Live text
Formula 1
European GP
2011 European Grand Prix The European Grand Prix
Live AppleTV Race Audio
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
DRS was brought into the sport this season to aid overtaking, but it looks like virtually nothing can help overtaking around Valencia, apart from driver mistakes.
Vettel led away from the start and produced another dominant display. Alonso and Webber pushed hard at times, but you always had the feeling that the champion had things under control.
McLaren struggled this afternoon and, after two weeks in the limelight following Button's win in Canada, it's back to the drawing board at the McLaren Technology Centre in preparation for the team's home race, while the fear over Mercedes race pace proved to be correct.
This was the 2011 European Grand Prix on AUTOSPORT Live. Thanks for joining us over the course of the weekend. We will be back with all the usual coverage for the British Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Vettel led away from the start and produced another dominant display. Alonso and Webber pushed hard at times, but you always had the feeling that the champion had things under control.
McLaren struggled this afternoon and, after two weeks in the limelight following Button's win in Canada, it's back to the drawing board at the McLaren Technology Centre in preparation for the team's home race, while the fear over Mercedes race pace proved to be correct.
This was the 2011 European Grand Prix on AUTOSPORT Live. Thanks for joining us over the course of the weekend. We will be back with all the usual coverage for the British Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Red Bull's advantage is also sizable in the constructors' race, with an 89 point margin over McLaren and Ferrari 166 points adrift in third.
Hamilton is now fourth, 89 behind the runaway leader, with Alonso now almost 100 points off the top of the table in fifth place.
Vettel's score is now 186 and a massive 77 point margin over a tie between Button and Webber.
Vettel, Morgan, Alonso and Webber stand atop the podium for the traditional end-of-race winners photo, having cooled down a touch with the champagne.
The champagne sprays on the podium at the end of a very hot, but sadly processional European Grand Prix.
Webber accepts his third-place award after a typically fighting drive to some solid points for himself and the team.
Fernando Alonso receives his award for second place. The crowd goes wild after a good drive from the local hero.
Red Bull's Ian Morgan picks up the constructors' award after another dominant victory for the Milton Keynes-based team.
Vettel once again collects the winner's trophy and smiles as he surely reflects on his cruise towards a second title.
That is followed by the Austrian national anthem for today's winning constructor - Red Bull Racing.
The drivers step out onto the podium to huge applause and the German national anthem rings out for today's winner - Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel is of course delighted with his 16th career victory as he cruises back to the pits and ever closer towards retaining his title
Glock, D'Ambrosio, Liuzzi and Karthikeyan bring up the rear and all 24 cars completed the race - the highest number of finishers ever.
so Kobayashi demoted at the end, with Schumacher 17th, Maldonado 18th, Kovalainen 19th and Trulli 20th.
Out of the points: Perez finishes 11th with Barrichello 12th, Buemi 13th, di Resta 14th. Petrov passed Kobayashi at the end to grab 15th.
Sutil ends up ninth with Heidfeld taking the final point for Renault in 10th.
Alguersuari holds off the challenge from Sutil over those closing laps to take eighth - a great effort after his long middle stint.
Rosberg also had a quiet afternoon with a lack of race pace from Mercedes, ending up in seventh place.
Button couldn't find much speed in the McLaren today either and comes home a distant sixth.
Massa suffered from a costly slow pitstop and ends up fifth for Ferrari.
Hamilton has struggled with tyre wear today and takes fourth after a frustrating afternoon.
The Australian takes solid points for third place, nursing a gearbox problem home to the flag.
Alonso takes second for Ferrari to the delight of the crowd, brilliantly coming out on top of a strategic fight with Webber.
Another dominant performance from the runaway championship leader, taking an effortless sixth win of the season.
Sebastian Vettel wins the European Grand Prix!
Lap 57: Sutil has his best chance yet at Turn 17 but cannot get it done.
Lap 57: Sutil is again close through the slow corners but it looks like Alguersuari will hold on to eighth here.
Lap 57: Vettel is on course for victory as he begins the final lap in Valencia.
Lap 56: Sutil is right there as they come through Turn 12 but isn't able to make a move. On the second straight he is much further back.
Lap 55: Sutil gets close in the slow corners but cannot get close enough to the Toro Rosso in the DRS zone where it counts.
Lap 55: Kobayashi versus Petrov for 15th is the only other battle on the circuit.
Lap 54: Webber has almost 30 seconds to fourth-placed Hamilton, so should be able to tour in to the flag.
Lap 54: Sutil is getting a serious shift on in the closing laps. He has almost caught Alguersuari and we may have a fight for eighth over the last two laps.
Lap 54: Webber is warned of a developing gearbox problem on his Red Bull and is asked to short shift in low gears.
Lap 53: Di Resta posts his best lap of the race so far in response to that radio message - but it doesn't even equal Buemi last lap time.
Lap 53: Five laps remain in a lacklustre European Grand Prix.
Lap 53: Di Resta is told over the team radio that he could have both of them - an optimistic radio transmission to say the least.
Lap 52: Barrichello is 12th with Buemi 1.3s back and di Resta a further 1.7s down.
Lap 52: Heidfeld is a further four seconds back in 10th with Perez close behind him.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
Published:
Page:
