Formula 1 : Sebastian Vettel Sees Formula One title Race as Wide Open

Asked whether he still saw Britain's Lewis Hamilton as a nominee now that the 2008 champion has enthused from race winners McLaren to the Mercedes team that was far less aggressive last year, the German nodded.

"I think the way that last season started, with a lot of dissimilar teams and drivers winning the races, there's nothing that speaks beside it occurrence again this year," he told journalists after his first drive of the new Red Bull RB9 on Thursday.

"The policy hasn’t really changed. At some stage I think it will be getting even earlier at the top and consequently everyone is in the follow." Last year started with seven diverse winners in the opening seven races and ended as a combat between Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso as the top teams got on summit of the Pirelli tires.

Pirelli have changed the complex for this year with the aim of hopeful overtaking and introducing more stops. Vettel cited the example of Williams, who won in Spain last year because they were fast fairly than lucky, and optional the same could happen again with less-fancied teams enjoying their instant in the spotlight.

"We contain to wait and see. Even if after the last Barcelona test you have a definite favorite, it could be all different in Australia. It's a different track and a different warmth. It's departing to be a long season," he said.

F1 - Lewis Hamilton believes Fernando Alonso is the best

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton considers Fernando Alonso of Ferrari is the best driver in the sport and said that he has a lot of esteem for the Spaniard. Hamilton and Alonso were colleagues at McLaren in 2007. However, they failed to expand a good relationship with each other because of their strong rivalry. Moreover, the two-time world champ left the Working based just after one year.

Even though, they had were never close to each other in the past, but lately Alonso has respected the British driver and called him one of the premium drivers in the field. Additionally, the 31-year-old thought that he considers the 2008 world champion his biggest opponent in Formula 1.

Meanwhile, Hamilton has said that his association with Alonso has got improved and he is pleased to obtain such respects from his old colleague. “My relationship with Fernando has got a lot better,” Hamilton told F1 Racing journal. “Finally we've got past 2007 - more so on his side than on excavate.”

“It seems that he finally realize me as a driver, as I appreciate him. It's equivalent between us now,” he said. “I believe he's the most excellent and he said that in Brazil regarding me. I love that he has that esteem for me, since I have that respect for him.”

The Briton was well in the title argument in 2012, but unhappily he faced some technical issues which gave gone his chances of winning the championship. Nonetheless, he is assertively looking forward to deliver his greatest at Mercedes in this season. It will be exciting to see how he performs beside Nico Rosberg in this year’s championship.

Lewis Hamilton pulls out from Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton powered to pole location ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber as contest leader Sebastian Vettel was pressed to the back of the grid for a fuel violation at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix here on Saturday. Winner of the pole location in its opening year in 2009, Hamilton gave himself the best probable chance to reduce Vettel’s points mitigate with a time of 1:40.630 in the final part of be eligible at the Yas Marina Circuit. 

Vettel, who was conditionally to start beside Williams Team driver Pastor Maldonado, was penalized for violate Article 6 for “holding insufficient measure of fuel” and accordingly sent to the back of the grid by the stewards in a verdict that was at large nearly five hours after succeed had ended. Vettel and a Red Bull official were called in to clarify why the car had stopped instantly on the track after the chequered flag and not been driven back to the depths under its own authority. 

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is Vettel’s neighboring rival for the world crown this period just 13 points adrift of the 25-year-old German, who is aspire for a third directly world title with just three rounds residual. Due to the late modify, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen accordingly will start on the second row with Maldonado, while Hamilton’s McLaren colleague Jenson Button scaled down to fifth beside Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in sixth place. 

Meanwhile, McLaren was left to rejoice their 75th pole position win since it conventional Mercedes engines on board, and Hamilton, who suffered equal sentence at the Spanish Grand Prix, could not conceal his enjoyment. “Very excited, very excited,” he thought. “It’s the first time for a long time to be in advance of the Red Bulls, and not to be considering the tail of them at the start of the race. The team has done a incredible job with some real development to the car.

Supreme Vettel secures victory

Sebastian Vettel took a leading victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, holding off a late charge from Jenson Button whose second place ensured the title hunt will stay alive for at least another round.

Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are now all mathematically out of the running after finishing third, fourth and fifth on the streets of Singapore. Button was the only man to take the fight to Vettel but the champion elect's attentiveness never wavered and he was rewarded with his ninth victory of the season.

He led contentedly from the start of the race, extending his advantage at more than a second a lap through the early stages. He then responded to the possible danger of a safety car period by pulling out a similarly imposing lead at the restart before defending from Button's late charge over the final ten laps.

The McLaren was within 1.7s of Vettel at the chequered flag after pushing hard on super soft tyres and trying to take benefit of back markers. However, closing the gap was one thing while really passing Vettel would have been another challenge completely and in the end the Red Bull never looked under serious threat. Webber was 27.5s behind Button in third, with Alonso another 26.1s down the road in fourth.

Sebastian Vettel deserves title say Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has paid honor to his rival Sebastian Vettel, saying the Red Bull driver deserves to win the world title this season.

Vettel can be crowned this Sunday if he wins and Alonso is lower than third with McLaren's Jenson Button and Red Bull's Mark Webber lower than second.

Alonso said: "He's been the best driver, (with) the best team. They justify to be where they are."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton added Vettel had been "exceptional this year".

Vettel said he was going to treat the Singapore weekend like any other race.

"So far we haven't won anything," the German said. "(There is) still some way to go, we have to race and do our best.

"It is a long way to the chequered flag. Certain things have to happen, and it reminds me a little bit of the condition we had in Abu Dhabi last year when people came up and gave me another choice every five minutes.

"The target is to optimise our performance. The target has been to protect our title, there is no reason why the target should change."

And Vettel starved of he felt under any extra pressure this weekend because of the championship being so close.

McLaren says team and drivers 'will remain taking risks'

A series of mistakes have proved costly for the team in 2011 with Jenson Button yielding that the title has now gone.

When asked by BBC Sport whether McLaren would continue to take risks, the team's managing director Jonathan Neale said: "Yes, very much so.

"We're dissatisfied with not endearing but [Formula 1] is not a game of being risk-adverse."

Button and McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton are 117 and 126 points correspondingly behind Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings with 150 remaining.

The two drivers have each won two races this period but also racked up two retirements apiece with the team, at times, failing to capitalise when they had the quickest car at convinced points in the season.

Button saw his race end early when the team did not completely safe his right front wheel in the pits at the British Grand Prix, while, at Spa, the 2009 world champion had to battle from 13th on the grid to third after a "miscommunication" with his team in qualifying.

In Hungary, Hamilton lost the lead when he made the wrong tyre choice and stopped out in Belgium when he tried to pass the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi.

And in Canada, the two drivers banged wheels during the race. Button went on to win but Hamilton was required to retire.

Lewis Hamilton: I'll get my season back on track in Valencia

Lewis Hamilton says he wants to get his season back on track and 'consolidate' in Valencia next weekend, after two concerned grand prix.

The McLaren star's title bid has gone off the rails in recent weeks, starting with a disordered Monaco event that saw him twice penalised for colliding with rivals, and then making contentious comments about the race officials, for which he later apologised.

He hoped to make compensation with a great result in Canada, only to punt Mark Webber into a spin at the first bend, run wide while dicing with Michael Schumacher, and then retire with crash damage after a tangle with his team-mate Jenson Button - who went on to pull off a brilliant last-gasp victory.

Hamilton is therefore aiming for a calmer weekend in Spain to resolve things down again.

"For me, Valencia will be a weekend of consolidation after two disappointing results in Monaco and Canada," he said.

"Those two races were chiefly frustrating for me because we showed we had the pace to win both of them, yet I only came away with eight points."

He said the Spanish street track used for the European Grand Prix was one of his favourite venues, so would be the perfect place to mount a resurgence.

"I've always gone well at Valencia, finishing second there in every race, and I really enjoy offensive the track," said Hamilton.

"It's a hard circuit with no let-up, but that won't deter me as I'm really keen to get back on track and get back in the points.

"This race will be our third street circuit in a row, so expectantly it'll give me the chance to reverse the bad luck I've encountered in the previous two."

