Webber storms to win as it all goes wrong for Vettel

2010 British Grand Prix review

Posted on

| Written by

Mark Webber won the British Grand Prix after team mate Sebastian Vettel went off on the first lap.

Lewis Hamilton capitalised on Vettel’s problems to take second place and hold on to the lead of the championship.

And Nico Rosberg held off Jenson Button to claim the final podium place for Mercedes.

Vettel’s race was ruined within a few metres of the race starting. Webber dived past his team mate and Hamilton followed him through to take second.

The McLaren driver made contact with Vettel’s car, which seemed to cause a right-rear puncture on the RB6 – though it could have been a consequence of Vettel’s trip across the run-off on the outside of Copse.

Vettel limped into the pits at the end of lap one, not long after Felipe Massa who’d suffered a puncture of his own having made contact with his team mate.

Webber and Hamilton ended lap one first and second and would ultimately finish in those positions, Hamilton admitting afterwards he didn’t have the pace to challenge the Red Bull.

Robert Kubica took up third with Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso in his wheel tracks. Alonso was the first of the three to pit, Rosberg delaying his stop and able to jump ahead of Kubica by doing so.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Alonso was climbing all over the back of the Renault driver and drew alongside on the outside as the pair headed to Club. He squeezed past Kubica but cut across the corner by doing so.

Renault appealed and Alonso had just been told to hand the position back when Kubica slowed and pulled into the pits to retire. Shortly afterwards the stewards announced Alonso would have to serve a drive-through penalty.

It got worse for Alonso moments later when Pedro de la Rosa’s Sauber began shedding bodywork on the track. With shards of carbon fibre littering the straight the safety car was summoned. This was a disaster for Ferrari, as Alonso now had to take his penalty after the field had bunched up.

After the safety car Rosberg held third ahead of Jenson Button. The McLaren driver gained six places at the start and then made his pit stop very late. That promoted him to sixth, after which he gained places thanks to Alonso’s penalty and a late pit stop for Nico Hulkenberg.

The safety car gave Vettel the possibility of points and he picked off several cars in the final laps. The likes of Vitaly Petrov, Hulkenberg and Michael Schumacher succumbed with little difficulty, but it took until the penultimate lap for Vettel to find a way past Sutil.

After several attempts to pass on the way out of the new Abbey and Farm corners – one of which resulted in Vettel running through the dirt – Vettel finally muscled his way past into the slow Loop corner. That left him seventh, with no time left to catch Rubens Barrichello or Kamui Kobayashi.

Schumacher and Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten, the latter stopping on his return to the pits. Vitantonio Liuzzi was 11th – he was passed by Alonso but the pair made contact, giving the Ferrari driver a puncture which compounded his misery. A late change for fresh tyres at least allowed him to claim fastest lap.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

After the events of yesterday, when Christian Horner had order that the only remaining example of a new front wing to be taken off Webber’s car and put on Vettel’s, Webber had a clear message for the team after taking the chequered flag.

“Not bad for a number two,” he told them.

2010 British Grand Prix

Browse all 2010 British Grand Prix articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

130 comments on “Webber storms to win as it all goes wrong for Vettel”

  1. Cheered loudly when Webber took the lead on the first lap, and laughed my head off when I heard, ‘Not bad for a number two driver.’

    What a race. What politics. Wow.

    1. damonsmedley
      11th July 2010, 15:33

      I felt guilty as I too yelled uncontrollably in excitement as Mark took the lead and Vettel slid off the race track as I nearly woke my entire family. I also felt guilty to be cheering at Sebastian’s misfortune particularly, and contrary to your laughter when Mark’s radio was played at the end, my heart started pounding at one thousand beats per minute. I hope the Christian Horner – Mark Webber relationship does not sour further after that remark. How pleasant it was to hear my national anthem once more however.

      1. Yeah I was like “Go Webber” when he got past Vettel even though I wanted Lewis Hamilton to win.

        1. Great job by Webber. I too want him to win in the next race.

    2. Well, very well said.

  2. That comment from Webber was pure genius.

    1. Not pure genius…that’s what he kept in his heart for a long time being the underdog in their team and now proving them wrong…

  3. Some times the good guys get their way through, not bad for a number two, in deed!
    Just loved how the plot unfolded, just loved to see Mark being the first to see the checkered flag!!!!

