Vettel takes first in action-filled Grand Prix
by Alan Baldwin,
2015-07-27 04:32:00.0
BUDAPEST — Germany’s Sebastian Vettel won an emotional Hungarian Grand Prix for Ferrari and the late Jules Bianchi on Sunday after a crazy race that turned into a nightmare for champions Mercedes, even though series leader Lewis Hamilton increased his overall lead.
While Vettel celebrated his second win of the season, only days after the funeral of the team’s French former test driver Bianchi, Mercedes’ double world champion Hamilton finished sixth after starting from pole.
That setback was still enough for the Briton to increase his championship lead to 21 points over teammate Nico Rosberg, who collided with Australian Daniel Ricciardo while fighting to defend second place, ending up eighth.
Russian Daniil Kvyat took second for Red Bull — his first Formula One podium appearance — with teammate Ricciardo coming third after banging into both Mercedes on a difficult afternoon.
Dutch 17-year-old Max Verstappen was fourth for Toro Rosso.
Vettel dedicated his win to Bianchi, the Marussia driver who died in hospital nine months after suffering severe head injuries at the Japanese Grand Prix, once he had taken the chequered flag.
Speaking French for the watching family, he added in English: "We know sooner or later Jules would have been a part of this team."
The win was Vettel’s 41st, putting him level with the late triple-champion Ayrton Senna on the all-time lists, and first in Hungary.
The result ended a record run for Mercedes and their two drivers, who had won eight of the previous nine races and started all on pole.
Hamilton’s run of 16 podiums in a row, and 18 successive races with at least one lap led, came to an abrupt and unexpected end when he had to scrap for a point after being handed a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with Ricciardo.
"Today was weird. Do I deserve any points? I didn’t give up and drove as hard as I could," Hamilton said. "To come away from one of (my) worst performances in a long time … shows we are human."
Rosberg, who had looked poised to win and take the championship lead at one point, could only rue what might have been as Mercedes’s hopes of getting both drivers on the podium for a record 10th race in a row evaporated.
However, even eighth was a bonus after the German struggled to guide his stricken car back to the pits with a flailing tyre damaged in the collision.
The race took an unexpected and sensational twist right from the off as Vettel made a stunning start to seize the lead.
With Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen following through to slot into second place, Hamilton and Rosberg were caught napping. But what might have been Ferrari’s first one-two finish since Germany in 2010 unravelled after 40 of the 69 laps when Raikkonen reported a loss of power and then retired.
Vettel looked comfortable until the safety car again ripped up the script, deployed after Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India shed a front wing and left an explosion of debris across the track before slamming into the tyre barrier.
That left the leaders tightly bunched again but Hamilton, by then up to fourth, collided with Ricciardo after the restart and dropped to 13th. After the drive-through penalty, he was 15th.
On a day of surprises, McLaren’s miserable season suddenly looked brighter with Fernando Alonso fifth and Jenson Button ninth.
Reuters
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel during a practice session. Picture: EPA/GEOFF CADDICK
BUDAPEST — Germany’s Sebastian Vettel won an emotional Hungarian Grand Prix for Ferrari and the late Jules Bianchi on Sunday after a crazy race that turned into a nightmare for champions Mercedes, even though series leader Lewis Hamilton increased his overall lead.
While Vettel celebrated his second win of the season, only days after the funeral of the team’s French former test driver Bianchi, Mercedes’ double world champion Hamilton finished sixth after starting from pole.
That setback was still enough for the Briton to increase his championship lead to 21 points over teammate Nico Rosberg, who collided with Australian Daniel Ricciardo while fighting to defend second place, ending up eighth.
Russian Daniil Kvyat took second for Red Bull — his first Formula One podium appearance — with teammate Ricciardo coming third after banging into both Mercedes on a difficult afternoon.
Dutch 17-year-old Max Verstappen was fourth for Toro Rosso.
Vettel dedicated his win to Bianchi, the Marussia driver who died in hospital nine months after suffering severe head injuries at the Japanese Grand Prix, once he had taken the chequered flag.
Speaking French for the watching family, he added in English: "We know sooner or later Jules would have been a part of this team."
The win was Vettel’s 41st, putting him level with the late triple-champion Ayrton Senna on the all-time lists, and first in Hungary.
The result ended a record run for Mercedes and their two drivers, who had won eight of the previous nine races and started all on pole.
Hamilton’s run of 16 podiums in a row, and 18 successive races with at least one lap led, came to an abrupt and unexpected end when he had to scrap for a point after being handed a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with Ricciardo.
"Today was weird. Do I deserve any points? I didn’t give up and drove as hard as I could," Hamilton said. "To come away from one of (my) worst performances in a long time … shows we are human."
Rosberg, who had looked poised to win and take the championship lead at one point, could only rue what might have been as Mercedes’s hopes of getting both drivers on the podium for a record 10th race in a row evaporated.
However, even eighth was a bonus after the German struggled to guide his stricken car back to the pits with a flailing tyre damaged in the collision.
The race took an unexpected and sensational twist right from the off as Vettel made a stunning start to seize the lead.
With Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen following through to slot into second place, Hamilton and Rosberg were caught napping. But what might have been Ferrari’s first one-two finish since Germany in 2010 unravelled after 40 of the 69 laps when Raikkonen reported a loss of power and then retired.
Vettel looked comfortable until the safety car again ripped up the script, deployed after Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India shed a front wing and left an explosion of debris across the track before slamming into the tyre barrier.
That left the leaders tightly bunched again but Hamilton, by then up to fourth, collided with Ricciardo after the restart and dropped to 13th. After the drive-through penalty, he was 15th.
On a day of surprises, McLaren’s miserable season suddenly looked brighter with Fernando Alonso fifth and Jenson Button ninth.
Reuters
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