Alonso takes contentious German Grand Prix Victory
Alonso the victor after Massa moves over; Vettel third on home soil; McLaren duo fourth and fifth
Fernando Alonso recorded his second victory of the season, as controversy reigned over the Ferrari team at the German Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa, who led for the majority of the race after a superb start, was asked to move over to allow his team-mate through and into the lead – in a move similar to some of the Italian team’s past history.
Sebastian Vettel was third, after failing to translate pole position into a victory on his home race, with the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button jumping Mark Webber to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
Massa slingshots past the leaders
Lining up in front of his home crowd, Sebastian Vettel failed to make the perfect getaway from pole position to lead into the first corner.
Making a reasonable getaway the Red Bull driver attempted to squeeze Fernando Alonso off the front row, in an attempt to prevent the Ferrari driver from gaining the lead. However, the Spaniard would not be intimidated by the hurtling RB6 and held his line – forcing both drivers to compromise their run into turn one.
This allowed the sister car of Felipe Massa, to make a clean get away from his third place grid slot and pass the squabbling duo around the outside – dramatically snatching the lead.
Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton used his McLaren’s superior straight line speed pull alongside Mark Webber at the Parabolika and then muscle him aside into the hairpin.
There was also drama further down the field as Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Jamie Alguersuari tangled together. Outbraking himself in the hairpin, the latter was powerless to avoid his stablemate and ploughed straight into the back of Buemi’s STR5.
Both Force India drivers also sustained damage as a result of the incident, as they ran over the flying debris.
Softer tyres fail to spice up the action, as teams make early stops
With the majority of the field starting on the softer rubber, it was not long before the frontrunners took to the pits for their mandatory stop.
First to pit was Vettel, on lap 13, as Red Bull attempted to outmanoeuvre the leading Ferrari drivers and allow its driver to emerge in clear air.
However the Scuderia would not be outfoxed and soon covered the German’s strategy by bring Alonso and then Massa in for their stop in successive laps.
Red Bull also attempted to employ this strategy for Mark Webber, only for it to fail to materialise when the Australian exited in to the middle of a gaggle of cars including Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes and Renault’s Robert Kubica.
Consequently, Webber’s misfortune presented a golden opportunity for McLaren – with Lewis Hamilton maintaining his position and returning to the track ahead of the faltering Australian.
Meanwhile, Jenson Button made full use of his smooth driving style to conserve the lifespan of his tyres and to stay out until lap 22. This move proved beneficial as the reigning world champion also passed Webber, emerging right behind his team-mate in fifth.
Shades of the Scuderia’s past as Massa moves over for Alonso
It was Alonso who appeared to have the moment, in the laps following the pit stop sequence as slowly began to stalk the back of his team-mate’s F10.
The 28-year-old’s chance would fall when both Ferrari drivers encountered traffic, in the form of Bruno Senna and Timo Glock.
Benefitting from Massa’s over-cautious approach, Alonso pulled alongside into the hairpin, but could not make the pass stick as the Brazilian driver held his own – forcing the 28-year-old to yield into turn 5.
From there on Massa appeared to take control of the race, at one point pulling out a lead of over 3 seconds. However Alonso would not be denied and quickly responded to his team-mate’s pace with a succession of fast laps, bringing the gap down to less than a second.
Then on lap 47, with the championship surely etched on their minds, Ferrari’s pit wall made the decision to swap its drivers over, with Massa’s engineer, Rob Smedley transmitting the message over the radio.
A lap later and the controversial move was made, with Massa ungracefully slowing down on the exit of the pit lane and allowing his team-mate through.
Vettel’s late charge comes to nothing
Another factor behind Ferrari’s decision may well have been the pace of Sebastian Vettel, with the Red Bull driver soon trimming the lead of the scarlet cars as he tried to make up for his faltering start.
With Alonso now long gone at the front, Vettel soon homed in on Massa in the dying laps, but was unable to prevent Ferrari recording its first 1-2 finish since Bahrain.
Nearly half a minute down the road, the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished in tandem, as Mark Webber was forced to call off his pursuit with fading oil pressure.
Robert Kubica converted his grid slot into a strong seventh position, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finishing eighth and ninth for Mercedes.
Vitaly Petrov took the final points position in the second R30, holding off both Williams drivers who failed to make an impact after a poor start.
Pedro de la Rosa may well have brought home points for Sauber, after a cunning strategy saw him run until lap 51 on the same set of tyres. However, the Spaniard’s race was spoiled when he made contact with the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen and damaged his front wing – forcing him to settle for fourteenth.
So after a faltering campaign, Ferrari and Fernando Alonso have revitalised their world championship ambitions with victory – albeit in less-than-perfect circumstances.
Whether Ferrari will face any ramifications from its decision remains to be seen, but nevertheless it has added yet another story line to this fascinating season.
2010 FIA Formula One World Championship
Round 11: Germany
Circuit: Hockenheim
Laps: 67
Weather: Sunny.
Classified Finishers:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Alonso Ferrari 1h28:38.866
2. Massa Ferrari + 4.196
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 5.121
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 26.896
5. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 29.482
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 43.606
7. Kubica Renault + 1 lap
8. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap
9. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
10. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
14. De la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes + 2 laps
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 2 laps
18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 3 laps
19. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps
Ret. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth On Lap 58
Ret. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth On lap 51
Ret. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth On Lap 20
Ret. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth On Lap 4
Ret. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari On Lap 2
Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:15.824
World Championship standings after 11 of 19 rounds:
Drivers:
1. Hamilton 157
2. Button 143
3. Vettel 136
4. Webber 136
5. Alonso 123
6. Rosberg 94
7. Kubica 89
8. Massa 85
9. Schumacher 38
10. Sutil 35
11. Barrichello 29
12. Kobayashi 15
13. Liuzzi 12
14. Petrov 7
15. Buemi 7
16. Alguersuari 3
17. Hulkenberg 2
Constructors:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 300
2. Red Bull-Renault 272
3. Ferrari 208
4. Mercedes 132
5. Renault 96
6. Force India-Mercedes 47
7. Williams-Cosworth 31
8. Sauber-Ferrari 15
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10
41 Comment(s)
1 Trackback(s)
- From Alonso takes contentious German Grand Prix Victory | Latest News & Hottest Trends | Jul 25, 2010
Chris | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Pathetic
Gail Eales | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
What a farce Alonso is such a mardy that again someone has to give in and let him thro’. I say lets race and not give in team members or not. If the team racing can alter revs on a car it’s nothing more than arcade racing. Lets get back to racing and lets have no throwing toys out of the pram if we aren’t i n front. It’s boring.
Leo | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Shame! I miss the days of Senna and Prost!
Alan | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
This display by Ferrari is a total disgrace to F1, sport, fair play etc. They should be called (Fix a Fair Race). I will now be anti Ferrari and anti Alonso for taking advantage of such a disgracefull show by his team bosses. Alonso is so lacking in fair play that the smell of him can be fragranced from miles away.
Toni Maunders | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
All i can say it learn to race Alonso, stop throwing your toys out your pram. I am disguested about the behavior, no team orders yea right
amanda robinson | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
if the fia allow todays result to stand then there is a huge problem as it was so obvious that team orders, which were outlawed in 2002, were in play at ferrari
Suzanne Turner | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Alonzo is not a good ambassodor for the sport, Massa should have won, he is the one who deserved it, fantastic move at the start. Alonzo should be disqualified…
Suzanne Turner | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Alonso is not a good ambassodor for the sport, Massa should have won, he is the one who deserved it, fantastic move at the start. Alonso should be disqualified…
andy | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Tuned in too watch a race not team orders, dreadful
Rod Haysom | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Team orders suck
A shocking end to what was a great race
I should have gone to bed
This is not racing
Ferrari should be penalized for disgracing the sport
canadajan | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Shame on Ferrari! This was Massa’s race, and Alonso should be ashamed. He can add ‘thief’ to his long list of crybaby antics. To even suggest post race that it was a clean pass is pathetic. But this may be the only way he can win!
Wendy | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
This is one of the reasons why we stopped buying tickets to watch F1 racing. It will be interesting to see if Ferrari get away with it because I am sure that Maclaren wouldn’t have.
zoe | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Alonso cheating again. Taking lessons from Schumi. Disgraceful. Must be disqualified.
C Lewis | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
What a hollow victory for Alonso. Do Ferrari think that the rules don’t apply to them! I’m not surprised Massa didn’t want anything to do with Alonso after the race. Were Ferrari worried that Alonso would throw his rattle out of his pram if he didn’t get what he wanted! I’m thoroughly disgusted and totally disappointed with the race. It gives the sport a bad name and makes us wonder what rules are for!! I’m a very long standing F1 fan however, if the sport continues in this vane I may not be a fan for much longer!
Catherine | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
After watching that match i am discrassed at Ferrari. Rules are there for a reason so why cant they be followed. Alonso hasnt been good for most of the past races so what on earth gives him the upper hand against Massa! Ferrari and Alonso need to be punished for this move! it puts me off watching F1, i want to see people winning for their driving techniques not cause of points!! sharper eyes need to be watching each team or F1 viewers will not want to watch fixed races!!
debbie | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
As an F1 fan you support a driver,often over a team, by buying named merchandise, t-shirts etc. To know he has been told to move over for a team mate is an insult to fans everywhere!!!
clive | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Massa was robbed, Disqualify Alonso, Allow Massa his personal points, but take away Ferrari’s team points
Brian Hughes | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Hockenheim: Cheat the public Ferrari !
FE Walker | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
I feel Formula 1 team orders are digusting Massa deserved to keep going if Alonso had the fastest car and he is that good a driver he could of overtaken him fairly. We wouldn’t ask Ferdinand to give up a ball to Rooney when hes about to score because Rooney scores more goals. If the only way Alonso is going to win a race is by his team mate letting him pass then there is no question in my mind who the better driver is FOR SURE!!! Well done to my boys Lewis and Button for staying on top.
dd | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
massa should be banned if he has deliberately let alonso passed as he is fixing the result,just like a goalkeeper deliberately letting in a goal or a jockey slowing up a horse during a race not to mention all betting on the outcome should be scrapped by the bookies as it is not a true result
rr | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
how does this farce sit with the bookies, how many people placed bets on massa for him to be told to move over haven’t jockeys been up in court for ‘race fixing’ as a long standing fan something needs to be done to protect the punters
Graham (Dartmouth | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Back to the bad old days,F1 to lose respectability again,Mafia in charge,Alonso the bad tempered little schoolboy getting his own way and staying the most hated driver on the circuit.Hope all the points taken away, we were cheated of good racing again.Come on lets have fair open racing with good standards of stewarding with no favouratism.SHAME ON FERRARI
well done all the rest
mark hill | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
seems some people in bbc f1 just dont get it.drivers should race each other no matter what.with 20 lapsto go you cant tell me alonso wouldnt have passed massa if his car was that slow and maybe vetil would have finished 2nd.its tantamount to match fixing of any sort and to pas the book onto your driver is not only selfish but cowedly
Merv | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Lets see if the FIA ( Ferrari International Assistance )
will do the right thing and give the win to the true
winner as he never put a foot wrong from the start.
Thomas | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Alonso is a Cheat yet again and this time both cars should be withdrawn. NOW
Eena | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
I am disgusted with Ferrari, just because Alonso probably had a strop on, Felipe was told to mover over for his team mate, some team mate , I ask myself would he have been happy if the boot had been on the other foot, I dont think so !! Shame on you Ferrari for breaking the rules .
Hope Felipe wins next week in Hungary, !!
Thomas | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Alonso is yet again a CHEAT this time both cars should be withdrawn NOW
Mark | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
Ferrari are fined $100,000 for their actions today, but the race results stand.
Massa was the better driver and deserved the win but because Alonso has behaved like a petulant child for the last few races they told Massa to move. Its a sad day for F1 when no other actions have been taken against Alonso and the team.
Leo | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
” Jenson, slow down, we have to “save fuel” ” McLaren dixit.
pete | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
A financial penalty will have no effect on a team like ferrari so what is the point. They have broken the rules deliberately to try and help Alonso become world champion and if he does it will have been by cheating. Ferrari should have been disqualified from this race, that would make them think twice before they cheat again. Alonso is not a worthy winner and can only win by cheating. A bad day for F1 and clearly the FIA are sponcered by Ferrari
Chris cooper | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
You have hit the nail on the head. The only way he can win is by cheating. He should have the points taken away from him as well as the team points. Never liked Alonso, I now don’t like ferrari I feel sorry for massa.
Hexus | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
wtf? Well unless my eyesight is going, Massa should have won that race. It was obvious.
He got off to a fantastic start and drove beautifully. 12 months to the day when he was nearly brain damaged by debris on the track, Massa has shown us his nerve is still there.
I have watched the Grand Prix for over 40 years and i have never seen such blatant politicking going on. Even Schumacher had the decency to offer the winner’s podium to the rightful winner in 2002.
After Massa rather pointedly let Alonso take over, i just stopped watching the race. What was the point? It wasn’t racing.
Loopy | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
100,000 fine and loss of respect. Rob Smedley said Massa was magnanimous; I think he should be given more respect for a team that he has raced for with such pride and risked his life for, a year ago today I believe? It proves that Ferrari have a true man as a driver and one that is a conquistador. A great team that could have come away this weekend with pride and instead should hang there heads in shame.
amanda robinson | Jul 25, 2010 | Reply
i agree, cant believe the result stands and that all ferrari are getting is a fine. if it had been any other team the drivers would have been stripped of points, positions and banned for 3 races, the fia should be ashamed of their handling of the matter and alonso should be to embarrassed to turn up in hungary
Gary | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
I was indeed very disappointed by this German GP. Not only were ferrari cheaters, but both of their drivers also lacked racing spirit. Even if Massa clearly deserved to win, he’s to be blamed for letting Alonso through so obviously. And quoting what he said : “…so I decided to do the best thing for the team, and a one-two finish is the best possible result, isn’t it?”
true but you first and alonso second is also a 1-2 ferrari finish you idiot! Maybe in addition of being a cheater, alonso also doesn’t know how to defend his position against Vettel
Kev | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
How would the Alonso of 2010 have reacted had the tables been turned? Not as graciously as Massa I suspect. But as disappointing as the situation is, the FIA simply can’t do anymore – they can’t prove that it wasn’t Massa’s decision to move over. It’s just disappointing from a team such as Ferrari (who we are constantly being told are the very essence of F1 … apparently) to have to resort to these tactics to try a bridge a gap which exists only because of there poor form in the first half of this season.
Mac Baker | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
Once again Ferrari get special treatment, McClaren would have had results overturned, driver and race bans and a fine in the Millions. F1 keeps struggling to get out of the mire into which it has sunken but alas, just gets deeper and deeper.
I’ve been watching since the 60s and it’s all soooo depressing!
Jon Weldon | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
I guess F1 doesn’t exist for the spectacle of exciting racing. I guess F1 doesn’t need me. I’m out!
Debbie | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
I love F1, but after watching yesterdays events, What a farse! If Alonso is that good a driver he should of been able to take Massa with ease but he couldn’t! He is a bad sportsman, a hot head and needs to step back and take a long hard look at himself! he wants to be top dog in the team and he isn’t just like he wasn’t in McClaren. Alonso needs to be stripped of his points and Massa placed 1st as he is the better driver and sportsmen. I think it was also wrong that the team Principal got Rob Smedley to give Massa that message, talk about hide behind the engineers. trying to ruin a good friendship and relationship! Shame on you!
Keith | Jul 26, 2010 | Reply
What when Senna used to ram Prost off the track!!
Calpal | Jul 27, 2010 | Reply
Dear all,
there is a strange atmosphere here… Alonso.. smells ??? he did not gave any instructions .. why don´t you critice Vettel? he made a really dirty move and, tahnks for this, Massa had an open door and got a position he never deserved. Oh, I see, Vettel could crash with Alonso, this is good for the Sportg and F1. I ca n not imagine your comments if Vettel had done this to Lewis… or is it just that you hate an spaniard beating you again in one of “your” sports?
Please ….