Hamilton added that he was now certain McLaren had the pace to beat Red Bull in a straight fight, after he hounded Sebastian Vettel to the flag in Spain, and given that Button came close to charming in Monaco and then pulled off his epic Montreal triumph.

"We've debatably had the fastest race car in the last three races, and that's really encouraging because I know that, when it's put to best use, I should be able to finish at the front," said Lewis.

Hamilton eyes strong result

Hamilton was forced to make a handful of apologies in the wake of his controversial sixth-placed finish in the principality 10 days ago.

Initially Hamilton "made peace" with the four-man panel of stewards after suggesting, via an obvious joke that badly backfired, that his skin color lay at the heart of their choice making.

The 26-year-old vented his frustration against the stewards after being penalized three times over the path of the weekend, and five times in six races this year.

Hamilton was given drive-through penalties - one looking back - for causing a collision with first Felipe Massa in his Ferrari and then Williams' Pastor Maldonado, the latter at a time when he was on course to score his first points for the team.

The McLaren star described the Brazilian and Venezuelan as "ridiculous" during his post-race outburst, later apologizing to both men via his Twitter account on which he had also been ill-treated in the aftermath of what unfolded.

Hamilton has already made it clear a invasion in one of his favourite races, the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, will help put the stigma of what happened in and after Monte Carlo behind him.

Aiming for a third win in five races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Hamilton said: "Montreal is a very special place for me.

"It's where I took my first Formula One pole location and won my first race. I also won there last year from pole.

"I've always got on actually well with the track as the layout seems to suit my driving style.

"Perhaps even more prominently the fans in Montreal, and everyone in North America who makes the trip to the city, are some of the best in the world.

"They are so positive, helpful and friendly. My trips to the city have been some of my favourite experiences in Formula One.

Mark Webber doubts rescheduled Bahrain GP will happen

The Australian, 34, said: "Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly astounded if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year."

Bahrain was due to be the season-opener on 13 March but was called off due to unrest and pro-democracy protests.

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, agreed generally on Friday to restore the race to the calendar on 30 October.

Webber, writing on his official website, added: "In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its choice in the hope of being able to rearrange it in 2011.

"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's place on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues."

The government has cracked down hard on resistance activists during 11 weeks of martial law and military trials of mostly Shi'ite dissidents are continuing.

The FIA's choice to reschedule the race - with India moving to a December date - was a move strongly criticised by human rights campaigners and also opposed by teams.

"It's obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a choice but sadly I feel that they still haven't made the right one," said Webber.

Hamilton: Don’t anticipate much from DRS in Monaco

Lewis Hamilton believes that the choice to allow DRS in the Monaco Grand Prix won't lead to a huge increase in overtaking.

On the whole, the system has led to a obvious increase in passing manoeuvres during the season so far, although the location of the DRS zone in Spain at the weekend meant drivers found it more hard to use their blown rear wing to make a move for position.

There had been talk that DRS could be barred for the Monaco weekend given the nature of the circuit, but the FIA has established that the rear wing can be utilised in a zone on the start-finish straight during the race.

However, Hamilton said he didn't think there would be many DRS-assisted moves for place in the principality given the position and length of the DRS zone.

“I think the DRS zone at Monaco is only around 300 metres, so it's pretty short, and not really long enough to allow us to really get enough of a launch on the car ahead,” he said. “I think the aerodynamics will only really start functioning properly once we've reached the braking zone for Ste Devote, so I don't think we'll see too many DRS-assisted overtaking moves next weekend.”

Hamilton did add however that the new Pirelli tyres were probable to spice up the action on the streets of the principality.

“I think the tyres will probably give us the greatest scope for thrill and the best chance of passing,” the McLaren man said. “While I don't think the Super-Soft and Soft compounds will be as critical around Monaco as they were at a place like Turkey, I still think the drop-off we encounter as the tyres go off should create opportunities for overtaking.

F1 leader Vettel wins Turkish Grand Prix

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel cruised to victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday, winning ahead of coworker Mark Webber to get bigger his lead in the Formula One standings.

