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13/06/2011
Canadian GP - A real chance of a win washed away in the rain for the Ferrari


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 It’s fair to say that victory was a distinct possibility for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in today’s Canadian Grand Prix but rotten luck put an end first to Fernando Alonso’s hopes, the Spaniard having to retire on lap 37 of the chaotic rain affected event and then to Felipe Massa’s chances as he spun after being obstructed by a back marker. The Brazilian continued to come home sixth. In a season that has delivered so much excitement, there was plenty more today and although it was a result to forget for the Scuderia, the race will be remembered as a classic and a very long one, given that it eventually lasted just over four hours because of a two hour break caused by torrential rain and a flooded track.

 


Jenson Button secured victory on the very last lap in his McLaren, after pressuring race long leader Sebastian Vettel into a mistake. The championship leader recovered to finish second ahead of his Red Bull team-mate, Mark Webber.

Because of the poor conditions, the race started behind the Safety Car, which released the cars after four laps. Fernando immediately tried to pass pole man Vettel but could not, while fourth placed Webber was hit by Hamilton and dropped down the order. The top three were in grid order and behind Felipe came Rosberg, Schumacher – up from eighth to fifth – Hamilton, Button, Di Resta, Heidfeld with Kobayashi tenth, although the Sauber man moved up to eighth on lap 6. One lap later, Hamilton crashed into his team-mate and had to park his McLaren at the side of the track, which brought out the Safety Car once again.

On lap 10 the rain intensified and the Safety Car was in again at the end of lap 12. On lap 17, Alonso and Rosberg pitted to change tyres, which promoted Felipe to second behind Vettel and Fernando was up to fifth by lap 18. However, on lap 20 the rain got heavier again and so the SC made a third appearance and because of the track conditions, Fernando had to come in again for extreme rain tyres. Vettel also changed tyres on this lap putting Felipe into the lead for one lap until he stopped for fresh tyres, while Fernando was now back down in eighth.

Lap 24 saw the rain become a deluge and Race Control decided to red flag the race, so that all the cars were called back to the grid to await developments, with one hour and 45 minutes of racing still available before the two hour limit would be reached. With daylight lasting till late in the Canadian summer, there were none of the concerns that we had seen in Malaysia in 2009 for example, when rain stopped the race and it could not be restarted because it was dark. So, at 15.50 the cars finally left the grid again, all on mandatory extreme rain tyres behind the Safety Car. Felipe really tried to get past second placed Kobayashi but was unable to pass.

Alonso’s run of points finishes was about to come to an end when Button collided with the Ferrari’s right rear wheel and the Spaniard’s 150º Italia spun and got stuck on the kerb, while Button had to pit with a puncture. It was time for a fourth Safety Car period which lasted to lap 41, when Vettel pulled out a lead from Kobayashi and Felipe and as the track dried, the DRS which had been forbidden in the wet was now enabled for use by the race director. With 20 laps remaining, Vettel led the Sauber driver by over six seconds and Felipe was right on the tail of the Japanese driver and behind the Brazilian was his former team-mate, Schumacher. Then, on lap 51 as Felipe again tried to pass Kobayashi, Schumacher got the better of both of them to go second, chasing Vettel.

At this point, Felipe’s race was about to be compromised, as he came up to lap a backmarker, Karthikeyan, who suddenly accelerated in the Hispania, leaving Felipe nowhere to go on the wet line and the Brazilian spun. Eventually, he caught up with the pack thanks to yet another safety car and eventually came home sixth – far from what had been within his grasp.

When the race resumed, with only nine laps left, Vettel was being chased by Schumacher, Webber, Button and Kobayashi. The Australian Red Bull driver passed the German in the Mercedes, but he had to cede the position, having cut the chicane and one lap later, as he made the same error, Button went by into second place. The McLaren man then put Vettel under enormous pressure, which paid off when the German lost control of his car, ran wide leaving Button to score his first win of the year.

Behind the podium trio the rest of the points went to Schumacher in fourth, followed by Petrov, Felipe, Kobayashi, Alguersuari, Barrichello and Buemi tenth.

Press Office: Ferrari Spa
Foto: Ferrari Spa
ADK Team: ADK MC




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