points paying position.

The weather was looking positive before the start with blue skies, after rain on the previous two days.

Vitaly Petrov had an engine problem on his way to the grid, and the mechanics are able to push the Caterham into the garage.

Alonso starts from pole-position in his Ferrari, with Red Bull's Webber alongside, Schumacher and Vettel in row two, Massa and Raikkonen on row 3, Maldonado and Hamilton on row 4 and Grosjean and Paul Di Resta on row 5. Nico Hulkenberg back to 14th after a five-grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Alonso, Hamilton, Grosjean and Di Resta run on the hard tyre compound tyres, while the rest of the top 10 are on soft tyres.

At the start Alonso takes the lead, from Webber and Schumacher. Massa passes Vettel for fourth. Di Resta is slow with a puncture after contact with Grosjean. Button up to 12th after starting 18th. Button, Grosjean and Kobayashi battling for 13th.

At the end of lap 1, Alonso leads Webber, Schumacher, Massa, Vettel, Pastor Maldonado, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Senna and Sergio Perez in 10th place.

On lap 2 Grosjean pits, switching to soft tyres. Massa is pressuring Schumacher for third, while Vettel is attacking Massa from behind.

On lap 4 Di Resta back in the pits. Massa sets fastest lap at 1m39.7s.

On lap 5 Grosjean in 22nd place sets fastest lap at 1m39.2s. Hamilton complains on the radio that he has no pace. Alonso has a 1.3 second lead over Webber.

On lap 7 Massa continues to chase Schumacher in third, the team telling him to use KERS in turn 7 and 13. McLaren tells Hamilton that his pace is the same as the others around him with the softer tyre compound. Schumacher has a long line of cars behind him.allowing Alonso and Webber to break away from the rest of the field. Grosjean sets another fastest lap at 1m38.9s, and is now up to 18th place.

On lap 11 Vettel pits from fifth place, switching to hard tyres and rejoins in 15th place. Maldonado and Perez pit the next lap. The two battle after rejoining and make contact, Perez is out on the spot with damage.

On lap 13 Schumacher pits for hard tyres. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m38.2s. DRS is disabled while Perez's car is removed.

On lap 14 Massa and Raikkonen pit, both switching to hard tyres. DRS is enabled again.

On lap 15 Button passes Senna for sixth place. Webber pits from second and takes hard tyres. Senna and Jean-Eric Vergne pit as well.

On lap 16 Alonso pits from the lead and takes another set of hard tyres. Rosberg pits as well. Vettel on fresh tyres sweeps past Button. Webber sets fastest lap at 1m37.4s.

On lap 17 Kobayashi, Hulkenberg, Button and Ricciardo all pit. Button switches to soft tyres, and rejoins in 12th. Webber sets fastest lap at 1m37.4s. Nico Rosberg and Button battle for 12th place.

At lap 16 Hamilton (still to pit), leads Alonso by 0.9 seconds, followed Webber (6.4s), Vettel (11.0s), Massa (12.8s), Schumacher (15.7s), Raikkonen (16.5s), Grosjean (20.8s), Kobayashi (24.6s) and Hulkenberg (26.6s) in tenth place.

On lap 19 Alonso passes Hamilton for the lead, Hamilton comes back to pass Alonso, but the Ferrari comes back and retakes the lead. Hamilton and De La Rosa are the only drivers yet to make their first pit stop.

On lap 22 Hamilton pits from second place, switching to softer tyres, rejoining in seventh place behind Raikkonen.

On lap 24 Raikkonen cleanly passes Schumacher at Brooklands for fifth place., Hamilton also makes the pass. Raikkonen sets fastest lap.

On lap 25 Alonso sets fastest lap at 1m37.0s.

At lap 25 Alonso leads Webber by 5.4 seconds, followed by Vettel (8.9s), Massa (11.9s), Raikkonen (17.5s), Hamilton (19.2s), Schumacher (20.5s), Grosjean (22.4s), Kobayashi (23.7s) and Hulkenberg (28.4s) in tenth place.

On lap 27 Grosjean is the first to make his second stop for another set of hard tyres, and rejoins in 13th.

On lap 29 Hamilton pits after only 8 laps, and switches back to the hard compound tyres, coming out in 12th ahead of Grosjean. Raikkonen sets fastest lap, then is bested by his team mate Grojean with a 1m36.4s. Ricciardo and Kovalainen pit the next lap.

On lap 31 Hamilton passes Rosberg for 11th place. Grosjean follows through and passes Rosberg as well. Senna pits from ninth and stays on hard tyres.

On lap 32 Vettel pits from third place, staying on hard tyres. Button pits as well, switching to hard tyres.

On lap 33 Vergne pits from 12th. Grosjean closes on Hamilton, the McLaren driver telling the team that the Lotus is much quicker at this point.

On lap 34 Webber pits from second place, taking another set of hard tyres. Kobayashi battles with Schumacher for sixth place. Button sets fastest lap at 1m36.3s. Raikkonen pits from third place, staying on hard tyres. Schumacher pits for hard tyres as well.

On lap 35 Grosjean passes Hamilton for eighth place. Massa pits from second place staying on hard tyres. Webber sets fastest lap at 1m36.1s. Hulkenberg pits from 6th place

At lap 36 Alonso leads Webber by 19.6 seconds (Alonso still needing to pit for soft tyres), followed by Vettel (25.0s), Massa (30.4s), Kobayashi (32.6s), Raikkonen (34.0s), Grosjean (39.2s), Hamilton (41.4s), Rosberg (43.7s) and Schumacher (46.7s).

On lap 37 Raikkonen sets fastest lap at 1m35.8s.

On lap 38 Alonso pits from the lead to make his final stop for soft compound tyres, remaining in the lead ahead of Webber in second. Kobayashi pits, locking-up as he came to a stop, knocking several of his mechanics down.

On lap 40 Grosjean sets fastest lap at 1m35.6s. Rosberg has a slow stop, with a problem at the right front. Red Bull tells Webber that Alonso with his soft tyres will be quick now, and that on the hard tyres Webber's best chance to pass Alonso would be at the end of the race. Webber is running 4.4 seconds behind the Ferrari. There are reports that there are no serious injuries at Sauber, one mechanic being taken for checks.

On lap 42 Grosjean sets fastest lap at 1m35.3s. hulkenberg, Senna and Button are battling for ninth place.

On lap 44 Webber has closed the gap to 2.2 seconds behind Alonso in the lead.

At lap 45 Alonso leads Webber by 0.5 seconds, followed by Vettel (6.4s), Massa (9.9s), Raikkonen (12.5s), Grosjean (16.9s), Hamilton (27.9s), Schumacher (28.7s), Hulkenberg (37.8s) and Senna (38.4s) in tenth place.

On lap 46 Webber closes within a second to inside the DRS activation zone of Alonso in the lead. Schumacher passes Hamilton for seventh place.

On lap 48 In a clean fight Webber passes Alonso for the lead. Webber then sets fastest lap at 1m34.9s. Alonso front tyres are starting to grain, and Webber pulls out a 1.3 second lead.

On lap 49 Raikkonen sets fastest lap at 1m34.6s.

On lap 51 Raikkonen, chasing Massa for fourth, runs wide but continues.

On lap 52 Senna passes Hulkenberg for ninth. Button and Kobayashi get past Hulkenberg as well, pushing the Force India driver out of the points.

Webber holds on to win the British GP over Alonso and Vettel.