The F1 champion, who has three victories this year, was never in problem at Istanbul Park after starting from the pole for the fourth successive race and winning by a contented 8.8 seconds.

"Throughout this race we had this cushion and were able to act, quite than react," the 23-year-old Vettel said. "We never really had anybody close at the back, which would have been a different situation."

Vettel leads McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by 34 points and Webber by 38.

"I think the day you start to think you are invincible is the day you get beaten, for sure," Vettel said. "There is always someone, at some point, who teaches you a lesson, who gives you a hard time and beats you."

Vettel is even less likely to get approved away after four races, given the championship went down to the final day last year.

"We saw how quickly these things changed last year; it was very close," Vettel said.

Smoke to swap rides with F1's Hamilton

Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton are exchange race cars at Watkins Glen International.

The Mobil 1 Car Swap will take place June 14 at the well-known road course in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Hamilton will take laps in Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet and Stewart will climb into the cockpit of team Vodafone's McLaren Mercedes MP4-23.

"Tony and I will have some fun with the swap and make sure we put on a good show," Hamilton said of what will be his first foray in a stock car. "It's a racer's circuit and will give us both the chance to appreciate the differences between the two styles of racing at this legendary track."

Each will drive the long course at The Glen, which is 3.4 miles through 11 turns. NASCAR uses the 2.4-mile short course, which doesn't comprise the famed Boot section, but Stewart, who has a record five Cup victories at Watkins Glen, has determined it in a Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race.

"When you've been around spirited racing for as long as I have, you really look forward to new experiences, and this car swap with Lewis is absolutely one of those opportunities," said Stewart, who also won an IndyCar Series title. "I already have quite a bit of respect for what Lewis and the F1 drivers and teams do, so to experience laps in the cockpit of an F1 car and see what Lewis can do in the Cup car is amazing I am really excited about."

The Glen became world-renowned by hosting the United States Grand Prix from 1961-1980 and has been home to NASCAR Sprint Cup races since 1986. This season marks the 50th anniversary of The Glen's opening F1 race.

Details of how many laps Stewart and Hamilton will make are still being worked out. They'll follow the lead of Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya, who swapped rides at Indianapolis in 2003 when Montoya was heavy in F1. 

Webber ponders F1 future before Turkey

Mark Webber has not lined out finding a new Formula One team if Red Bull don't offer him a new agreement at the end of 2011.

The 34-year-old was widely predictable to retire if no new deal was forthcoming from Red Bull but told Italian newspaper La Stampa on the eve of this weekend's race in Turkey he still has amazing to offer.

"I have my flaws, but I'm strong-minded," Webber said.

"Last year I fought for the title, and I want to go for it yet again When this season ends my agreement with Red Bull will expire.

"If the team doesn't want me anymore, I will have to react to a good question: to hang up the helmet, or to change teams? Let's see what happens."

The Australian will be hoping for a alike drive in Istanbul to his last outing in the Red Bull car when he came from 18th on the grid to finish third in China.

The Turkish grand prix was the scene for Webber's much publicised collision with coworker Sebastian Vettel last year.

Webber was foremost the race when the pair came together as Vettel tried to pass, allowing McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton to grasp a win while teammate Jenson Button came second.

Webber was able to direct his stricken car to a third-place finish but the incident forced Vettel to leave and began the rumour mill about a split in the Red Bull garage between the two drivers' camps which rumbled all year.

Despite that incident, Webber said he was looking onward to returning to Istanbul Park.

Whitmarsh: Lewis will remain at McLaren

With McLaren stressed at the start of this year's Championship, rumours emerged claiming that Hamilton is allowing for looking elsewhere for a race-seat.

The 26-year-old didn't help the rumours with his contradictory statements.

While in one breath he affirmed that "loyalty has its limits" in the next he insisted that he is "committed to them. I want to try and help them as well as becoming one of the most winning drivers myself."

Whitmarsh, though, believes it's only a matter of time before Hamilton commits his long-term prospect to the Woking team.

But, having said that, he's in no rush to start contract talks.

