Assessment: Red Bull defeated without being able to respond

Starting in second position with more onboard fuel than Button on pole, Sebastian Vettel was one of the favorites for victory. But Formula 1 is not an exact science, and the start played a crucial role in the unfolding of the Grand Prix.

Blocked behind Massa for most of the race, Sebastian Vettel let the Brawn GP lead the race, but also his teammate Mark Webber who took advantage of a successful strategy to reach the podium. Beaten once again by the Brawn GP, the Red Bull Renaults nevertheless showed a very good race pace, and with the 3rd and 4th places at the finish, the Austrian team has already broken its record for points scored in a season. A real leap forward!

Mark Webber – 3rd:

« It’s good to be back on the podium. It’s interesting to see how the team’s mentality has changed; last year we would have been happy to score points and now we want podiums at every race! We are working incredibly hard, and our guys’ eyes fall into their hands with the late-night work and long hours spent. Sebastian [Vettel] had more trouble in traffic today, but we both finished with a lot of points, which is fantastic. »

« I had a very long second stint and felt better with the car than in the first. We planned to be long in the second because we knew Felipe [Massa] would be a lap longer and his pace would be key to my race. We had to break away from him, and the second stint was the key. I’m very happy with how I drove, and the car was fantastic. I hope it will be closer in Monaco than here, but the way the car performed here is a good sign for tracks like Turkey or Silverstone. Red Bull did a very good job, as did Renault. »

Sebastian Vettel – 4th:

« My start wasn’t the best, at the first corner I found myself in 4th position, so we lost positions and more importantly, we were behind Massa. I was stuck behind him for almost the entire race. It was impossible to overtake him, he did a good job, without mistakes. It’s obviously disappointing, my car was fast today but I didn’t finish on the podium. It’s a solid result for the team, we still take good points. »

Christian Horner – Director:

« A very good drive by Mark, who secured his second podium of the season. His strategy worked very well and he put Rubens [Barrichello] under pressure at the end of the race. It was frustrating for Sebastian because it’s the second consecutive race where a car with KERS costs him dearly. Massa stopped on the same lap for their first pit stop and even anticipating a very short second stint, they still refueled on the same lap for the second, so he spent 63 laps stuck behind the Ferrari! As soon as he managed to overtake him, his pace was significantly faster. We have once again shown that we have a car fast enough to win races, but 3rd and 4th is already a very good result. »