Korean GP 2011

OCTOBER 16, 2011

Race Notes - Vettel wins Korean GP, Red Bull clinches Constructors title

Sebastian Vettel, Korean GP 2011
© Active Pictures

World Champion Sebastian Vettel won the Korean GP comfortably in the Red Bull-Renault, followed by Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren- Mercedes 12.0 seconds behind and Mark Webber in the second Red Bull in third place, 12.4 seconds behind the leader.

Red Bull and Vettel taking their tenth win of the season, Vettel's 20th career victory, tying Mika Hakkinen in the all-time list. Red Bull has clinched the Constructors' Championship with three races remaining.

Jenson Button (14.6s) finished fourth in the McLaren-Mercedes, followed by Fernando Alonso (15.6s) in the Ferrari in fifth, his team mate Felipe Massa (25.1s) in sixth, Jaime Alguersuari (49.5s), in the Toro Rosso-Ferrari in seventh, Nico Rosberg (54.0s) in the Mercedes GP in eighth, Sebastien Buemi (62.7s) in the second Toro Rosso in ninth and Paul di Resta (68.6s) in the Force India-Mercedes in the final points paying position.

With the race approaching the conditions were getting dark and windy, with a light drizzle of rain falling - the meteorologists saying the afternoon would be dry though.

Most drivers expecting to do three stops this afternoon, the soft tyres look to last 20 laps, while the super-soft are expected to last 10 laps. All the drivers in the top ten on super soft tyres except for Sutil in 10th on soft tyres.

At the start Hamilton takes the lead from Vettel. Some contact at the back of the field but everyone continues.

On the run to turn three Vettel battles on the outside of Hamilton, and Massa comes down the inside of Button to take third place. At the next corner Vettel takes Hamilton down the inside and takes the lead. Webber passes Masa for third.

At the end of lap 1, Vettel leads Hamilton, Webber, Massa, Alonso, Button, Rosberg, Vitaly Petrov, Di Resta and Michael Schumacher in tenth.

On lap 3 Vettel leads Hamilton by 1.2 seconds. Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m45.2s. Alguersuari takes 11th place from Adrian Sutil. Reports of some light rain falling.

On lap 5 Buemi passes Pastor Maldonado for 14th. Schumacher passes Di Resta for ninth.

Di Resta complaining to the team of front tyre graining.

On lap 7 Alguersuari passes Di Resta in the DRS zone for tenth. Vettel up to a two second lead. The two Ferraris closing on Webber in third.

Spots of rain continue to fall. Hamilton complains of a vibration.

On lap 9 Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m44.7s. A front wing from an HRT sits to the side of the track.

2.9x seconds, followed by Webber(7.1s), Massa (8.7s), Alonso (9.6s), Button (10.2s), Rosberg (12.4s), Petrov (16.6s), Schumacher (19.5s) and Alguersuari (21.4s) in tenth place.

On lap 11 Kamui Kobayashi and Rubens Barrichello are the first to pit. Button pressuring Alonso for fifth place. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m44.4s. Sergio Perez passes Bruno Senna for 15th place. Di Resta pits.

On lap 14 Alonso pressures his team mate Massa for fourth. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m44.3s. Button and Rosberg pit - Rosberg get out ahead of Button, but Button gets ahead accelerating out of the first corner when Rosberg locks-up. Rosberg slipstreams him and repasses Button at the next corner.

On lap 15 Webber, Massa, Petrov, Schumacher and Buemi all pit. Button passes Rosberg for seventh at turn 3.

On lap 16 Hamilton and Alonso pit. Alguersuari, yet to pit, runs in second place. Button passes Sutil for fifth place. Button sets fastest lap at 1m43.6 seconds.

At turn 3 Petrov runs up the rear of Schumacher and the two make contact Petrov breaking his front wing, Schumacher's rear wing deranged. Petrov had passed Alonso with DRS down the straight and came into the corner with too much speed.

On lap 17 Vettel pits from the lead and changes to super-soft tyres.

The safety car is deployed for the debris. Schumacher pulls off the track and retires. Petrov pits, the car pulled into the garage to see if the team can fix it.

On lap 18 Alguersuari pits for the first time.

