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#856 2011 Indian Grand Prix

2023-01-10 00:00

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#2011, Fulvio Conti,

#856 2011 Indian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso has no desire to let his guard down, even though the Formula 1 World Championship has already decreed its champions, namely Sebastian

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Fernando Alonso has no desire to let his guard down, even though the Formula 1 World Championship has already decreed its champions, namely Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing. On the contrary, the Spaniard is not losing faith and has high ambitions for the first Indian Grand Prix in history, scheduled for Sunday 30 October 2011.

 

"My priority goal is the podium and even though victory might be far away, it should not be ruled out. I haven't seen the track yet, I'm going in the afternoon to do an inspection. For now I've only tried it in the simulator and I think the Ferrari can go as it did in Korea, because the characteristics are quite similar. There are two big straights, in the first two sectors, and then tight hairpins. While in the third sector, the most driven one, with a constant average speed, we have performances similar to those in Korea. So the performance will not be very different from that race, where I finished fifth, but I really hope to do better here in India".

 

There are some concerns, however, about the quality of the asphalt, which, as is often the case with new tracks that have never been used, is very dirty. 

 

"I am afraid that the dirt on the track will turn it into a skating rink. Also, with the dirty track and the setup difficulties that all the teams will have, we hope that Ferrari's skill and our ability to find the best way first will help us".

 

The two-time World Champion then responded to those who asked whether it was right to organise a Grand Prix in a country where there is still a high rate of poverty such as India. 

 

"We as sportspeople and part of a show like F1 cannot close our doors to any country. That is also what sport is about: opening doors and communicating between cultures and people. We all have to be more united. What can F1 bring to India? Here F1 can only bring benefits, introduce Formula 1 and a new sport to another part of the world, which was not so interested before. We also look at the whole of Asia, at places like China, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea. All this also makes the sport and F1 grow. It also makes our work more interesting. Having a Grand Prix, a team and two drivers, is certainly good news for India and this continued growth will help the country".

 

Fernando Alonso experienced the death of Marco Simoncelli on live television. 

 

"A thought for Marco is obligatory for all of us, for those who live motorsport and racing from the inside. To his family I send a very strong hug. I saw the accident live and couldn't believe it was true. After a crash you never think it can end like that. It's also very hard for us riders to live through those moments. Sunday and Monday then were strange, I was very sad and shocked. Even though I didn't know him personally, when these things happen to one of our comrades, you live it like a lifelong friend. We racers know that races are dangerous, but when you put the visor down, the love of competition makes you think that the risk doesn't exist. Instead you always have to remember that".

 

A death that leads the Spaniard to remind everyone how much has been done and still needs to be done for safety in Grand Prix. 

 

"Tragedy is always possible, but safety is a priority. Especially in F1. It is no coincidence that all the new tracks have the reputation of being more boring, but certainly safer. This is the way of Formula 1 itself, as well as of the FIA, the organisers and us drivers. We all want the best possible safety. It is never enough. So racing in a car or a motorbike makes no difference. Sure, on a motorbike you take the hits directly and in a car you are more protected, but we all take risks". 

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And adds:

 

"Just think that in 2007 Kubica in Canada risked tragedy, in 2009 Massa had a moment of bad luck, catching a spring in his helmet. They were difficult moments. Then the tragedy in Indy in recent days and Marco.... We are always at risk. No matter how much you do for safety, you always have to improve. No one wants to feel pain in a show and entertainment event".

 

From 2012, the Renault team will be allowed to take on the Lotus name. This season the team was known as Lotus Renault GP, named after its sponsor, Lotus Cars. This will result in a name change for Team Lotus. During the season this had caused confusion in the naming of the two teams, both of which were powered by Renault, and had also triggered a legal battle between Tony Fernandes of Team Lotus, and Lotus Cars. In the days leading up to the Indian Grand Prix, the holding of the event was threatened by protests from farmers in the area who accused the organisers of using unfair methods for the purchase of land, as well as of paying too little compensation. Three weeks before the event, the farmers themselves organised a sit-in near the circuit to highlight their protest. However, the organisers responded by saying that they had spent $400.000.000 on the race and that there would be no problems on the day of the grand prix with regard to safety. Another topic of discussion is the customs fees imposed on the teams to bring their materials into the country. The organisers had been interested in the circuit becoming a duty-free area. However, this proposal was not accepted by the Indian authorities. It was then claimed that, according to Indian tax law, the local government could demand a share of the revenue the racing teams get for the grand prix. This also led to speculation that the racing teams might boycott the event, although this threat was later withdrawn. The organisers themselves offered to pay any fees charged to the teams. Subsequently, the local government decided not to charge any fees for the Grand Prix. More importantly, following this decision, the Supreme Court of India requested a clarification from the Government of Uttar Pradesh: for the Court, such an exemption would contravene the entertainment tax law. On Friday, 21 October 2011, the Court issued a temporary injunction stipulating that 25 per cent of the money collected on the tickets would be deposited in a separate account, until the Court reached a final decision on the matter. A further problem arises concerning the granting of visas to drivers and teams. 

