Nico Rosberg took advantage of Sebastien Vettel's gearbox trouble to claim victory at the British Grand Prix. It looked as it Vettel would stroll to the finish first after overtaking Rosberg early on and passing Hamilton after his rear tyre puncture. However, Vettel had problems of his own after his gearbox failed on lap 41, forcing the German to retire his car. Rosberg then took the lead and held on to win ahead of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. A brilliant race from Alonso saw his Ferrari climb six places onto the podium whilst team mate Felipe Massa climbed five places into sixth after spinning off track early on in the race. Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole, suffered a rear tyre puncture and dropped down into fourth. Kimi Raikkonen finished in fifth place after climbing three places. Vettel's inability to score any points meant that his lead decreased from 36 to 21 points ahead of Alonso in the driver's championship.
My Opinion: A great day for Nico Rosberg who drove brilliantly throughout after losing an early place to Vettel and claim victory. I was pleased to see Vettel struggle today, forcing him to retire the car after leading the race comfortably. It enables everyone to catch him up in the driver's standings anyway. Shame to see Hamilton drop off the podium. He was unlucky that his rear tyre suffered a puncture but these things happen. Amazing drive from Alonso to make third place. Overtake after Overtake enabled him to climb six places - if only he could do better in qualifying. Another bad race for Mclaren saw Perez suffer a tyre blowout and Button only manage 13th place. Overall, a very entertaining Grand Prix.
Race Guide: Key Moments:
Lap 1: Vettel (2) passes Rosberg (3). Alonso (9) passes Button (10). Webber drops to 15th place.
Lap 2: Alonso (8) passes Grosjean (9).
Lap 3: Webber (12) passes Hulkenberg (13).
Lap 5: Di Resta (16) passes Maldonado (17). Perez (10) passes Button (11).
Lap 8: Webber (11) passes Button (12). Hamilton suffers rear tyre damage.
Lap 10: Massa spins off track after a rear tyre puncture.
Lap 12: Grosjean (7) passes Raikkonen (8). Alonso (8) passes Raikkonen (9).
Lap 13: Alonso (5) passes Vergne (6).
Lap 14: Vergne suffers a rear tyre failure. Raikkonen (5) passes Grosjean (6).
Lap 16: Safety car deployed to clear tyre debris on track.
Lap 21: Safety car returns to pit lane. Webber (8) passes Perez (9).
Lap 24: Hamilton (13) passes Gutierrez (14).
Lap 25: Massa (16) passes Bottas (17).
Lap 28: Ricciardo (6) passes Grosjean (7).
Lap 29: Webber (7) passes Grosjean (8).
Lap 33: Raikkonen (6) and Alonso (7) pass Hamilton (8).
Lap 35: Vergne OUT.
Lap 37: Di Resta (11) passes Hamilton (12) .
Lap 38: Hamilton (11) passes Di Resta (12).
Lap 41: Vettel OUT, retires car after gearbox trouble. Rosberg takes the lead.
Lap 42: Safety car deployed to move Vettel's car off track.
Lap 45: Safety car returns to the pits.
Lap 46: Webber (4) passes Ricciardo (5). Alonso (7) passes Perez (8). Perez OUT.
Lap 47: Alonso (5) and Hamilton (6) pass Gutierrez (7).
Lap 48: Webber (3) passes Raikkonen (4). Alonso (4) passes Sutil (5).
Lap 49: Hamilton (5) passes Sutil (6).
Lap 50: Alonso (3) passes Raikkonen (4).
Lap 51: Hamilton (4) passes Raikkonen (5). Massa (6) passes Sutil (7).
Lap 52: Grosjean OUT. Rosberg wins the Grand Prix.
British Grand Prix Result:
1. Rosberg (Mercedes) 1.32.59.456
2. Webber (Red Bull)
3. Alonso (Ferrari)
4. Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Raikkonen (Lotus)
6. Massa (Ferrari)
7. Sutil (Force India)
8. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
9. Di Resta (Force India)
10. Hulkenberg (Sauber)
Driver's Standings:
1. Vettel (Red Bull) 132 points
2. Alonso (Ferrari) 111
3. Raikkonen (Lotus) 98
4. Hamilton (Mercedes) 89
5. Webber (Red Bull) 87
Constructor's Standings:
1. Red Bull 219 points
2. Mercedes 171
3. Ferrari 168
Performance of the Day: Fernando Alonso for climbing six places and grabbing a podium place. Amazing.
Disappointment of the Day: It would normally be Vettel retiring after 41 laps but that actually pleased me. Instead it was Jenson Button for only coming home in 13th place, having dropped three placed from the start. Not good for him, Mclaren or fans like me.
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