  4. I feel totally good for Webber. He deserved that win. The drivers of the day were Jenson and Tonio imo. Kobayashi gave Sauber another chance to smile, brilliant drive.
    Lewis is winning the championship, my bet.

  5. Webber, wow! That was an awesome performance today. Vettel, another attempted little shove into the wall at the start on Webber backfired horribly, but his recovery was great, especially the pass on Sutil. At least he’s learning something by being forced to climb up the field! Alonso – nightmare. Why on earth didn’t he return the position? Again the karma gods where around at Silverstone today! Button cooly slips into 4th – I’d watch this one if I were Webber and Ham. Fantastically enjoyable race.

  6. I don’t think we’ve heard the end of the Red Bull Civil War. Apparently Vettel has been quoted about “seeing peoples’ true faces” or some such. I’m expecting a meltdown before the final away leg of the season, and I’m willing to bet that if this litte re-enactment of Chernobyl costs Red Bull a championship, either Vettel or Webber will be seeking alternate employment for 2011.

    1. ‘Apparently Vettel has been quoted about “seeing peoples’ true faces” or some such.’

      I’m interested to know whose “true face” he was talking about. The only true face I saw this weekend was that of Christian Horner.

      “…Vettel or Webber will be seeking alternate employment for 2011.”

      I know which one of them I’d put my money on.

      1. DId Horner really say that???!!!

        1. i wouldn’t be surprised if Vettel throws all of his toys out of his pram (much like alonso did at mcclaren) and end up at mercedes next year.

          1. Vettel,would be superb with Mercedes GP.But will his Austrian mentor allow it?

      2. Given the baby-boy looks, cheeky-chappie persona he projected in his first couple of seasons in the sport, he was clearly talking about himself :-p

    2. yes that’s not the first i’ve heard from Vettel along those lines.. cf

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/11/red-bull-mark-webber-wins-silverstone

      SV

      “I obviously focus on myself and so does he. I have my opinion and for sometimes good and bad you get to know someone better. I’ve learned my lesson and I look after myself.”

      I can’t think of anything Mark’s really done that would make him angry in the way I can think of things Vettel’s done that should have made Mark angry.

      It takes two to tango, I’m sure.

      Civil war is right…

      1. Hard to know for sure what he means, but if it’s an attack on Webber’s character, it would be pretty unwarranted and another sign that Vettel needs to mature. I still like Vettel, but my opinion of him has gone down this season, unlike my opinion of Webber.

    3. I smell a guest article.

    4. Well then, let the rumors about Kimi to Red Bull start again!

  7. Great race, Webber did exactly what Stirling Moss said he should.. to go out there and beat him anyway. Well done!

    Vettel doesn’t seem to be able to get past anyone without nudging/banging/crashing into them. What’s his beef? Surely he’s learned that aggression doesn’t pay?

    1. TBH, this has been one of the first races I’ve actually been pretty impressed with Vettel’s overtaking, with the exception of shoving Sutil out of the way. The rest of his passes were pretty good.

      1. Yeh I was impressed by his comeback, but lets not forget that the redbulls were at some point 1 sec faster than the Mclarens who are the 2nd fastest team. Most drivers would of pulled off the same feat. I was sooooo happy when Webber went P1 into the 1st corner though

        1. In the RB6 he could have passed all the cars up to Sutil with a blindfold. It was only when he met anywhere near a match he made a bit of a mess of overtakes, as always…

          1. I would even go further than this. Vettel only woke up when the safety car came out. If the Red bull is so good he should have gone for the lower teams and see what happened. While I think everyone is agreed that Vettel is a supremely quick driver, I still have my doubts about his skill at overtaking.

  8. As a Brit and a Hamilton fan, I would’ve liked him to win, but Webber was in another league today and he showed amazing character to win with such style after what seemed to me to be Red Bull’s favouritism towards Vettel. Harsh penalty for Alonso. I wonder how many death threats Mansell will now receive with postmarks marked “Espana”. Ferrari definitely have cause to complain, but they spend so much time complaining, I imagine their protests will fall on deaf ears.

    1. The Tifosi will be angry with “Il Leone” for a while but he will be forgiven…

    2. The Spaniards will forget to drop those postcards off at the post office after they win the world cup tonight

    3. @JAMES G

      It is the spanish mafia that run the alonso show that I would be worried about….

  9. Was laughing out loud when Vettel lost it in the first lap. Fantastic race. Awesome drive by Webber, and Hamilton. Unbelievable that Button keeps picking on others miseries. He has been so far away from the pace of Ham, but just a 12 points away from the championship lead.