 

Nico Rosberg and part of HRT claim to have had their visa applications for the race refused. Despite the massive promotional campaign, access to the circuit will prove prohibitively expensive for the local population, since the entrance ticket costs as much as an average monthly salary. At the Indian Grand Prix, Narain Karthikeyan will take over from Vitantonio Liuzzi as starting driver at HRT-Cosworth. The Indian had been replaced by Daniel Ricciardo, also at HRT, since the British Grand Prix. For some time it had been speculated that a second Indian driver, Karun Chandhok, might also race as a starting driver at the Grand Prix, at Lotus-Renault. However, the latter will only take part in the first free practice session in place of Heikki Kovalainen. Friday, October 28, 2011, the first Friday practice session was stopped after just five minutes when a stray dog found its way onto the circuit. The session was red-flagged while the dog was led away, and re-opened within five minutes. When the session restarted, the two Force India cars, Karun Chandhok's Lotus and the Hispania of Narain Karthikeyan were queued at the end of pit lane, waiting to be the first cars to take to the circuit. Although most drivers prefer to do an installation lap, pitting at the end of their first lap of the circuit, Chandhok remained out to set the first flying lap time of the circuit. Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button were the early leaders of the session, while Fernando Alonso's car succumbed to a loss of power halfway through the session. The track surface was noticeably dusty, and despite becoming cleaner as the session wore on, the drivers struggled for grip and several ran wide. Jaime Alguersuari fell victim to this lack of grip, spinning into the barriers at the far end of the circuit fifteen minutes before the chequered flag fell. Pastor Maldonado was also forced out when his Cosworth engine exploded. He had narrowly avoided a collision with Chandhok in pit lane moments before, after Chandhok spun when attempting to lay rubber down in the Lotus pit bay so as to allow the team's drivers a faster getaway from the concrete apron. 

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When the session ended, Lewis Hamilton was fastest, half a second ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Hamilton however, had set his time when yellow flags had been shown in the final sector for Pastor Maldonado's stricken Williams, and was given a three-place grid penalty. Sauber's Sergio Pérez received a three-place penalty for a similar offence. The second session saw Felipe Massa top the timesheets, 0.088 seconds ahead of Vettel, and 0.224 seconds ahead of teammate Alonso, who had recovered from his mechanical fault in the first session. Several drivers ran off the road, with Turns 6 and 7 proving to be particularly troublesome as Vitaly Petrov, Kamui Kobayashi, Sébastien Buemi and Adrian Sutil all went off there. Pastor Maldonado experienced further trouble when he spun into the gravel at Turn 9, though his car could be retrieved in time for him to complete the session. The session was red-flagged with forty minutes remaining when Jérôme d'Ambrosio crashed at Turn 12; having run wide at Turn 11, he had gone too far onto the slippery kerbing on the inside of Turn 12 and spun when he applied too much power. Although the crash itself was heavy enough to destroy his rear wing and rear suspension, the damage was largely cosmetic. Jaime Alguersuari was suspected of ignoring yellow flags at Turn 9 and was referred to the race stewards, but escaped penalty when the team provided telemetry that demonstrated that he had slowed down.

 

Felipe Massa set the fastest time at the end of the second free practice session of the Indian Grand Prix. The Brazilian Ferrari driver, who has the number 58 on his helmet, dedicated to Marco Simoncelli, laps in 1'25"706 and precedes the Red Bull of the World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, (+0"088) and the other Ferrari of Fernando Alonso (+0"224). Fourth time for Lewis Hamilton (+0"748), sixth the Australian Mark Webber. However, Felipe Massa has no illusions: 

 

"It's always nice to be in first position at the end of a day's work but we know how relative the Friday placings are. Of course, it would be nice to be able to go on this weekend in the same position but we know how difficult it will be to do that".

 

The Brazilian also speaks at the new Indian track: 

 

"I like the track: it is very interesting and there are some corners where driving technique can make a difference. In some places the road surface is very wide, so it will be possible to make different trajectories in the race, which could make overtaking easier".

