Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win of the season by just 0.6s holding Lewis Hamilton in the finish line to win a bore-less Spanish Grand Prix.2010 Spanish grand Prix was another RedBull-dominant boring F1 race but this time flawless Lewis Hamilton proved to be a match for Red Bull's race pace. Jenson Button followed his team-mate in 3rd position after recovering from a bad start, because of a working this time 3-stop strategy, while pole-sitter amd 2010 winner Mark Webber lost significant time behind Alonso and finished fourth ahead of him.
Yet it took a little time for the race results to be confirmed, as the race stewards reprimanded but not penalised all of Hamilton, Button, Webber and Alguersuari about their pace under yellow flags.
The race was exciting by its start, as Alonso, just like he promised, made a brilliant start from fourth and the took the lead from Webber in to turn one, while Vettel beat his team-mate around the outside for second place. Button had a poor start and dropped to tenth, while Michael Schumacher got away well up to sixth place ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg.
The most decisive duel was the one between Webber, Alonso and Button.
Pitted together on lap 30 for the third time, Alonso and Webber matched each other by putting on the hard tyre but exiting the pitlane Alonso just got out ahead, and the pair started to battle over position. Webber made a move down the inside in to turn ten but Alonso came back up the inside in to the next corner. As they fought, the three-stopping Button cruised up behind them and took them both on the same lap; first bravely round the outside of Webber in to turn one and then up the inside of Alonso through turn 11.
But the race has been actually a tough pit-stop chess duel between McLaren, RedBull and Alonso but the top-five positions were eventually settled during the final pit-stop session.
Alonso pitted quite early for his last set of tyres, with 25 more laps to go, and Webber was able to match leaders' pace as soon as he was in clear air. When Webber did pit for the final time he rejoined comfortably ahead of the Alonso's Ferrari.
Although, the positions remained the same in a stabilised gap between Vettel and Hamilton during their 3rd and 4rd pitstop, Vettel had only a 2 secs lead ahead of the final part of the race over Hamilton to kept pressing his opponent jsut like he did during the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton starting pumping fastest laps of the race to close the gap, and proceeded to hustle Vettel until the end but was unable to find a way to pass the Red Bull despite using KERS and the DRS to close up time and time again in to turn one.
Sebastian Vettel admitted that Hamilton made him work hard for the victory.
"I was feeling a bit like in China with my tires going away from me. I was just praying the same thing happened to Lewis. It was really close but thankfully in the last two laps I got quite a good run in the last sector and enough to make it stick."
“He tried everything he could. We were in the same boat, just the other way around. We tried to defend, he tried to attack
We knew that we were quite slow on the straights, plus with 10 laps to go (when) you get the message not to use KERS, (it) is not really what you are hoping for. You are hoping for the opposite – we have found a second KERS in the car so use that button! But it wasn’t the case. It didn’t make it easier but I think even more it shows we kept our heads cool and got the best possible result today, no matter which style.
Hamilton commented as well:
"As the race went on we clearly had some serious pace but it was tough to get past Sebastian at the end. They are massively, massively quick but nonethless I gave my all. It was incredible, how much downforce he (Vettel) had, a good step on us, and also through Turn Nine and through the last corner. So I was never ever able to get close enough to maintain the gap that I was then able to use the DRS to get by. I’m thoroughly happy with the job [we did], the pit stops were much, much better today, I think, for both me and Jenson. And to be able to apply the pressure to a Red Bull, considering the circumstances, is quite an achievement. I don’t think you can be disappointed with today. The team did a fantastic job throughout with the pit stops and throughout the weekend to get us up there and put us in the fighting position.
Away from all the action at the front, Mercedes scored a 6-7 finish as Nico Rosberg found this time difficulty in passing Michael Schumacher this time while Nick Heidfeld climbed up the field impressively using his soft tyres having started 24th, taking the also impressive Sergio Perez for eighth on the run down to turn one with five laps left. In fact it was Perez most exciting day in F1 so far as he became the 1rst Mexican for the last 30 years to score points since Hector Rebaque came fourth at the 1981 Dutch GP. His team-mate Japanese Kobayashi continued his solid F1 performance finishing 10th and completed a succesful! 9-10 finish for SauBer F1 Team.
