Live text
Formula 1
Spanish GP
2011 Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix
Live AppleTV Race Audio
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
The Sebastian Vettel steam-roller continues with another victory, but McLaren will be buoyed by a strong performance from Hamilton, as he pushed the German all the way to the line.
Dark days at Ferrari though, as Alonso finishes one lap down at home after taking a sensational lead at the start, while the Mercedes race pace was decent - if not startling.
Notable drives down the field from both Sauber drivers and Nick Heidfeld, who scored eighth from the back of the grid. Lotus will also be very pleased with Jarno Trulli's first half of the race, before a potentially strong finish fell away with a long final stint.
This was the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix on AUTOSPORT Live. Thanks for your company over the last three days, and we will be back tomorrow with the early weather forecast for the jewel in the crown - Monte Carlo.
Dark days at Ferrari though, as Alonso finishes one lap down at home after taking a sensational lead at the start, while the Mercedes race pace was decent - if not startling.
Notable drives down the field from both Sauber drivers and Nick Heidfeld, who scored eighth from the back of the grid. Lotus will also be very pleased with Jarno Trulli's first half of the race, before a potentially strong finish fell away with a long final stint.
This was the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix on AUTOSPORT Live. Thanks for your company over the last three days, and we will be back tomorrow with the early weather forecast for the jewel in the crown - Monte Carlo.
The teams now face a race against time to pack up the circus and move on to Monaco, with practice there starting on Thursday.
Red Bull's constructors' margin edges out to 47 points, with McLaren limiting the damage today by splitting the Red Bull pair.
Vettel now has a 41 point lead in the standings over Hamilton. Webber is now third, a further 10 points behind, from Button and Alonso.
The champagne sprays on the podium on a hot afternoon in Catalonia and the drivers pose for the familiar race-ending photo on the top step.
Button takes the final award after making best use of his tyre conservation skills to come home a creditable third.
Lewis Hamilton takes his prize for second place. He is pleased and holds the trophy above his head after a great battle with Vettel.
Red Bull's head of aerodynamics, Peter Prodromou, is delighted as he collects the winning constructors' award.
Championship leader Vettel has a huge smile as he picks up the trophy for his 14th career victory.
That is followed by the Austrian national anthem for this afternoon's winning constructor - Red Bull Racing.
The drivers step out onto the podium and the German national anthem rings out once again for today's winner - Sebastian Vettel.
Three retirements in today's race: Massa with gearbox failure in the final stages, Kovalainen after an incident at Turn 4 deep into the race, and Liuzzi was the first casualty shortly after half distance.
Karthikeyan was the final finisher in 21st, some five laps down on Vettel.
Trulli had a great first half of the race, but it fell away to an eventual 18th place finish, well ahead of the two Virgin cars.
Sutil was 13th ahead of Buemi 14th, Maldonado 15th, Alguersuari 16th and Barrichello 17th.
Petrov was 11th ahead of di Resta 12th. Both had solid early stints in the race but it fell away in the latter stages.
Perez was ninth and Sauber gets both cars in the points with Kobayashi in 10th.
Vettel is clearly delighted with his fourth win of the year after brilliantly holding off Hamilton to the flag by 0.6 seconds.
Schumacher finishes sixth and 17.5 seconds behind Alonso, with Rosberg and Heidfeld right on his tail by the time they reached the line.
Alonso trails home, lapped, and a distant fifth after leading sensationally from the start.
Webber couldn't do anything about Button in the closing stages and can't be happy after starting from the pole.
Button makes the three stopper work to take a fine podium in his McLaren.
Hamilton takes second after a determined drive and just couldn't make it past for the lead in the closing stages.
An incredible drive from the championship leader to hold off Hamilton under massive pressure.
Lap 66: Sebastian Vettel wins the Spanish Grand Prix!
Lap 66: Round the slow chicane and is looks like the German will hold on ..
Lap 66: Vettel keeps a little bit of daylight between himself and Hamilton as they round Campsa with just half-a-lap to go.
Lap 65: They both get past without issue and go onto the final lap in Spain.
Lap 65: Hamilton tries to get in position through the final complex of corners as they come up to lap one of the HRTs.
Lap 64: The gap is just 0.6s as Vettel and Hamilton cross the line, with Button some 35 seconds back in third.
Lap 64: Heidfeld is on another storming lap and he cuts the gap to 8.1s with less than three laps to go.
Lap 63: Heidfeld took three seconds out of Schumacher and Rosberg on the last lap alone, with 1m26.958s.
Lap 63: Alguersuari gets clean out of the way and the next man to be lapped will incredibly be early leader Alonso.
Lap 63: Interestingly, Heidfeld is just 10.5s behind the Mercedes pair. They will have to get on with it.
Lap 62: Rosberg closes again on team-mate Schumacher as they fight for sixth. He is less than a second behind but has been stuck looking at that rear wing for most of the race.
Lap 62: Vettel is closing on Alguersuari to lap the Spaniard.
Lap 62: Ferrari has stated that Massa's retirement was caused by a gearbox problem.
Lap 61: Five laps remain in Spain as the battle continues for the lead.
Lap 61: Heidfeld has a go round the outside into Turn 1 and makes it through. Heidfeld takes eighth with Perez now ninth and Kobayashi 10th.
Lap 61: Massa pulls off to the side of the road at Turn 6 and that releases Kobayashi into the points. Massa is out of the race.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
Published:
Page:
