Webber clinches first Grand Prix win
#1
07-12-2009, 04:55 PM
Webber clinches first Grand Prix win
Formula One news: Webber clinches first Grand Prix win - GPUpdate.net Formula One
Mark Webber has won his first Formula One Grand Prix in Germany, leading home Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull Racing team's third one-two finish of the season. Felipe Massa completed the podium for Ferrari as the championship-leading Brawn team came home fifth and sixth with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
After a generally chilly weekend at the Nürburgring, temperatures reached a more pleasant 18°C (64°F) on Sunday as Mark Webber lined up on his first ever pole position for the Red Bull team. Behind the Australian, Rubens Barrichello led the charge for Brawn GP ahead of team-mate Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.
As the lights went out, contact on the straight between Webber and Barrichello would come back to haunt the Australian, who was handed with a drive-through penalty. With a KERS system yielding an extra three tenths of a second per lap for the McLaren team this weekend, Lewis Hamilton made the most of the device to shoot from fifth to the lead of the race at Turn 1, before running wide and picking up a right-rear puncture. The World Champion, who hoped for rain, languished at the back of the field for the remainder of the afternoon as team-mate Heikki Kovalainen picked up a point, the team's first since Bahrain five races ago.
Sébastien Bourdais was the first car to drop out of the race with a problem and off-track excursion at Turn 11; the Frenchman is rumoured to have now driven his last race for the Toro Rosso team, although time will tell whether or not the paddock gossip was true. Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari joined him in retirement from the race, as an engine problem caused the car to slow whilst running in a points position.
Felipe Massa enjoyed a positive day in the second Ferrari, however, achieving his first podium finish of the year on the back of fourth place at Silverstone. Both the Brazilian and the Williams of Nico Rosberg were able to jump ahead of the Brawn team, which struggled with either traffic or tyre issues all race long.
With a bad start by Vettel dropping the German to sixth, Button was held up in the early stages by Heikki Kovalainen which saw the Englishman rejoin in the heart of midfield scraps after his first pit-stop. Eventually recovering to fifth with graining problems for his tyres, the championship leader's advantage has been cut to 21 points at the half way mark of the season; the leading British driver was fortunate to have team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing behind him, defending from a hard-charging Fernando Alonso in the late stages.
Adrian Sutil's day promised much with a seventh place on the grid plus a heavy fuel load to enable a flexible strategy after a superb qualifying lap on Saturday. Unfortunately for the German, who ran as high as second, contact with Kimi Räikkönen when exiting the pits resulted in a loss of his left front wing endplate and, with it, all chances of points.
With the Hungarian Grand Prix coming up in a fortnight's time, the Red Bull team has now outscored Brawn for the third consecutive race as the Brackley-based team's advantage is cut to 19.5 points. The German Grand Prix of 2009 will be mostly remembered for the incredible driver of Mark Webber, however, who - despite taking a drive-through penalty - outdrove both the Brawn team and team-mate Sebastian Vettel to clinch his first ever victory since joining F1 with Minardi in 2002.
Mark Webber has won his first Formula One Grand Prix in Germany, leading home Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull Racing team's third one-two finish of the season. Felipe Massa completed the podium for Ferrari as the championship-leading Brawn team came home fifth and sixth with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
After a generally chilly weekend at the Nürburgring, temperatures reached a more pleasant 18°C (64°F) on Sunday as Mark Webber lined up on his first ever pole position for the Red Bull team. Behind the Australian, Rubens Barrichello led the charge for Brawn GP ahead of team-mate Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.
As the lights went out, contact on the straight between Webber and Barrichello would come back to haunt the Australian, who was handed with a drive-through penalty. With a KERS system yielding an extra three tenths of a second per lap for the McLaren team this weekend, Lewis Hamilton made the most of the device to shoot from fifth to the lead of the race at Turn 1, before running wide and picking up a right-rear puncture. The World Champion, who hoped for rain, languished at the back of the field for the remainder of the afternoon as team-mate Heikki Kovalainen picked up a point, the team's first since Bahrain five races ago.
Sébastien Bourdais was the first car to drop out of the race with a problem and off-track excursion at Turn 11; the Frenchman is rumoured to have now driven his last race for the Toro Rosso team, although time will tell whether or not the paddock gossip was true. Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari joined him in retirement from the race, as an engine problem caused the car to slow whilst running in a points position.
Felipe Massa enjoyed a positive day in the second Ferrari, however, achieving his first podium finish of the year on the back of fourth place at Silverstone. Both the Brazilian and the Williams of Nico Rosberg were able to jump ahead of the Brawn team, which struggled with either traffic or tyre issues all race long.