"Lewis has a long career ahead of him and I think he's intelligent sufficient to realise that the environment he has here is good for him and plays to his strengths," said the McLaren team boss told the Daily Mail.

Race - Hamilton takes sensational Shanghai win

Lewis Hamilton scored a tremendous victory for McLaren in a Chinese race of excellent drives, catching and passing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on the 52nd of the 56 laps as the reigning world champion's risk on a two-stop strategy - and a 25-lap run on Pirelli's hard rubber - just failed to pay off.

Behind them, Mark Webber troop a brilliant race from 18th to third in the second Red Bull, only seven seconds behind Hamilton, after transmittable and dispatching Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, then doing the same to Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and McLaren's Jenson Button in the final stages.

It was an unusual race, that began with Button and Hamilton leading from Vettel, before Vettel repassed them as the first pit stops were made. He jumped Hamilton just previous to his stop on Lap 13, but admitted he was somewhat confused when leader Button initially drove into the Red Bull pit before anxiously being waved through to McLaren next door!

Rosberg had stopped on Lap 12 and then had a curse in the lead for Mercedes from Lap 17 until he stopped again on Lap 25. That put Vettel back in the lead awaiting he stopped for the second and last time on Lap 31, whereupon Massa had a spell in front. The Brazilian was right back on form, contentedly outpacing team mate Fernando Alonso this day.

Vettel Rolls In Shanghai P1

Carrying the energy of wins in both of the season's first two races, Sebastian Vettel looked every bit as strong in gap practice Friday at Shanghai International Circuit.

Vettel, chasing the rare feat of initial a season with three straight wins, posted a quick lap of 1:38:739 to easily beat out coworker Mark Webber in the sister Red Bull RB7.

Webber, at 1:39:394, was the only other driver to eclipse the one minute, 39 second fence as third-place Lewis Hamilton (1:40:845) was more than two full seconds back of Vettel.

Jenson Button, who reported throughout the practice that his KERS system wasn't working, and Nick Heidfeld finished the top five.

The 90-minute session didn't turn out to Heidfeld's liking, however, as the German stopped his Lotus Renault GP entry on a wet track below overcast, hazy skies.

Heidfeld went over the curbs at Turn 10 and lost power, damaging his car.

Rookies Pastor Maldonado and Paul di Resta also spun, in that order, at different times.

Alonso rates his F1 rivals

Alonso was asked by Spanish paper AS to give his view on his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, current World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton as well seven-time Champion Michael Schumacher.

Two-time Champion Alonso described Vettel as follows: "Very fast. Very fast and accurate. If he starts first in a race it is hard to stop him."

Mark Webber, who finished third in the Drivers' Championship last year is "experienced, calm and reliable. It is very difficult to see him fail."

Alonso believes his former McLaren team-mate Hamilton is "a great driver and one of the fastest of the present Formula One grid" while Button "has a great nature for difficult races in the rain or with the safety car in the dry".

As for Schumacher, Alonso says "he is the champion, we all respect him and he is a driver able of surprising".

And his views on his team-mate Massa?

"Very quickly, he knows the team, he ongoing with Sauber, but is now with Ferrari and very hungry to win."

Qualifying - Vettel takes vital Yas Marina pole

Sebastian Vettel will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix just where he wants, on pole position after lapping his Red Bull in 1m 39.394s. But the most important qualifying session of the year was a major disappointment for the team mate Mark Webber who managed only fifth place in 1m 39.925s and will be separated from Vettel by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Earlier, Hamilton had been fortunate to avoid the contact with Felipe Massa when, after a big slide on his first lap in Q2, he’d had to back off the pace and resumed just as the Ferrari was alongside. The former champion walloped a camera pole, but his McLaren did not sustain any damage and he recovered his momentum brilliantly to lap second quickest before his time eventually left him fifth in that session.

He already held second place as Q3 drew to its close, but trimmed his time down to 1m 39.425s to demonstrate to Vettel that he may yet have a race on his hands on Sunday. Alonso’s late improvement was bad news for Webber. The Spaniard lapped in 1m 39.792s to jump to third, ahead of Button on 1m 39.823s.

