Red Bull Racing scores 1-2 in China

Red Bull Racing recorded an historic first grand prix win in Chinese rain today, Sebastian Vettel leading home teammate Mark Webber for a dominant one-two.

 

 Red Bull Racing recorded an historic first grand prix win in Chinese rain on Sunday, Sebastian Vettel leading home teammate Mark Webber for a dominant one-two.

2009 Chinese Grand Prix podium

After winning under rain last fall in Monza with Toro Rosso for his first victory in F1, young German racer Sebastien Vettel offered Red Bull its first victory under similar conditions  in China.

Vettel first victory in Monza 2008 under wet conditions

“It’s my second win in the wet,” said German youngster Vettel, recalling his first win from pole for junior team Toro Rosso at Monza last year.  “I don’t think I will mind if we have some more rain!”

45 seconds down the road, Brawn’s Jenson Button completed the podium, but he retains his championship lead, 6 points ahead of Rubens Barrichello, who finished behind the sister car in Shanghai.

Behind the four Red Bulls and Brawns came the two McLarens, with Heikki Kovalainen ahead of Lewis Hamilton, after the reigning world champion spun multiple times at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Toro Rosso rookie Sebastien Buemi scored a point, but he had hearts racing on the Red Bull-branded pitwalls at one point, clipping the rear of winner Vettel under safety car conditions.

“I am lucky to have been able to finish,” Vettel said in the post-race press conference.

Fernando Alonso qualified second but finished out of the points, after his low-fuel strategy came to nought when he had to pit even before the long eight-lap safety car period ended at the wet start of the race.

Ferrari again failed to open its 2009 points account: Kimi Raikkonen looking sluggish en route to tenth, while a furious Felipe Massa ground to a halt behind the safety car.

Jarno Trulli also had to retire, after Robert Kubica smashed into the rear of his Toyota.

Adrian Sutil, meanwhile, almost collected debut points for Force India, until he spun and had a huge crash with just five laps to go.

The 56 laps of the race could be completed but it was an exploit in itself to keep the cars on track.

Vettel comfortable when wet

The German led comfortably from safety car lights to soaking chequered flag, only ceding the advantage to team-mate Mark Webber and world championship leader Jenson Button as the various pit-stop strategies worked out in atrocious conditions, and defying the fact that he had qualified lighter than most of those behind him.

Once Fernando Alonso’s super-light Renault had opted for an early stop and change of strategy, Webber and Button provided the closest thing to a challenge for Vettel, but the young German held firm on a day when almost everyone else had an indiscretion or two with unpredictable water levels and downpours that ebbed ad flowed throughout a race that ran the two-hour time limit close.

Surviving a late possibility of the safety car returning, after Adrian Sutil’s bid for points ended heavily embedded in the barriers, Vettel reined himself in and completed a maiden success for Christian Horner’s hard-working Red Bull team.

Webber ensured that the Milton Keynes operation emulated Jordan and Brawn GP by claiming a 1-2 to back up its maiden victory, while Button had to settle for a hard-fought podium after dicing with Webber through the middle part of the 56-lap affair.

Rubens Barrichello, Heikki Kovalainen, a spin-prone Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and the remarkable Sebastien Buemi completed the scorers.

 

F1 » Chinese Grand Prix – Race results

1.  Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 56 laps 1hr 57m 43.485s
2.  Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +00m 10.9s
3.  Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +00m 44.9s
4.  Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +00m 63.7s
5   Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +00m 65.1s
6.  Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 71.8s
7.  Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +00m 74.4s
8.  Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari +00m 76.4s
9.  Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +00m 84.3s
10. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 91.7s
11. Sebastien Bourdais France Toro Rosso-Ferrari +00m 94.1s
12. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +00m 95.8s
13. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber +1 lap
14. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
15. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +1 lap
16. Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault-Renault +1 lap

Rtd Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes 50 laps completed accident
Rtd Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota 43 laps completed
Rtd Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 20 laps completed mechanical
Rtd Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota 18 laps completed acc damage

all results unofficial

Fastest lap:

Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes 1m 52.592s lap 42

source: GMM/Flagworld