Sebastian Vettel wins in Valencia

If many drivers are not fans of this Valencia circuit, we cannot say that it did not offer us a spectacle this weekend. Whether in the support series (GP2, GP3) or in the premier discipline, there was no shortage of notable events.

When the lights go out, all the drivers set off in the best possible way, while the track is heated to more than 45°C. Everyone leaves well, except one, Mark Webber. Starting on the "wrong" side of the track, the Australian was caught by his pursuers and found himself ninth after a few dozen meters.

At the forefront, Sebastian Vettel jumps perfectly. However, it must contain Lewis Hamilton, which touches him slightly in the first corner. Behind, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa climb to 3rd and 4th places. Rubens Barrichello climbs to 7th place, and Michael Schumacher made a nice jump from 15th to 11th place.

While Sebastian Vettel collects the best laps in the race, things are going much less well for his teammate. After less than a quarter of an hour of racing, stuck in ninth place, Mark Webber went to his pit to put on hard tires. When he leaves, he is at the back of the pack and must overtake the slowest cars on the field, those from the new teams.

Arriving behind the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen, the Australian hesitates, as does the Finn, and the Red Bull comes to impale himself on the Lotus. Mark Webber takes off on the right rear wheel of his rival, his car loops in the air and falls upside down, before getting back on its wheels and ending up in a wall of tires (see video).

Most drivers take the opportunity to return to the pits, some perhaps too quickly (see below). On the other hand, the Team Ferrari did not bring its drivers back immediately and, after their stops, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa found themselves 10th and 17th. Michael Schumacher, after waiting, in turn changes tires, goes from hard tires to soft tires, and sets off again. A few minutes later, Schumi returns to the pits and puts on hard tires?

At the restart, Sebastian Vettel started off rather well, before locking the wheels when braking, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to try to take control of the race. Failed, the German retains his first place. A few minutes later, the Briton learned bad news: having overtaken the safety car when it arrived on the track, he received a pit stop penalty.

His team advises him to whip before stopping. Thanks to this attack lasting three turns and the traffic jam carried out by Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), who is third because he did not stop to change tires, Lewis Hamilton can open up a significant gap. After carrying out his penalty, he comes out at? second place, ahead of Kamui Kobayashi.

In the front row, Sebastian Vettel is steady and slows down slightly, maintaining a constant lead over Lewis Hamilton. The latter escapes and leaves Kamui Kobayashi far behind him. The Japanese, pursued by Jenson Button, improved his pace as the race progressed. Rubens Barrichello, fifth, sees the two men walking away.

At the end of the race, the positions seemed fixed but we must not forget that Kobayashi had to change tires. He waits until the last moment to do it, four laps from the finish. Shortly before, we learned that eight drivers, including several at the top of the table, were under investigation. The outcome of the race, even before it arrives, is up in the air.

Kobayashi, after his tire change, emerges in ninth place, behind Alonso. The latter, placed behind Buemi, tries to catch the Swiss in the last turns. He manages to resist the double World Champion but, above all, Alonso misses braking and gives his eighth place to Kobayashi. It was not enough for the Japanese, who overtook Buemi in the last corner to finish seventh.

At the head of the race, Vettel won without any dispute. He is ahead of Hamilton, Button, Barrichello, who posted a good performance but who, like seven other drivers, is subject to a sanction. Kubica ranks sixth, ahead of Sutil and, therefore, Kobayashi, Buemi, Alonso and de la Rosa.