    1. Jhonnie Siggie
      11th July 2010, 16:00

      Well put. Button probably knows by now that he won’t be able to beat Lewis with all things equal, so he is biding his time and staying close. Maybe he hopes for 1 or 2 wet races where he can gamble? We’ll see but Button deserves props for staying close to Lew.

      1. Button always got some lucky charm inside his underwear given by his dad who’s always wearing pink shirts during button’s race as a sign of good luck, that’s why he always gets some luck from the drivers in front of him messing around and dropping down suddenly then button goes up the pile. But you know…he also has to have skills coz luck isn’t enough for those great drivers in front that he’s challenging. He needs to buy some skills from the nearest supermarket! :-)

  10. From Jon Noble on Twitter :

    “Mark Webber wants talks with Red Bull chiefs tomorrow about what’s happened this weekend
    Says he would never have signed a new deal if he knew how he was going to be treated “

    1. Hopefully he leaves the team and takes his immature ways elsewhere.

      He’s getting annoying. Webber needs Red Bull. Red Bull do not need him.

      Looks like Webber has taken the new bandwagon from Button and Brawn last year.

      1. Immature? I reckon you might be one of a distinct minority with that take on the Webber/Vettel relationship. Vettel has been the one throwing his toys out of the pram, not the other way around.

        Heikki had it right when he said that he too would be upset if his team treated him like RBR treated Webbo yesterday. Different if the team is up front and says “the other guy is number 1, you’re number 2 – you understand?” at the beginning of the team/driver relationship, and the media and everyone is aware of this – like in the Schuey Ferrari days. But to say “We do not favour one driver” then decide to rip the one remaining front wing off the guy who has not had it fall off (and how do we know it was not driver induced? Vettel likes to smash the kerbs pretty hard) just prior to quali and then claim no favouritism?

        Good luck explaining that one. RBR and Vettel are looking more and more like kids in a mens game, carrying on in a very immature way. Webbo just wants to be told straight what is going on. This will get ugly… …so despite being an Aussie and a Webbo fan, I reckon it’ll now be a McLaren constructors win and LH for the title. RBR are about to self destruct…

        1. yes SH is one of the 25% that thinks horner made the right decission on the winggate. The other 75%, think other wise.
          How many people say watch f1 on tv all over the world? 200 million? So then red bull, must be very scared of the bad publicity they got. 150 million people are not buying a can this week end. At least i ain’t.

      2. @ SH: Seriously? Am I reading this right? Why do you reckon Webber needs RBR but not the other way around?

      3. @SH – Your argument is that Redbull has the fastest car by some margin. Therefore they dont need Vettel either. Lets not forget Webber was there for years developing that car. Vettel was gifted the seat, he is the one who has to prove his worth and in my mind he just hasnt. Needing silver spoons to get the job done in the fastest car. I cant see any other driver on the grid doing a worse job in the RBR car so what makes Vettle so special? But I can see the majority of the drivers reacting a lot worse than what Webber has after being clearly unfavoured.

    2. Point of interest: Hamilton’s dad chatting to Webber in the garage just before the race. Hmmm…

      1. Webber leaving won’t stop Seb running his team mate off the road every time he’s out of position… the little German has a lot to learn. So does Red bull, they clearly favour aggression over experience and technical ability, and this is their downfall. Why else would they have the (far) superior package and be down where they are?

    3. I totally agree with Webber in this situation. The level of favoritism that has been show towards Vettel is reaching Schumacher-Barrichello levels. First with the way “swervegate” (love that phrase, can’t remember who to thank for it) was handled despite the fact that Vettel was clearly in the wrong and clearly acted in a childish manner with his hand gestures towards the crowd when he got out of the car and now with the revised front wing issue. Webber is doing just the right thing in this situation, keeping cool and winning.

      The only person Vettel should be mad at is himself. Frankly a driver that is as highly rated as he is combines with the fastest car on the grid and unofficial number one status should be miles ahead in tyhe championship. But he’s only fourth, a full race win off the lead.

      1. It’s funny. The Webber bandwagon is strong now, he can’t do anything wrong.

        Bashing the team who have given him ALL his Grand Prix wins… What a legend.

        1. dyslexicbunny
          12th July 2010, 3:05

          Using that logic, McLaren must be the team that gave Hamilton all his GP wins.

