COOPER: Team by Team Indian GP

Formula 1

COOPER: Team by Team Indian GP

The inaugural Indian GP was a big event for F1...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted October 30, 2011 New Delhi (IND)

Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Red Bull Racing is applauded down the pitlane by his team after winning the Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit on October 30, 2011 in Noida, India. (Photo: Getty Images)

It might not have been a great race, but the inaugural Indian GP was a big event for F1, and it was not without its moment of intrigue. Sebastian Vettel may have made it look easy by taking pole, leading all the way and setting fastest lap, but Jenson Button kept him on his toes, and the McLaren man wasn’t too far behind.

In the end the usual RBR strategy of waiting for others to blink and pit paid off as Seb’s strategy played out. Yet again we saw great drives from both Button and Fernando Alonso and yet again we saw Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa attempt to share the same piece of asphalt – although this time, the Brazilian earned the wrath of the stewards. Here’s how the weekend went for all 12 teams.

Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel was edged out by Felipe Massa on Friday. But as ever on Saturday the German was in a class of his own as he took yet another pole. Mark Webber took a wrong direction with his car in FP2 but bounced back to take third, gaining a front row spot thanks to Hamilton’s penalty. Vettel had a near perfect Sunday, getting his start right, pitting later than his pursuers and thus leading every lap, and topping it off with fastest lap. Webber again had a bad first lap, losing a spot to Jenson Button. He ran third for the first two stints but after the last stops Alonso got ahead by making a later stop for the hard tire.

McLaren
Lewis Hamilton’s weekend got off to a bad start when the Englishman picked up a three-place grid penalty for a yellow flag offense in FP1. He qualified a strong second, but had to drop back to fifth. Team mate Jenson Button did at least benefit, moving up from fifth to fourth. Button did well to jump ahead of Alonso at the start and then get Webber later round the first lap. After that he kept the pressure on Sebastian Vettel for the whole race but was never close enough to be a real threat. Hamilton lost a spot to Massa at the start and collided with the Brazilian on lap 30. He eventually finished seventh.

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso qualified fourth and the Spaniard was happy to move up to third, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton’s penalty. Fastest on Friday, Felipe Massa had a big crash when his suspension broke on a kerb during his second qualifying run. He had to settle for sixth place. Alonso didn’t get away well and lost a place to Button. However he stayed in touch with third placed Webber and by making his final stop two laps later he was able to jump ahead of the Australian to claim third. Massa passed Hamilton at the start and the pair then collided on lap 23. He lost more ground with a drive thru penalty, and then retired after another front suspension failure when he hit a kerb on lap 33. Not a good weekend...

Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP drives during the Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit. (Photo: Getty Images)

Mercedes
Nico Rosberg qualified in his customary seventh place while managing to save a set of soft tires for the race. Michael Schumacher meanwhile suffered with a tire vibration in Q2 and narrowly missed getting through. Petrov’s penalty – ironically hit hitting Michael in Korea – at least moved him up from 12th to 11th. Rosberg ran seventh from the start and then gained two spots from the Massa/Hamilton collision. He then came under pressure from his own team mate, Schumacher, who had gained three places with another good start. Michael eventually got ahead with a later final stop (by five laps) as the pair finished fifth and sixth, the former champ having put in another impressive drive as his resurgence continues.

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Adam Cooper

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