Turkey 2010
MARK WEBBER TOOK A SPLENDID POLE POSITION AGAIN - HIS 3RD IN SUCCESSION - AND MCLAREN MANAGED TO SPLIT THE TWO RED BULL DRIVERS WITH LEWIS HAMILTON WHILST JENSON BUTTON WAS 4TH BEHIND SEBASTIAN VETTEL. JENSON'S FINAL HOT LAP WAS RUINED WHEN MICHAEL SCHUMACHER SPUN OFF ON THE FAMOUS TURN 8 AND THE YELLOW FLAGS MEANT JENSON HAD TO BACK OFF.
THE RACE ITSELF SAW A FAIRLY CLEAN START, APART FROM A FEW CONTACTS BETWEEN CARS AT THE REAR OF THE FIELD. MARK COULD NEVER SHAKE OFF LEWIS, AN INDICATION THAT MCLAREN HAVE IMPROVED THEIR CAR. SCHUMACHER GOT PAST JENSON WHO WAS BLOCKED AT THE START BUT JENSON SOON MADE SHORT WORK OF GETTING BACK AHEAD BEFORE THE END OF LAP 1.
THE FIRST PIT STOPS CHANGED THE ORDER. LEWIS AND MARK PITTED TOGETHER BUT THERE WAS A SMALL PROBLEM WITH ONE OF THE MCLAREN'S REAR WHEELS. THE DELAY MEANT THAT LEWIS CAME OUT IN 3RD PLACE BEHIND THE TWO RED BULLS. SO FOR MANY LAPS THE 2 RED BULL CARS LED THE 2 MCLARENS WITH ONLY A FEW SECONDS COVERING 1ST TO 4TH BUT THE 'TRAIN' EXPLODED WHEN SEBASTIAN TRIED AN OVERLY AUDACIOUS MOVE ON WEBBER, NEVER GOT COMPLETELY AHEAD AND, WITH THE TWO CARS ONLY INCHES APART, TURNED INTO MARK'S CAR AND OFF THEY BOTH WENT.
SEBASTIAN NEVER REGAINED THE TRACK WHILST MARK GOT BACK IN THE RACE BUT WAS NOW BEHIND THE TWO MCLARENS. JUST BEFORE THE END OF THE RACE JENSON AND LEWIS SHOWED HOW TWO TEAM-MATES SHOULD BEHAVE. IN A SCINTILLATING SERIES OF CORNERS, JENSON MADE HIS MOVE ON LEWIS AND THEY CONTINUED WHEEL-TO-WHEEL UNTIL JENSON GOT AHEAD AT THE LAST CORNER BEFORE THE START/FINISH STRAIGHT.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PLACED HIM AT LEWIS'S MERCY BECAUSE LEWIS WAS ABLE TO GET A GOOD TOW DOWN THE STRAIGHT AND GET ONTO THE INSIDE OF JENSON AT TURN 1 SUFFICIENTLY TO SQUEEZE AHEAD. AFTER WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED WITH THE RED BULL CARS, THE WHOLE OF THE MCLAREN PIT MUST HAVE BREATHED A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF WHEN THE TWO CARS EMERGED UNSCATHED FROM THIS SPECTACULAR BATTLE. BUT BOTH DRIVERS DID NOT BECOME WORLD CHAMPIONS WITHOUT COMBINING SKILL WITH RESPONSIBILITY - IT WAS JUST BREATHTAKING TO SEE.
THEY FINISHED IN THIS ORDER BECAUSE THEY WERE BOTH IN FUEL-SAVING MODE AND INTENT ON TAKING MAXIMUM POINTS AND, IN THE PROCESS, LEADING THE CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP, AND ALSO THEIR TWO DRIVERS IN 2ND (BUTTON) AND 3RD (HAMILTON) BEHIND THE DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER, STILL MARK WEBBER.
FERRARI NEVER FEATURED IN THIS THEIR 800TH F1 EVENT - FINISHING 7TH AND 8TH - AND IT DOES SEEM THAT THE CARS ARE LACKING THIS YEAR. MERCEDES PICKED UP 4TH AND 5TH BUT STILL NEED TO SORT OUT THEIR VERSION OF MCLAREN'S F-DUCT.
APART FROM THE VICTORS, ONE TEAM THAT CAN TAKE SOME PLEASURE FROM THIS RACE IS SAUBER - AFTER A DIFFICULT START REBUILDING THE TEAM AND CAR AFTER BMW WALKED AWAY, BOTH CARS FINISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR AND KAMUI KOBAYASHI MANAGED TO STAY AHEAD OF HIS TEAM-MATE, PEDRO DE LA ROSA, TO CLAIM THE TEAM'S FIRST POINT IN 10TH, HAVING QUALIFIED THERE ON SATURDAY.
WITH CANADA NEXT, MCLAREN SEEM TO BE COMING GOOD AND THIS IS ONE OF THE TRACKS TO SUIT THEIR CAR WHILST RED BULL SEEM TO CONTINUALLY SHOOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT. SHOULD BE INTERESTING!
STARTING GRID
| | | |
| 1.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 2.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 3.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 4.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 5.
|
Michael Schumacher
|
| 6.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 7.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 8.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 9.
|
Vitaly Petrov
|
| 10.
|
Kamui Kobayashi
|
| 11.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 12.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 13.
|
Pedro de la Rosa
|
| 14.
|
Sebastien Buemi
|
| 15.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 16.
|
Jaime Alguersari
|
| 17.
|
Nico Hulkenberg
|
| 18.
|
Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
| 19.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 20.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 21.
|
Timo Glock
|
| 22.
|
Bruno Senna
|
| 23.
|
Lucas di Grassi
|
| 24.
|
Karun Chandhok
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 2.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 3.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 4.
|
Michael Schumacher
|
| 5.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 6.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 7.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 8.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 9.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 10.
|
Kamui Kobayashi
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Mark Webber
|
93
|
| Jenson Button
|
88
|
| Lewis Hamilton
|
84
|
| Fernando Alonso
|
79
|
| Sebastian Vettel
|
78
|
| Robert Kubica
|
67
|
| =Felipe Massa
|
67
|
| Nico Rosberg
|
66
|
| Michael Schumacher
|
34
|
| Adrian Sutil
|
22
|
Constructors :
|
| McLaren
|
172
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
171
|
| Ferrari
|
146
|
| Mercedes
|
100
|
| Renault
|
73
|
| Force India
|
32
|
| Williams
|
8
|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
4
|
| BMW Sauber
|
1
|
| Lotus
|
0
|
| Hispania Racing
|
0
|
| Virgin Racing
|
0
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
31st May 2010
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