2011 Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix 2011 was held on 22 May at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló place and was the fifth race of the Formula 1 2011 season.
- 3.1 qualifying
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
After the Turkish Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel led the drivers' championship with 34 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 38 points ahead of Mark Webber. Red Bull -Renault resulted in the constructors' championship with 43 points ahead of McLaren -Mercedes with 83 points ahead of Ferrari.
At the Grand Prix of Spain Pirelli met for the first time this season with altered tire compounds to. The previous tire compound hardware has been replaced by a new variant curing. Name and mark ( silver) of the tire remained the same. In addition, Pirelli introduced the drivers the soft tire compounds (yellow), as well as for wet conditions Intermediates (light blue ) and Full - Wets (orange ) are available.
With Michael Schumacher ( six times ), Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button and Webber ( once each ) were five former winners of this Grand Prix.
Training
In the first free practice last year's winner Webber posted the fastest lap ahead of his teammate Vettel and Nico Rosberg.In this training took over Nico Hülkenberg the Force India of Paul di Resta and Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi. In the second free practice Webber kept the top position. Hamilton and Vettel followed in second and third places. In the third free practice Vettel set the fastest lap ahead of Webber and Schumacher.
Ferrari has released its new rear wing with Gurney Flaps have to prepare before the last training in Barcelona, because they were non-compliant.
Qualifying
In the first segment of qualifying, Schumacher posted the fastest lap. The HRT and Virgin pilots and Nick Heidfeld, Rubens Barrichello and Jarno Trulli retired from. Heidfeld scored no time and thus did not manage to qualify within the 107- percent rule. He was subsequently the permission to start the race. In the second section Vettel drove to the front of the field again. The Force India, Sauber and Toro Rosso drivers and Heikki Kovalainen retired from. In the third section Webber set the fastest time and scored his first pole position in the season. Vettel, who started the race in the first four races from pole position, finished second ahead of Hamilton, who finished third.
Race
Alonso, who went from fourth place on the grid, had of the front pilot the best start. He overtook the start ahead of him Vettel on the inside line and took the lead. Webber, who started from pole position, fell back to third place. Also a good start were Schumacher, who drove up from tenth to sixth place, and Heidfeld, starting improved to the 19th position from last place. In the following rounds the positions at the top remained unchanged, the leading four drivers, Alonso, Vettel, Webber and Hamilton, sat down, however, from the fifth-placed Vitaly Petrov. In the meantime, Button, who had dropped back to tenth place at the start, made with an overtaking maneuver against Buemi a good position.
Having already had graduated from the midfield her first pit stop a few pilots, Vettel went into the ninth round to the pits and remained on soft tires. He fell back to ninth place, but improved in the first round after his stop by overtaking against Button and Massa to seventh place. One lap after Vettel led Alonso and Webber also by their first pit stops. While Hamilton took the lead, Alonso held the position ahead of Vettel, who was directly behind him on the track. Webber fell, as before Vettel, Button and Massa behind back. A little later, however, succeeded in both button and Webber to overtake Massa.
After Hamilton's stop on lap 11 Alonso took again the lead of the race. Hamilton went through the later pit stop to Webber, who had meanwhile overtaken button over and took the third position. As with the first stops there was this time Vettel, who was the first pilot of the lead group made its first stop in the 18th round. He switched on his third set of soft tires. After Alonso and Webber were in the next round in the pits, Vettel was in front of the cyclists. Hamilton led the race during which time until his second pit stop. In lap 22 Heidfeld led as the last pilot by his first pit stop. He was started on hard tires and still had three new sets of soft tires for the remaining races. After 28 rounds with Vitantonio Liuzzi fell from the first pilot. The HRT - pilot was forced to retire with gearbox problems.
Vettel and Hamilton dropped off in subsequent rounds of Alonso and Webber on top. Button, who was once on the box, finished in fifth place. In the 29th round of Alonso and Webber completed again at the same time their third pit stop. Since both pilots had consumed her soft sets of tires, they changed the hard tire compound. One lap later led Button, who was on a different strategy, his second pit stop by. Webber increased in the following rounds the pressure on Alonso, but took several rounds to perform an overtaking maneuver. Alonso just to counter and Webber to overtake back succeeded. A little later both drivers were overtaken by Button.
Meanwhile, Vettel and Hamilton were also the third time in the pits. However, their positions did not change. The two racers had already moved out a bigger lead over Button, Alonso and Webber. However, your fourth pit stop completed Alonso and Webber not at the same time. Alonso moved to the 39th, Webber in the 47th round. By the later pit stop, Webber was able to go past Alonso. Alonso also had problems, good lap times to go with the hard tires. Shortly after Webber's pit stop completed even Vettel, Button and Hamilton their final pit stops. However, Vettel lost the lead with short duration and at Hamilton, she took over after his stop again. With the change of leadership succeeded Hamilton, however, to drive the 10,000 lead lap of a McLaren in Formula 1.
A little later, Kovalainen retired with a driving error. While the yellow flags were shown, Hamilton posted the fastest lap, and Button and Webber her personal best. After the race investigations against the three pilots were conducted, sanctions did not exist but.
While there are no changes came more to the front positions, there were shifts to the rear point rankings. Massa was overtaken first by Sergio Pérez and then by Heidfeld. While Heidfeld also Pérez went over, Massa was forced to retire with a gearbox problem the race after 58 laps.
Vettel eventually won the race ahead of Hamilton, Button and Webber. All other pilots did not come on the lead lap to the finish. Alonso was in front of the Mercedes drivers Schumacher and Rosberg fifth. Heidfeld finished the race in eighth place in the race and made thus 16 positions well. Pérez, who drove in ninth place ahead of his teammate Kamui Kobayashi across the finish line, scored his first points in Formula 1
In the world championship Vettel extended his lead. The positions remained unchanged on the front seats. In the constructors Red Bull -Renault and McLaren -Mercedes put forth from the other teams.
With Sebastian Vettel for the sixth time in a row won another driver. For the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix in 2000 did not win the pole sitter.
Message list
Classifications
Qualifying
Race
WM stands after the race
, The first ten of the race were 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point (s).