 

In the first free practice session it was Lewis Hamilton's McLaren that was the fastest. The British driver had lapped in 1'26"836, ahead of the two Red Bull Racing cars of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Engine problems for the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, who was forced to park his single-seater at the trackside after only four laps. Felipe Massa, on the other hand, had finished seventh with a time of 1'28"644 and 22 laps to his credit. As expected, the dirty asphalt of the new track caused some problems for the drivers with a few minor accidents. These included the Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, who spun at Turn 9, hitting the outside wall. Finally, nine drivers (including Hamilton, Vettel and Massa), the FIA announced, exceeded the track limits due to dust and dirt on the asphalt. However, FIA and team officials insist that there are no emergencies and that even incidents such as the one involving Belgian Jerome D'Ambrosio, who after leaving the track hit a protective wall and lost a rear wheel, or Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado (spectacular spin), are routine. Lewis Hamilton and Mexican Sauber driver Sergio Perez will both be penalised by the loss of three grid positions. The marshals found that the two drivers ignored the yellow flags displayed for an engine problem in Pastor Maldonado's Williams at Turn 16. And Renault driver Vitaly Petrov will also be penalised for colliding with Michael Schumacher's Mercedes during the Korean race: he will lose five positions on the starting grid for the Indian Grand Prix. Apart from anything else, this is not an eve like any other. The drivers walk around the paddock as usual and try to pretend that nothing is going on, but you can see with the naked eye that they can't: in the crouches, at the end of speeches, they lower their voices and shrug their shoulders, forced to come to terms with what they carefully avoid by trade, fear. The Indian Grand Prix, in New Delhi, is the first motor sport event after the shock of Marco Simoncelli's death, which was preceded by that of Dan Wheldon, in Indycar. 

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And even Alonso's remark, almost taken for granted since it is a track yet to be inaugurated, ends up being read with concern, calming everyone down. The truth is that everyone has experienced the events of the last few weeks in their own way, some with participation, some with coldness. But everyone has come out of it trying to take refuge in the paradox of the driver, who takes to the track simultaneously aware of the risks and unaware of the danger. Fernando Alonso explains the difference: 

 

"It's been a shocking few days, we all know how dangerous motor sport is: on a track like this we in F1 touch 320 km/h and when you're on it you know that whatever happens to your car could have very serious consequences. But our duty, once the visor is down, is not to think about it any more".

 

By contrast, Michael Schumacher's reasoning is more articulate. 

 

"We drivers live to take our vehicles to the limit. When we drive we don't think about danger. It has always been like that, it will be like that this weekend too. We cannot even deny to ourselves that motor sport is very dangerous and that F1 is the fastest category of all. But I am convinced that if something were to happen, well, it would mainly have to do with what I call fate. And with destiny we all have to measure ourselves sooner or later. Of course, I was also very touched by what happened to Simoncelli and Wheldon, but at the end of the day I have to say: that's life. And to race".

 

Saturday, October 29, 2011, the third and final practice session saw some of the fastest lap times of the weekend thus far; this was a by-product of dust being cleaned from the circuit and drivers becoming familiar with the circuit layout. Vettel finished fastest, becoming the first person to set a time faster than 1'25"0, and comfortably inside the projected lap times claimed by Pirelli. Button was second, ahead of Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton. The new front wing of the Ferrari cars attracted significant attention, with commentators observing it to flutter, rapidly vibrating and sparking off the circuit surface, particularly under braking into Turn 4. This phenomenon attracted the attention of the FIA's technical delegates, and the problem was noticed to have stopped when the team replaced the front wing on Felipe Massa's car. The qualifying began with the observation that many of the drivers using the softer option tyres drove a slower flying lap to generate heat into the tyres, before starting a faster flying lap. Vitaly Petrov set the fastest time of the session, while Timo Glock was forced out early with a gearbox problem. Glock failed to set a time within 107% of Petrov, and therefore needed permission to enter the race. Permission was ultimately granted on the basis that Glock had set times through free practice that were well within 107% of the fastest times in those sessions. Jenson Button experienced early troubles when he reported that his car lacked rear grip, and he was sixteenth in the final few minutes of the session, just ahead of Michael Schumacher in seventeenth and Kamui Kobayashi in eighteenth. Both of them had demonstrated lap times faster than that of Button's, placing Button in danger of being eliminated. Button was forced to use a set of option tyres earlier than planned in order to advance to Q2, though Kobayashi ultimately aborted his final flying lap, meaning Button would have been safe whether he had stayed in the pits or not. Michael Schumacher was impeded on his final lap through Turns 10 and 11 by Narain Karthikeyan, who later received a five-place penalty for the infringement. Kobayashi, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, Daniel Ricciardo, Karthikeyan, Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Timo Glock were all eliminated. The second qualifying period was topped by Sebastian Vettel, who remained the only driver of the weekend to break the 1'25"0 barrier. Jaime Alguersuari and Vitaly Petrov set identical lap times to the thousandth of a second, with both drivers recording a lap time of 1'26"319, and finishing the session in tenth and eleventh place respectively. Alguersuari advanced to the third and final qualifying period by virtue of having set his lap time before Petrov. Petrov finished the session eleventh, which became sixteenth when his penalty from the Korean Grand Prix was applied. 