With a bad start by Vettel dropping the German to sixth, Button was held up in the early stages by Heikki Kovalainen which saw the Englishman rejoin in the heart of midfield scraps after his first pit-stop. Eventually recovering to fifth with graining problems for his tyres, the championship leader's advantage has been cut to 21 points at the half way mark of the season; the leading British driver was fortunate to have team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing behind him, defending from a hard-charging Fernando Alonso in the late stages.
Adrian Sutil's day promised much with a seventh place on the grid plus a heavy fuel load to enable a flexible strategy after a superb qualifying lap on Saturday. Unfortunately for the German, who ran as high as second, contact with Kimi Räikkönen when exiting the pits resulted in a loss of his left front wing endplate and, with it, all chances of points.
With the Hungarian Grand Prix coming up in a fortnight's time, the Red Bull team has now outscored Brawn for the third consecutive race as the Brackley-based team's advantage is cut to 19.5 points. The German Grand Prix of 2009 will be mostly remembered for the incredible driver of Mark Webber, however, who - despite taking a drive-through penalty - outdrove both the Brawn team and team-mate Sebastian Vettel to clinch his first ever victory since joining F1 with Minardi in 2002.
#2
07-12-2009, 04:58 PM
Webber overjoyed after 'incredible day'
Formula One news: Webber overjoyed after 'incredible day' - GPUpdate.net Formula One
Mark Webber crossed the finish line to claim a popular victory in the German Grand Prix on Sunday, leading home the second consecutive one-two finish for the Red Bull Racing team and its third of the season. However this time, in his 130th Grand Prix start, it was the Australian who claimed his first F1 top podium step.
Mark Webber was first seen in Formula One racing for Minardi in 2002. A switch to Jaguar came in 2003 before moving on to Williams in 2005, where he remained until rejoined Red Bull two years later. Through his past seven seasons, however, Webber has not been presented with a race-winning car and his success at the Nürburgring ticks a long-awaited box on the Queanbeyan driver's CV.
"The only thing that worried me was the rain threat at the end," explained Mark , who overcame a drive-through penalty after contract with Barrichello as the red lights went out. "At the start I didn't see Rubens and it's not my style to bang into others, but I got my punishment for it," Mark continued, having taken his first Red Bull podium on the same track two years ago.
The victory is ever more impressive when considering the fact that Mark suffered a broken leg and shoulder after a cycling collision with a car last November. "We had a difficult winter although Sebastian showed what the car could do," Webber, 32, continued. "I've had some great people around me to get back in the car.
"I want to thank Dietrich Mateschitz and Red Bull for what they've done for me - it's just an incredible day for everyone who helped me to get where I am."
Mark Webber crossed the finish line to claim a popular victory in the German Grand Prix on Sunday, leading home the second consecutive one-two finish for the Red Bull Racing team and its third of the season. However this time, in his 130th Grand Prix start, it was the Australian who claimed his first F1 top podium step.
Mark Webber was first seen in Formula One racing for Minardi in 2002. A switch to Jaguar came in 2003 before moving on to Williams in 2005, where he remained until rejoined Red Bull two years later. Through his past seven seasons, however, Webber has not been presented with a race-winning car and his success at the Nürburgring ticks a long-awaited box on the Queanbeyan driver's CV.
"The only thing that worried me was the rain threat at the end," explained Mark , who overcame a drive-through penalty after contract with Barrichello as the red lights went out. "At the start I didn't see Rubens and it's not my style to bang into others, but I got my punishment for it," Mark continued, having taken his first Red Bull podium on the same track two years ago.
The victory is ever more impressive when considering the fact that Mark suffered a broken leg and shoulder after a cycling collision with a car last November. "We had a difficult winter although Sebastian showed what the car could do," Webber, 32, continued. "I've had some great people around me to get back in the car.
"I want to thank Dietrich Mateschitz and Red Bull for what they've done for me - it's just an incredible day for everyone who helped me to get where I am."
#7
07-12-2009, 08:05 PM
If you look at threads by sorting through the new posts, you can't really avoid it. I know this has been a problem in the past.
#8
07-12-2009, 08:30 PM
I know I know I try to avoid PitStop when I can't watch a race live which rarely happens but I hit the new posts button and this was the top one. I never even thought of that haha...Now I know, let that be a lesson for anyone else 
#10
07-12-2009, 09:12 PM
Yeah, I don't even log on to TS until I've already watched the GP. I learned my lesson a long time a go.
As for today, a huge congrats to Webber for his win. And to do it with a drive through penalty just proves how brilliant his drive was. It's much deserved and I hope he can get some more after this one.
As for today, a huge congrats to Webber for his win. And to do it with a drive through penalty just proves how brilliant his drive was. It's much deserved and I hope he can get some more after this one.