          You haven’t really built a case that Webber has done anything wrong. We can debate about Turkey. But here? No way.

        2. You have made this comment on a number of posts now. Have you stopped to think that Red Bull are now a winning team due in part to Webber’s input? There are many old Jaguar folk at RB and plenty of them will tell you how much of an impact he had then, and is still doing so now.

          Perhaps Red Bull need to be more grateful to the man who helped them get their wins.

          1. I agree that swervegate showed bias towards Vettel.

            However giving the only new part to the guy with the best chance of winning the race / the championship is only natural. The only other solution is to not use a good new part, which is daft.

            I think Webber is getting Alonso-syndrome and thinking the world (or at least his team) are out to get him.

            It might just be the push he needs to fight harder.

            And that might just be good man management from Horner.

            Webber reminds me of the James Hunt style of driving faster by getting more angry. I remember a classic story that the McLaren mechanics used to pretend to fiddle with the settings when he was struggling for pace. He would get angry that they were doing things without him wanting them and often go out and find a couple of seconds extra in the same car.

    4. No,what he said was he wouldn’t have signed a deal with the RB if he knew he was going to be the 2nd driver?

      1. I want Webber to stay in Red Bull & the type of guy he is he will let his driving do the talking for him, & I solely believe he will win the championship if not this year then in 2011. Even if he leave then where will he go other then Renault?

  11. Greaaat for Mark seriously!

    Not bad for a number two, pure genius!

    Tonio Liuzzi’s ram into Alonso was pretty dumb really, in the middle of a straight…

  12. grosjeans.rubble
    11th July 2010, 15:37

    onya, mate! he can keep his wing…

    1. Tom M in Australia
      12th July 2010, 5:38

      On the contrary – if I were Mark I’d demand it back!

  13. @Skanda… Button behaves like true champion, keeps his nose clean, and scores big points. 14th to 4th was fabulous with his inferior car. This is racing, not demolition derby…. Ham’s just not as consistent yet, and doesn’t manage his car like Button, Give him time… he’s still a bit of a loose cannon, but he has 15 years in him yet. Patience… a concept lost on Alonso!

    1. Jhonnie Siggie
      11th July 2010, 15:52

      Maybe that tortoise (Button) business that you advocate will work in other sports but we want to see the fastest guys go all out. BTW have you seen the last 5 races this year? There hasnt been a more consistent driver than Lew. While his chief rivals quiver, Lewis has been a rock in recent races. He hasnt won as many races as Mark this year but he is leading because of consistency.

      I have said it before on this forum and will say it again. Button will never win the WDC while in the same team as Lewis. I will provide a hearfelt apology if I am proven wrong.

      1. oh, don’t get me wrong, I like Hamilton, and the points speak for themselves. But all out results in crashes, not wins. The angry, aggressive, accident prone ‘spinning tops’ like Seb & (Gawf) Alonso simply make a rod for their own backs… Hamilton has had his share of stupid moves and dropping it for no reason, and appears to have learned a lesson from his team mate, which is good to see.

        Have you seen ‘Days of Thunder’?

        1. and even though I’m sitting here in my ‘Button’ T-shirt, I agree with your last statement, as much as it pains me… but you can’t, with any sincerity, call world champ and the 2nd place driver a tortoise!

          1. His 14th place on the grid proved he is a tortoise.

            14th to 4th sounds good but when you see he only made places up on the first lap then it’s not that great.

        2. Jhonnie Siggie
          11th July 2010, 16:10

          I hear ya but Lewis seems to have matured so much this year. You have the luxury of calling Lewis’ moves stupid and Button a “true champ” because Lewis has been unique. Button & Alonso all had their share of stupid moves during the early part of their careers but those went without much notice as they drove for poor teams. Lewis on the other hand was thrust into a situation with high expectations with every move visible and obvious.

          Looking back at his 3.5 years in the sports I think he did rather well. Beating his teammate, a 2 time WDC in his first year and then winning in his second year. What more could you have asked of a rookie? This year with a “so so” car he leading and if Mclaren ever catches RB it is his championship to lose.

          1. I can go with that…

            Hammy is a great in the making, but young, and Button IS the current champion… no changing that.

            I’m enjoying this season…

          2. DANNYJ,

            I agree that Button is a very very good driver and I really like him, however I do not think he will ever go down as one of the greats like Hamilton has the potential to do. I think Hamilton will always have the beating of him over a season but I think he needs to accept that he got a quite lucky last season (not taking anything away from his performance or that of brawn) and that it will be unlikely that he will be WDC again. This is not something to be ashamed about though and I am hugely happy that he is at Maclaren because as team mates I think that Hamilton and Button are the best pairing in F1 and they could both help Maclaren to many Constructors championships and Hamilton will find it far easier to win a WDC with Button by his side than probably any other driver on the grid. I also think Hamilton has learned a lot from Button this season and I hope they go on together for years to come. That said if Button won the championship this year I would still be very happy.

    2. Lewis owns Jenson.Period! That’s clear! Nadaaa! :-)

      1. True, he managed to come out ahead despite a pitstop.

        Button did exactly what he did with Kobyashi in Valencia with Rosberg, just sticking behind hoping they’d drop out like Kubica and Alonso did.

        He won’t win the championship doing that.

        1. He was told to save fuel.

    3. Don’t you think, that he should have overtaken Rosberg to get onto last podium spot?

      1. Sherman Tank
        12th July 2010, 2:48

        “Don’t you think, that he should have overtaken Rosberg to get onto last podium spot?”

        Don’t you think he would have if he could in his home GP, he explained after the race that the lighter the car got the harder it was to handle and also was told to save fuel by Mcclaren. I personally believe that LH is a better racer than JB and has matured since JB came to the team, making him a complete driver.

  14. Some people’s comments/views above are just, wow…

    1. Forgot to say – great drives from Mark, Lewis, Nico, Jenson and Kamui. Really pleased for Mark and McLaren.

  15. Jhonnie Siggie
    11th July 2010, 15:45

    I said before the start of the race that I hope Mark would drive like a madman for the first few corners and make the youth blink. That was the only way to send a message to the “brains” at RB that they dont take a part off of a man’s car and then claim they are equal. Turns out that Mark was thinking the exact same thing. He made the youth blink and sent a clear message that he is not to be messed with.

    On another front, things keep getting better for Lewis in every race. Because there isn’t a rock solid driver in any other team, he is being gifted the opportunity to stay with reach of the WDC while Mclaren tries to catch RB.

    I felt bad for Fernando because the SC came out at exactly the wrong time. He has reasons to curse his luck but some of it was self-inflicted. He really should’nt have waited to be told to give the position back.

    I gave the race an 8 because there wasn’t much of a fight at the front after the first 2 laps.

  16. http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/238746/webber-to-discuss-future-with-red-bull/

    lol love this quote by MW

    some of the other drivers tried to offer me a new front wing – Seb didn’t, but others did.”

    1. This is going to be quite a story to develop I reckon.

    2. Jhonnie Siggie
      11th July 2010, 16:16

      Haha I love that quote myself. Thanks for posting :)

  17. What an incredbile Race! What a fantastic season, it’s just brilliant, every track.

    Anyway, loads more to be said, but really my star of the race has to be Adrian Sutil, what a pass on MSC, and too absolutley outdrive Vettle in a car vastly inferior. Really Renault should sign him for next year.

    1. Adrian was simply stunning. Even Lewis had a taste of him in an earlier race this season.

  18. Yah, good day for team radio today. Mark’s gem and then there was Alonso’s “No more radio for the rest of the race”.

    Realising you take gambles all the time in F1, I do not understand the one taken yesterday by Horner and/or RBR by taking the new wing off Webber’s car to put it on Vettel’s. And I have to admit I was annoyed with the safety car more for bringing Vettel back into play then for ruining Alonso’s race. Because before the SC, Vettel looked like a spoiled brat not really even trying to get himself up into the points again. Karmic payback, yes, but lessened by Vettel’s end-result. More so because RBR might go away and say Vettel might not have been able to do this without the new wing.

    I am also getting more and more annoyed with Leggard’s commentating. After a year and a half he still hasn’t learned to shut up every now and again, to the point where it’s actually getting in the way of his own interpretation of the events unfolding. As for example when he said Alonso lost a place to Liuzzi when Alonso failed to make an overtaking move stick. Please, please, please BBC, put Leggard on the other commentating team and get Anthony on with Martin Brundle.

  19. Also, amazing drives from Barichello and Kobayashi. Really good results for both.

  20. It’s getting very interesting.. with things going on at such levels, championships are really falling into mclarens & its driver’s hands.

    Ferrari- ALO & MAS issue , with un competitive car- ALO puncture his own team-mate and china incident and etc, hmm getting abit explosive real soon, given MAS & ALO emotional self at time.

    Red Bull- Real Quick, but really explosive situation between VET & WEB. WEB felt he is disadvantaged by red bull, and makes very interesting & saracastic comments to media, hmm, Horner & that fizzy drink boss sure doesn’t like it. AND its sure to be more of such inter-team rivalry which mclaren will gain to capitalize while they increase their speed of their own car.

    MERC- really far off pace the top three teams. I guess they will soon write of this season and focus on next year one.

    1. MERC far off the pace, but Rosberg was on the podium though

  21. I’d rather wibber won than vettel

  22. Mark won with the old nose, in a chassis that Vettel didn’t want because it was broken, and beat Vettel to the first corner – awesome :)

    1. Jhonnie Siggie
      11th July 2010, 16:15

      Yup very good points you have made. We all know about the nose because it is fresh but it is easy to overlook the patched up chassis that he used.

  23. One thing I think many may not remember/realise with Webber, is that he’s never been one to mince words. He has a reputation for speaking very frankly, and I found his restraint over the past few GPs quite incredible, demonstrating how annoyed he must really be.

    Remember, his calls about SV ‘listening to his iPod’ when Seb stuck it into his gearbox under the safety car (in Monaco was it)?

    I don’t think Mark is being particularly sarcastic, unreasonable, and to be honest, I am surprised it took so long for something to slip out!

    1. That comment was about Scott Speed who was replaced by Vettel after that incident.

  24. 10 out of 10 to Eddie Jordan for asking the questions that everybody watching at home is thinking. Coulthard is conflicted and Jake is more suited to interviewing the Telletubies, so it is good that the BBC team has somebody like Jordan representing the views of the audience.

    1. Agree! For all his annoyances, his questions make him worth it.

  25. MacademiaNut
    11th July 2010, 16:28

    “Horner: We will act differently at the next race”

    http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/238741/horner-we-will-act-differently-at-the-next-race/

    Just by the title, you would think that when a similar situation arises in the next race, he still would favor Vettel as they will no longer go by who’s leading the championship. :)

    1. Yeah then they will go by FP3 where they let Vettel do qualifying simulations while Webber has to do long fuel runs.

      Well they did that this weekend already.

      1. Then horny…oh i’m sorry…horner then just admitted that they were really favoring vettel? :-)

  26. I think Ferrari should just pack up and go race in America to support their brothers at Chrysler.

    1. They have been here for 60 years, and have been through worse times than where thy are now. So there is no reason they should suddenly quit.

  27. After Webber crossed the line for the victory, team boss Christian Horner said over the in-car radio, said: “Well done Mark, you can smile now.”

    And while the more cynical of us repeat those words with a rather facetious tone, Webber’s response said it all.

    “Well done guys – not bad for a number two driver!” he said.

    i hope it sorts itself out.
    good on you Mark excellent win, certainly justified since they took your wing off your car and gave it to Vetel,
    i laughed and clapped for you as you got passed him, my highlight of the Silverstone race, even if im not your supporter.

  28. o man how uncomfortable mustve christian horner been standing with eddie jordan after the race…

    when jordan said i dont think your comments are sincere and basically was like shame on you i was so happy inside bc i severely dislike the red bull team, their favoritism, their energy drink sponsor, horner, and dont get me started on vettel their unimpressive, inconsistent superstar “wonderkind” driver who often makes poorly calculated racing decisions

  29. John Cousins
    11th July 2010, 16:54

    It seems that the race gods read my mind… What an outstanding drive by Mark. He rose to the challenge, stuck his head down and showed he still has what it takes. Possibly the drive of his career… I think so!
    I truly can’t stand Vettel… and I’m half German. He acts like a spoilt brat. I recieved the full Red Bull kit for my birthday from my better half.. bless her. A beautiful RBR jacket and shirt. She knows how much I support Mark. I don’t like wearing it since Turkey as I only like 1 driver and the team has left me a little sour… Don’t tell her though ;)

  30. rashid hasan
    11th July 2010, 16:58

    congratulations to webber & hamilton. well done.

  31. Great drives by Webber, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Barrichello and Kobayashi in another great race this year. But i think that today is probably the day we can put the championship down to just Red Bull and McLaren, Ferrari pretty much self-destructed again today.

    1. im sure the F! fans on here were watching a different race to me. How did Ferrari self destruct? They got done by a harsh decision?

      Evan to safe self destruct is a bit silly?

      1. Not sure what race you are watching, it was a terrible start from Alonso, he was overtaken left and right, he then collided with his teammate, Massa got a puncture.

        BTW the decision was fair, don’t know what Alonso was thinking, overtaking by going off track can not be legal.

    2. Alonso and Ferrari are not a good mix.When Schumacher was with Ferrari they were dealing with a cooler German personality.Alonso seems to fire Ferrari up and bring them to the boil.Alonso is a great driver but with the wrong team,look how Felipe is falling apart,AND there they have a good car so no reason for all this self destruct.Put Rosberg with Ferrari,or even Michael on his 2nd career, and then you will see a massive difference.

  32. For sure, Button should have overtaken Rosberg… but he proved once again that he do not possess the required skills and he is not on the same level as the others,,, like lewis. At the same time, I dont want to belittle Rosberg, but in my view he (Rosberg) can never be top driver…

  33. This looks like webber’s year! Vettel is being consistently beaten and he is not taking it very well.

  34. So after finishing 7th, did Vettel make a “7” gesture with his finger?

    1. that was lucky, with the way he started he would have been taking his boots off at the end of the race

      1. LOL. Nice one James_mc.

      2. Initially, he was in a position where even with all his fingers and toes, he would have had to “borrow” 4 fingers from Webber.

        1. No, Christian Horner would have just removed the fingers from Webber and given them o Vettel.

  35. How the hell can Hamilton always get away with slizing peoples rear wheels? Today on Vettel, Brazil last year on Barichello.. Lots of other times! He’s got to learn where his car is stupid ****

    1. He is far from the only driver to have his front wing endplate touch another car’s tyres. And how many times does Brundle (or the current drivers) need to explain how limited the view is in an F1 car before you finally get it?

    2. Barichello tried to shove him into the wall at high speed at Interlagos. Even the Brazilian commentators admitted it was Rubens being silly.

      1. And I’d add that was what Vettel was trying to do to Webber today! Basically he lost the plot and any semblance of car control as he saw Webber passing him. Hard not to bump into him.

    3. Perhaps you should read the comment policy.

  36. I had a dejavu of Alonso’s performance at Monza 2007 after looking at Webber’s race today.

    Italy 2007 with Italian police coming for Ron Dennis’s arrest over the espionage controversy alongwith the intra-team tussle for no.1 I feel was the final nail in the coffin for Alonso’s Mclaren career. And Alonso dominated that race start to finish.

    Similarly here, Webber dominated the race from start to finish. And again he was betrayed by his team. Him calling Flavio the night before the race and asking for discussions immediately after the race, I think this is the end of Webber’s Red Bull career.

    Very little can go right for him at the team now. He will finish the season with them, but unlikely that he will stay with the team even on the Sunday night after the Abu Dhabi GP. Things are broken now, can’t be fixed.

    1. No,Webber is a clear black and white guy,you get what you see,and he does not mince words ……….probably hates F1 politics.He could barely touch Vettels hand when they were having the team photo shoot in the end.
      It’s all over with Webber and Horner,Finished.The trust is broken.

  37. Kudos to Eddie Jordan. It was clear on the radio that Horner seemed less happy than usual. DC is never going to ask any real questions to his other employers. People might not like EJ but at least he asks the questions I’m thinking at home!

  38. Rubens was driver of the day for me. 5th place in a Williams was a great achievement. He’s a bit of a Silverstone specialist and he proved it today.

    And well done to Cosworth for having a stronger engine than I had thought.

    1. Yeah, Cosworth really aren’t doing that bad. I’d love to see Lotus come on strong next season!

  39. So after “swervegate”, can we now have “wingate”? What next? :D

    1. Personally I’d favour going back in time and removing everything to do with Nixon and Watergate.

      I propose ‘Gategate’ the gate scandal to end all scandals

  40. I reckon this pick sums it up well:
    https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/webb_redb_silv_2010-9.jpg
    Vettel way out the back and Horner with fake enthusiasm :P

    1. Seems vettel is trying his best not to appear in the photo, trying to blend in with the back ground. :-)

  41. I have had enough of Red Bull i am buying Monster.

  42. Bad Luck for Seb!

  43. COTD from Webber, put Horner back in his box nicely. He was quite circumspect in the post race press conference, but I imagine that there will be fireworks in the RBR garage. Again.