Webber will share row three with Massa, who lapped his F10 in 1m 40.202s, while Williams’ Rubens Barrichello’s 1m 40.203s left him seventh ahead of the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg on 1m 40.516s and 1m 40.589s respectively. Like Massa, both suffered in late-session traffic. Vitaly Petrov was 10th for Renault, with 1m 40.901s.

Vettel redefined the ante in Q2 with the fastest lap of the weekend thus far in 1m 39.874s, ahead of the revitalised Button, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton. Further back, Robert Kubica surprisingly failed to make Q3, taking 11th place behind team mate Petrov with 1m 40.780s in a Renault that still seemed not to be running as well as it did on Friday.

Fernando Alonso has F1 title in his own hands

Fernando Alonso has the championship lead on his side as he aims to clinch the Formula One (F1) world title in a historic finale Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

But in a season of roller-coaster rides for all the stars, Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton are also in the frame.

It is the first time in F1 history that four drivers are in the title race ahead of the season-ender.

A simple engine failure in Alonso's Ferrari could for instance open the door for the others, he may be shunted off the track by another driver, make a mistake himself or have yet another negative experience with the safety car as has happened already three times this season.

However, Alonso has a third career title in his own hands as championship leader. He has amassed 246 points from 18 of 19 races, with Webber on 238, Vettel on 231 and Hamilton on 222.

Under the current system, the top 10 drivers get points in a 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 format.

Alonso has done his maths and says 'I just need to finish second. It does not matter who wins in Abu Dhabi if I finish second'.

The Spaniard can also afford third place if Webber does not win, and fourth or fifth if Webber and Vettel do not win.

Webber will secure the trophy if he wins and Alonso comes no better than third. A team order of sorts may be used if Vettel leads from Webber and Alonso in the final lap, as Ferrari also ordered Felipe Massa to let Alonso pass for victory at the German GP.

Race - Alonso wins in Korea, double DNF for Red Bull

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso scored one of the biggest wins of his career in a rain-affected Korean Grand Prix on the Sunday afternoon, and a day of total disaster saw neither Red Bull driver finish. Mark Webber crashed out early while running second, and Sebastian Vettel’s engine blew up as he was leading on the 46th lap.

The result puts Alonso into an 11-point championship lead over Webber, 231 to 220, with just two races left.

As dusk fell and the race was just completed before the two-hour cut-off point, what had begun as impending disaster for the Korean race organisers turned instead into a brilliant triumph. But it was edgy. After the rain got heavier just before the start, the race was red-flagged after just two laps had been run behind the safety car. That led to a lengthy delay until it was resumed as conditions got marginally better, but after the restart at 16.05 the safety car continued to lead the field for another 15 laps before racing finally began on the 18th.

Vettel sprinted into the lead from Webber with Alonso third and Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg deposing McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton for fourth. But then Webber spun and hit the wall in Turn 13 on the 19th lap, collecting Rosberg. Out came the safety car again until Lap 24, whereupon Vettel resumed control ahead of Alonso and Hamilton.

After their pit stops between Laps 31 and 32, Hamilton jumped Alonso for second as the Spaniard had a minor delay due to arriving slightly sideways and making it difficult for mechanics to reach the right front wheel, but they were racing under the safety car again after Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi had taken out Virgin’s Timo Glock on the 31st under braking for Turn Three.

As racing resumed on the 35th lap, Hamilton ran wide in Turn One as his front wheels were locking, handing second back to Alonso. And that’s how it seemed likely to stay as Vettel built a lead of 2.7s by Lap 41. But then Alonso and Hamilton began to move in, and going into Turn One on Lap 46 the Ferrari dived inside the Red Bull to take the lead. On the exit to the corner Vettel’s engine blew, and as Mark Webber breathed a sigh of some relief, Red Bull had their head in their hands.

Now it was Alonso’s race to lose, but though Hamilton gave it everything he had, annihilating the Ferrari in the first two sectors, Alonso was able to make it all back in the final one. Towards the end Hamilton dropped back, keeping a badly worn right front intermediate tyre alive, and was 14.9s adrift as a delighted Alonso took his fifth win of the year and his 26th overall.