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Michael Schumacher qualified twelfth after complaining of a vibration in the rear of the car, ahead of Paul di Resta, Pastor Maldonado, Bruno Senna, Rubens Barrichello, Petrov and Sergio Pérez in seventeenth. Pérez was later moved back to twentieth place, having earned a three-place penalty for ignoring yellow flags in practice, and started the race behind teammate Kobayashi and the Team Lotus cars of Kovalainen and Trulli. The third and final session saw the top four drivers separated by just one tenth of a second. Vettel set the early pace, ahead of Hamilton, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. Having used a set of soft tyres early, Jenson Button elected to do just one flying lap at the end of the session, finishing fifth after Felipe Massa crashed out in front of him and forcing Button to slow down. Massa hit the high kerb on the inside of Turn 8, breaking his suspension and sending him into the wall, damaging his front wing. There was some contention as to whether Button's lap time was legal, as he had set his fastest (and only) lap time while yellow flags were displayed for Massa's crash. Button maintained that he had slowed down as soon as he saw the accident, but that he was following too closely to Massa at the time of the accident to have seen the yellow flags; by the time the marshalls had reacted, Button had already passed the marshall station. The stewards took no action against him. Massa's accident also disrupted the final laps of Webber, Hamilton and Alonso, giving Sebastian Vettel his 13th pole position of the season. Hamilton finished second, which became fifth once his penalty was applied. Webber qualified third ahead of Alonso and Button, with Massa sixth and Nico Rosberg seventh, the final driver to have set a lap time. Adrian Sutil would start the race in eighth place, having taken to the circuit to record sector times, but without actually completing a lap. Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were ninth and tenth, making the race the first time all four cars owned by Red Bull had started in the top ten. After grid penalties had been applied, just seven drivers - Vettel, Massa, Rosberg, Sutil, Buemi, Alguersuari and Glock - started the race in the position they had actually qualified in. 

 

Sebastian Vettel will start on pole position in the Indian Grand Prix at the Greater Noida circuit. The German driver of Red Bull Racing, who has already been crowned World Champion, was fastest in qualifying, lapping in 1'24"178. For Vettel it is the thirteenth pole position of the season, for Red Bull it is the sixteenth in a dominating season so far. Behind Vettel will start the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, who will however lose three grid positions due to a penalty received during free practice. Third best time for Mark Webber's other Red Bull Racing car, ahead of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and Jenson Button's McLaren. They are followed by Felipe Massa's Ferrari, Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, Adrian Sutil's Force India and the Toro Rosso of Buemi and Alguersuari. While Sebastian Vettel continues his hunt for the only goal of the season still available to him, and that is the record of pole positions - with the one obtained in India, the thirteenth, he is two away from overtaking Mansell, and he still has two races to go - the rest of Formula 1 is fighting to collect what remains and, perhaps, in the meantime, to understand something useful in view of next year. A ruthless and, in its own way, dramatic struggle precisely because at stake is nothing more than the runner-up title, almost an insult to teams like Ferrari and McLaren. Fernando Alonso, at the moment, seems to be the favourite despite being significantly behind Jenson Button (212 points against 222) and too little ahead of Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing (209). The Spaniard nevertheless seems fit and motivated, and his Ferrari (stopped in development a couple of months ago), all things considered, has not seemed that much slower than the other two teams. Or, at least it hasn't been here in India, where it has managed to keep up with the pace of the leaders: Alonso (who will start third thanks to the penalty inflicted on Hamilton on Friday morning) set the fourth best time, but his time is essentially identical to that of the runner-up, Mark Webber (between the two, the almost philosophical measure of 0.009 seconds). Considering that, by tradition, Ferrari has a much better race pace than in qualifying for the Indian Grand Prix, expectations are high. 

