Sebastian Vettel relieved to hold off Lewis Hamilton: Spanish Grand Prix 2011
Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull continued his domination of Formula One 2011 season, by winning his 4th race of the season at Barcelona. The German enjoys a 41-point lead at the top of the driver standings, but his latest win in Spain was the most
closely contested one.
Lewis Hamilton gave Vettel a good run for his money and tailed him till the chequered flag. Vettel admitted that he was made to work extremely hard by Hamilton and was relieved to have won the race in the end.
The joy of Vettel was overwhelming and the Red Bull driver’s delight was clear from his cockpit celebrations when he let out his bizarre rendition of the 'Crazy Frog' song.
Christian Horner, the team principal at Red Bull, had admitted before the race that Barcelona does tend to be one of the most predictable tracks of the season, as last 10 winners at the race were all pole winners from qualifying.
The 2008 Champion used DRS several times but Vettel’s defensive abilities were on spot as he did not allow the Brit to get past. In the end, it was thousandth of a second that separated the two drivers.
Vettel admitted that he had to bring out his best to fend off Hamilton, and therefore he values this win more than others this season.
Speaking to reporters after the race, Vettel said, "He tried everything he could, McLaren and Lewis gave us a very hard time, so it was quite a big relief to see the chequered flag. We made it, and I am very, very happy."
Lewis Hamilton was disappointed to have lost, but was happy to have secured 2nd spot and lauded his team for better race strategy that allowed him to make his way up the track.
"I was quite impressed with the job we were able to do, myself and Jenson, considering their car is quite a good step faster than ours," said Hamilton.
Sebastian Vettel has been all about changing the norms since last season, and ended that run of pole winners at Barcelona by winning from 2nd position. The German was pushed to the limits by Lewis Hamilton in the final stages of the race. Hamilton
was using all the technological toys at his disposal in his efforts to get past Vettel. The McLaren driver used the Kinetic Energy Recovery System( KERS) several times on corners and long straights to get the advantage, but Vettel was always one step ahead.
The British driver, chasing the win, was in 2nd and that enabled him to use the Drag Reduction System. Sebastian Vettel was the one ahead, so according to the rules, he could not activate DRS and had to fend off Hamilton with just KERS and his
own ability. In the end, Vettel proved that it is not just the car that keeps him ahead, but his own prowess in the cockpit that has made him the one to beat.
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