Mark Webber (1st)“Not an easy Grand Prix today. We knew the start was crucial, especially at a venue like this where it’s difficult to overtake. I knew I would be on the back foot fighting with Sebastian (Vettel) and Fernando (Alonso) at the start. I settled into the first stint, but then it was a chess game as to how we would jump Ferrari. The safety car opened up the race and we went off strategy and did something completely different to Fernando. When the safety car came out and I was told to stay out I hoped Fernando would go in to pit. When I saw him go in I knew we had a chance to do something good. I then settled down on the soft tyre and worked on getting a 20-second lead to Fernando. After I came in for my pit-stop I was able to control the race. It’s a nice way to celebrate my 150th race and a great day for us as a team on our 100th race weekend. This result is a credit to the team, they made a good call on the strategy and the car was bomb proof. The next race is Spa, which is a beautiful circuit. I’m looking forward to that race, but it will be nice to have a few days off in the break beforehand.”
Sebastian Vettel (3rd)“During the race, I didn’t understand why I got the drive-through penalty, but I understood after the race what happened. The start was fine; we knew it was a long run to the first corner and Fernando got the tow, but we were able to defend and had a good first stint. When the safety car came out, it was a late call for my pit-stop, so I only just managed to come in. After that it should have been straightforward, as we knew we had the pace advantage. I was sleeping at the re-start, I had lost the radio and was waiting for an instruction of when the safety car would come in. I didn’t see the lights in my car. Mark was close to the safety car, so I thought we had another lap. But then I saw the safety car come in and I was caught out. I lost a lot of momentum and then I got the drive-through. I am disappointed, as I hoped to win today.I was third, so it was a good result for the team, but I am disappointed.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal”A fantastic 100th Grand Prix weekend for Red Bull Racing. It was a really dominant performance from us to win the race today. The safety car came out at probably one of the worst times in the race. We split the strategies, as the only way to get Mark back ahead of the Ferraris was to outrun them at the safety car restart. Unfortunately, at the re-start, Sebastian dropped too far behind Mark and got a penalty as a result. Mark then got his head down, as he had to pull out a 20-second lead to Fernando in order to do the pit-stop and stay ahead. He drove an awesome 20 laps to achieve the required gap and win the race. For Sebastian, it was a great shame to receive the penalty. He pushed Fernando as hard as he could for the remaining thirty laps, but it’s very difficult to overtake here. A one-three finish puts us in the lead of the drivers’ and constructors’ championships going into the summer break, which will give the team a chance to recharge their batteries in preparation for what will be a very intense final third of the championship.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault’s principal track support engineer to Red Bull“What an incredible race to finish the first part of the season. It was an action-packed race and despite our very quick car, our opponents had some opportunities. Fortunately we won and scored a lot of points. We are now in the lead of both championships, which is a very good result. All the guys at the factory can go on holiday with a clear mind. We will aim to continue with this momentum in the second half of the season. Congratulations to Red Bull on its 100th race weekend and congratulations to Renault.”Pos/ No/ Driver/ Team
1 6 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 2 8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 3 5 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 4 7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 5 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault6 10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 7 22 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 8 1 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 9 23 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 10 9 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 11 3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 12 16 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 13 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 14 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 15 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 16 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 17 21 Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 18 25 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 19 20 Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth
Retired2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 11 Robert Kubica Renault 4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 17 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
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