F1 Flashback: 2011 European GP

The 2011 European GP followed up a hectic Canadian GP which had a multitude of overtakes, crashes and incidents. However, there was limited action at Valencia – the venue for the European GP since 2008. Valencia, being a street circuit like Monaco and Singapore, is known for its limited overtaking opportunities and minimal incidents during races. The 2011 race turned out to be no different. This, despite two DRS zones being used for the Grand Prix.

VALENCIA, SPAIN – JUNE 25: Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Red Bull Racing drives during the final practice session prior to qualifying for the European Formula One Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit on July 25, 2011, in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Practice and Qualifying:

Red Bull set the pace early on in the weekend with Mark Webber out pacing others in the first practice and Vettel dominating in the third practice session. Ferrari‘s Alonso was the fastest in the second practice on Friday. The practice sessions were a clear indication of the race pace of the Red Bulls which would be the case throughout the weekend.

Sebastian Vettel was the fastest in qualifying, pipping the fellow Red Bull of Mark Webber by 2 tenths of a second. This was his seventh pole in eight races. He would go on to eclipse Nigel Mansell’s record of 14, later on in the season. Hamilton and Alonso qualified third and fourth respectively. Interestingly, the top 8 positions were occupied by the top 4 teams (Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes).

Race:

The yellow marked soft and white marked medium compounds of Pirelli tyres were used during the weekend. The Pirelli medium tyres were used for the first time in the season at Valencia. At a scorching track temperature of around 47 degrees, tyre management turned out to be critical for all the drivers during the race.

VALENCIA, SPAIN – JUNE 26: Race winner Sebastian Vettel (2nd right) of Germany and Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium with second placed Fernando Alonso (left) of Spain and Ferrari, Red Bull Racing Head of Race Engineering Ian Morgan (2nd left) and third placed Mark Webber (right) of Australia and Red Bull Racing following the European Formula One Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit on July 26, 2011, in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

The race turned out to be yet another Sebastian Vettel show, as the German driver maintained his lead throughout the 57 lap race. With the exception of the battle for second spot between Alonso and Webber, there was nothing noticeable in the race in terms of overtaking. The Spaniard Fernando Alonso gave the fans something to cheer about by securing second spot, pipping Aussie Mark Webber, who struggled with a gearbox problem, at the fag end of the race. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.

The pecking order remained the same for 5, 6 and 7 in both qualifying and race – Massa, Button and Rosberg. Michael Schumacher dropped down the field due to his crash with Renault’s Vitaly Petrov at the exit of the pit lane and finished 17th.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari finished in eighth after starting 18th on the grid. He stopped twice. Sauber’s Sergio Perez impressed one and all with his tyre maintenance as he finished 11th, using a one-stop strategy after starting 16th on the grid. The top 10 drivers in the starting grid stopped thrice.

The 2011 European GP set the record for the most number of finishers in a Formula 1 race as all the 24 started managed to last till the chequered flag. However, it wasn’t what the F1 fanatics were hoping for, especially after the thrilling Canadian Grand Prix. Let us hope this year’s turns out to be much different from the last one.