  44. so happy with web and ham! :)

  45. Quote of the day……

    “Red Bull gives you wings, it also takes them away” :)

  46. really good race from the highlights I’ve seen
    big congrats Webber,Hamilton,Rosberg,Rubens,Kobayashi and Vettel

  47. McLaren really did it today. After that desperate faffing around with the exhaust, using one practice period for set up, they finish 4th and 2nd. And the race pace, in Hamilton’s hands, was enough to keep Webber honest and lash the rest of the field. Webber aned Hamilton were on their own planet. One must wonder what would have happened if McLaren had begun FP1 with the current car. RBR must be really wondering what will happen when VMM sorts out their EBD.

    Result: VMM extends their lead in both championships, again. This is not a design or a qualifying competition. Until RBR understands that, they will fall further and further behind McLaren.

    Button is now like a terrible cough that Hamilton can’t shake. No matter how much he buries him in qualifying, no matter how well he does in the race, Button is just there by hook or by crook scoring major points. The tortoise, indeed.

    As for the rest: Schumacher: Heidfeld is German too, so was ist los, Norbert?

    Alonso: I’m starting to feel sorry for him and Ferrari. But the irony of him delaying taking his penalty or getting behind Kubica backfiring in his face was too delicious. Everyone knows the Hamilton-Spa rule, especially the guy who was so quick to condemn Hamilton at the time for it. If you try to pass a guy on the outside, be prepared to mow grass. If you get by somehow off the track, drop behind and stay there for the next corner.

    Kobayashi: How much money does Petrov have again?

    Last, as it were, but not least. Yamamoto showed up his detractors with a solid drive, keeping it on the track at a respectable pace.

  48. anakincarlos
    12th July 2010, 2:12

    It brings a tear to my eye to finaly see Mark get the support from the fan that he has trully deserved over the years.

  49. The thing is, ALL it would have taken is for them NOT to do the wing thing, and the RB/MW relationship could have taken a lift out of the big hole it’s in now. Instead, they just dug it deeper. What, for a few tenths (max) above a competition they had seven tenths over already… :(

  50. Watching on from the sidelines, Webber’s father, Alan, said he was not surprised, adding that he had ”worried” for his son such was his mood overnight.

    ”He clearly wasn’t very happy when he got back after qualifying and I have to tell you I didn’t know how he was going to be,” Webber Snr said. ”I was a bit worried about him. He was pushing the food around his plate at breakfast and looked a bit tensed up.

    ”Martin Brundle came on the television and said watch out for some fun at the first corner and Mark looked up and said: ”You bet there will be some fun at the first corner”, so I knew he was going to be up for it.

    & from Sir Stirling…

    ”I think what Mark Webber should do is say ‘OK, give him [Vettel] the best parts, and I’ll go out and beat him anyway’,” the 80-year-old told the BBC cameras.

    via

    http://www.smh.com.au/sport/motorsport/red-bull–webber-v-vettel-sees-war-of-the-mechanics-20100712-106jg.html

  51. CovertGiblets
    12th July 2010, 13:35

    I sometimes wonder if half of the Red Bull team/garage aren’t suffereing from “Moses Syndrom” whereby they believe all competition should part before them to allow the holy one to the promised land!

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not at all convinced by Seb. If he doen’t become world champion either this year or next, he never will.

    His move back through the field was hardly impressive, bearing in mind his car was upwards of 2 seconds a lap quicker than most of the competition. When he came across someone with a reasonable car, he had to barge him off the track to get by.

    Horner, Bernie & Dietrich Seb is not the messiah, he’s just very quick over a single lap.

  52. Webber gets his points across with such understatement as to come off almost as charming, in particular his No. 2 driver comment.

    Horner needs to end the B.S within his team. Webber should have been allowed to keep his wing; Sebby broke his, he should have used the old wing, not Mark.

    Vettel needs a a serious attitude check, his constant banging into his team mate can only be done with the team’s tacit approval. Sounds like they will petty argue themselves int a second place team finish, much as McLaren did in 2007.

  53. BRAVO Webber.
    This a race so much to talk about.But first the way Webber tackle Vettel to turn 1 was awesome I know they didn’t touch but it was Webber who helped Vettel to have a puncture.
    Good result for Williams as they looked very strong this weekend & also for Kobayashi who I think is getting into rhythm.
    A day to forget for Ferrari & Mercedes what is going on with Schumacher & his side of the crew???

Comments are closed.