The order behind the safety car is Vettel followed by Hamilton, Webber, Button, Rosberg, Massa, Alonso, Alguersuari, Di Resta and Sutil in tenth. Maldonado runs next followed by Buemi, Perez, Kobayashi, Barrichello, Senna, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock, Daniel Ricciardo, Jerome d'Ambrosio and Vitantonio Liuzzi in 23rd.

Button is told on the radio that with softer tyres than Webber that he should try to get by at the restart.

At the start of lap 21 the race resumes, the order of the leaders remains the same. At turn 3 Button looks up the outside of Webber, and then is side-by-side at turn 4. Webber stays ahead. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m42.5s. Maldonado is given a drive-through for hitting a ballard entering the pits.

On lap 22 Kobayashi and Senna make contact but continue. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m42.2s.

Petrov's collision will be investigated after the race.

On lap 24 Senna passes Kobayashi into the first corner - Kobayashi passes back in the DRS zone - Senna repasses again the next corner.

Kobayashi pits the next lap and get tyres and a new front wing, which had minor damage from coming together with Senna.

At lap 25 Vettel leads Hamilton by 1.1 seconds followed by Webber (2.9s), Button (6.6s), Rosberg (11.1s), Massa (11.6s), Alonso (12.1s), Alguersuari (14.2s), Di Resta (17.2s) and Sutil (18.4s) in tenth place.

Alonso pressures Massa.

On lap 27 Rosberg locks up his brakes at turn 3 and both Ferrari get past the Mercedes. Hamilton starts to close on Vettel.

On lap 28 Rosberg pits. The front three separated by only two seconds.

On lap 29 Maldonado pits. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m42.2s. Senna pits from 14th.

On lap 31 Buemi passes Di Resta for ninth place. Webber closes on Hamilton. Di Resta and Barrichello pit. Maldonado retires in the garage.

On lap 33 Hamilton and Webber battle side-by-side - Hamilton staying ahead. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m42.0s.

On lap 34 Hamilton and Webber pit at the same time, Hamilton staying ahead. The battle continues the two run side-bt-side corner to corner but Hamilton stays ahead, just.

On lap 35 Vettel, Button and Massa all pitting. Alonso leads still needing to pit. Webber sets fastest lap at 1m41.7s. Sutil pits the next lap.

At lap 35 Alonso leads Vettel by 4.1 seconds followed by Alguersuari (8.3s), Hamilton (125s), Webber (12.9s), Button (15.1s), Buemi (20.7s). Massa (22.4s), Perez (26.1s) and Sutil (26.1s) in tenth place.

On lap 37 Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m40.8s.

On lap 38 Alonso pits from the lead and rejoins in fifth place finally ahead of his team mate Massa. Alguersuari pits as well from third. Kovalainen pits the next lap.

On lap 39 Alonso sets fastest lap at 1m40.9s. Vettel now leads Hamilton by 10.5 seconds. Alonso goes faster the next lap at 1m40.6s, and again on lap 41 at 1m40.5s, starting to close on Button in fourth place. Webber continues to run close behind Hamilton.

At lap 45 Vettel leads Hamilton by 11.7 seconds, followed by Webber (12.0s), Button (13.7s), Alonso (16.8s), Massa (22.4s), Rosberg (38.8s), Alguersuari (40.0), Di Resta (51.3s) and Buemi (52.8s) in tenth place.

On lap 47 Webber gets side-by-side into turn 3 at the end of the DRS zone, but can't get past Hamilton.

On lap 48 Webber closes on Hamilton again, Button closing on the pair, while Alonso continues to run the fastest laps on the field.

On lap 49 Webber dives down the inside of Hamilton in the first corner, but Hamilton charges back with DRS and re-passes the Red Bull.

On lap 50 Di Resta passes Buemi for ninth place. Barrichello pases his countryman Senna for 13th place. Webber sets fastest lap at 1m40.5s. Alonso closes o under a second behind Button.

On lap 54 Alonso, under a second behind Button, says on the radio "I give up, I give up".

Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m40.4s. Perez pits. Alguersuari tries to pass around the outside of Rosberg, but can't make the move stick.

On the final lap Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m39.6s as he gets the chequered flag, followed by Hamilton, Webber, Button and Alonso. Alguersuari passes Rosberg and takes seventh place.

Red Bull takes the Constructors' Championship. Both Alonso and Rosberg run out of fuel on the way back to the pits, while the two Red Bulls run side-by-side.