Europe 2010

MOST OF THIS RACE REVOLVED AROUND A COLLISION BETWEEN MARK WEBBER (RED BULL) AND HEIKKI KOVALAINEN (LOTUS) ON THE EIGHTH LAP.

MARK HAD QUALIFIED IN 2ND PLACE BEHIND HIS TEAM-MATE, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, BUT, DESPITE FIGHTING EVERY INCH OF THE WAY AT THE START, CIRCUMSTANCES WERE SUCH THAT HE ENDED UP IN 10TH PLACE AT THE END OF THE FIRST LAP! THE TEAM DECIDED TO CALL HIM IN FOR AN EARLY CHANGE OF TYRES WITH THE INTENTION OF SLOTTING HIM BACK IN AT A POINT WHERE HE COULD MAKE PROGRESS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE PIT CREW HAD TROUBLE AGAIN WITH A FRONT WHEEL CHANGE AND HE LOST TIME. CLEARLY, HE WAS DESPERATE TO MAKE UP FOR THIS AND, WHEN HE CAME UP BEHIND HEIKKI, HE POSITIONED HIS CAR TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE 'TOW' FROM THE LOTUS. AT THIS POINT THEY WERE ACTUALLY FIGHTING FOR POSITION SO THERE WERE NO BLUE FLAGS BEING WAVED.

WHAT MARK DID NOT APPRECIATE UNTIL HIS CAR WAS EXECUTING A PERFECT BACKWARD, MID-AIR ROLL WAS THAT THE LOTUS DOES NOT HAVE THE GRIP OF A RED BULL AND THUS HEIKKI WOULD BE BRAKING FOR THE CORNER EARLIER THAN MARK. RESULT - THE CLOSING SPEED WAS TOO GREAT FOR MARK TO HAVE TIME TO TAKE AVOIDING ACTION AND HE WAS LAUNCHED INTO THE AIR OFF THE BACK OF THE LOTUS.

MARK'S CAR LANDED UPSIDE DOWN AT 150 M.P.H., BOUNCED ONTO ITS WHEELS AND THEN WENT FRONT-FIRST INTO THE TYRE BARRIER. MARK WAS VIRTUALLY UNHARMED APART FROM MINOR BRUISING AND CLIMBED OUT OF THE CAR AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED! HEIKKI WAS SIMILARLY LUCKY IN THIS PURELY RACING INCIDENT.

THE SAFETY CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED. AT THIS POINT VETTEL WAS IN THE LEAD, HAMILTON 2ND AND ALONSO 3RD. VETTEL WAS AHEAD OF THE SAFETY CAR LINE AS THE SAFETY CAR EMERGED FROM THE PIT-LANE BUT LEWIS WAS CAUGHT IN A MOMENT'S INDECISION AND INADVERTENTLY PASSED THE SAFETY CAR FRACTIONALLY AFTER THE NOSE OF THE SAFETY CAR CROSSED THE SAFETY CAR LINE. THIS EARNED HIM A DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY, WHICH HE SERVED BUT STILL EMERGED IN 2ND PLACE MUCH TO THE CHAGRIN OF FERNANDO ALONSO, WHO HAD BEEN CAUGHT BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR AND ENDED DOWN THE ORDER.

AT THE SAME TIME AS THIS WAS HAPPENING, THOSE CARS WHICH HAD NOT PASSED THE PIT-LANE ENTRANCE, WERE ABLE TO DIVE INTO THE PITS TO CHANGE TYRES. THE FIRST OF THESE WAS JENSON BUTTON, WHO SAID AFTERWARDS THAT HE WAS COMING IN ANYWAY, BUT ALL TOLD HE AND EIGHT OTHER DRIVERS WERE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE RACE FOR NOT HAVING DRIVEN ACCORDING TO COMPLEX SAFETY CAR RULES. THEY WERE ALL PENALISED BUT CLEARLY THE STEWARDS DID NOT CONSIDER THAT THE MINOR INFRINGEMENTS HAD SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED SAFETY BECAUSE THE PENALTY WAS TO ADD 5 SECONDS TO THEIR RACE TIMES. THIS RESULTED IN MINOR CHANGES TO THE FINAL ORDER.

KAMUI KOBAYASHI, IN HIS FERRARI-ENGINED SAUBER, DID NOT PIT AT THE SAFETY CAR INCIDENT AND WAS FAST ENOUGH TO HOLD 3RD PLACE FOR THE REST OF THE RACE AND PREVENT JENSON OVERTAKING. EVENTUALLY, WITH 3 LAPS TO GO HE HAD TO UNDERGO THE MANDATORY CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TYRE. THAT ENABLED JENSON TO TAKE 3RD ON THE PODIUM AND DROPPED KAMUI INTO 10TH PLACE BEHIND ALONSO IN 9TH BUT IT DID NOT PREVENT HIM OVERTAKING ALONSO FIRST AND THEN SEBASTIEN BUEMI ON THE FINAL CORNER TO TAKE A WELL-DESERVED 7TH PLACE.

OTHER CHANGES OF FORTUNE SAW WILLIAMS REJUVENATED - RUBENS BARRICHELLO FINISHED 4TH AND NICO HULKENBERG GOING WELL BEFORE HAVING TO RETIRE - AND MERCEDES GOING THE OTHER WAY - NICO ROSBERG 12TH AND MICHAEL SCHUMACHER 15TH.

Race Results posted by
David Little
28th June 2010

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