 

"Victory? No, it cannot be ruled out".

 

Says the Spaniard, albeit without smiling too much, as he will start on the clean side of the track: 

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"Although this will be a relative advantage, at the start the ideal line is through the middle, while the clean side is also quite dirty here in India. Still, it would be nice to come home with a trophy".

 

If it were to happen, it would only help Ferrari's morale and image, a little tarnished in this 2011, also because, for the rest, all the Maranello team's efforts are focused on 2012. And on the revolutionary and original car (in the words of team principal, Stefano Domenicali, and aerodynamicist Nicholas Tombazis) with which to start winning from Melbourne, that is, from the first race. The first piece of the Ferrari to come, for the moment, is something of a mystery. It is the front wing. On Friday, using it, Massa had recorded the best time. And someone in the paddock had linked the two, claiming that the wing was a little too flexible (and therefore forbidden by the regulations). But then some images showed how the behaviour of that part looked like it was not efficient. Smiles Ross Brawn, looking at the images:

 

"It bangs like hell, it's unstable, I guess the drivers aren't really happy about it. Is it regular? I don't know, if it passes the Fia controls it's OK with me".

 

From the team in Maranello they let it be understood that they are not quite happy with the performance of that part, although the impression is that in any case the path taken - that of part elasticity - is considered the right one.

 

In the meantime, Luca Montezemolo's dream, that of a third car to be entrusted to young drivers or star drivers (e.g. Valentino Rossi), is beginning to take shape. Surprisingly, Bernie Ecclestone has included in the agenda of the next F1 Commission, one of the main regulatory bodies of Formula 1, two points (No. 5 and No. 9) that in fact officially open up that road that will lead, with a certain probability, to the introduction of the novelty for the 2013 World Championship. The idea is to allow a new team to rent or buy a car from a major manufacturer and run it on its own, with its own colours and sponsors. A bit like what has been happening in MotoGP for some time. Ferrari has always insisted on this point, convinced that this system, in addition to guaranteeing a more rational distribution of costs, could allow the average level of competition to be kept higher, unlike what happens today with the too-slow Virgin, HRT, Lotus. The other teams, in particular McLaren and Red Bull Racing have always been very sceptical, if not opposed. Always finding on their side the tacit support of Ecclestone. Who now seems to have changed his mind. Partly in good faith, and partly for instrumental reasons: his real interest is in convincing Ferrari to sign the new Concorde Agreement (F1's basic contract, which binds the teams to the organisers, hence to Ecclestone, expiring in 2012) and the third car could be a good quid pro quo. The appointment is therefore for Thursday 3 November 2011 in Geneva. Ecclestone has put on the agenda his intention to discuss with team delegates the appropriate definition of the term constructor in F1 (agenda item no. 5). An unusual topic, to say the least. In fact, it is a preliminary question to item No. 9, namely the possibility of hiring people with knowledge of technical information about the design and construction of cars (what is called intellectual property). 

 

"The two arguments were carefully chosen. Because they are the basis for the introduction of the third-car rule, and they also pose a not bad political problem, which could convince McLaren to reconsider its position on the point". 

 

Yes, because it seems that evidence is emerging of an improper relationship between McLaren and Force India. The team, host here in New Delhi, has allegedly behaved over the years as a satellite of the British by anticipating the substance of the content of the third car. Indians and British risk heavy penalties unless the de facto situation is also ratified at the regulatory level. 

 

"In that case it would certainly be easier to tread lightly".

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On Sunday, October 30, 2011, before the Indian Grand Prix, a minute's silence was held in memory of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who died in motor racing accidents over the previous two weekends. Sebastian Vettel retained the lead from the start, while Jenson Button also had a good start, jumping Fernando Alonso down into turn 1. He then managed to pass Mark Webber on the back straight to be second by the end of the first lap. By comparison, his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton dropped down behind Felipe Massa to sixth at the start. Michael Schumacher was another to make a good start, jumping up to eighth, just behind Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, having started eleventh. Bruno Senna, having started fourteenth, now rounded out the points-scoring positions in 10th place, behind Adrian Sutil. Meanwhile, behind the leading pack, carnage ensued. Rubens Barrichello made slight contact with his Williams teammate Pastor Maldonado. The Brazilian then speared sidewards and collected Kamui Kobayashi. As the Sauber driver returned to the track, he hit Timo Glock. Maldonado's car was undamaged, and he continued, while Barrichello pitted for a new front wing and also continued. Kobayashi, meanwhile, pulled off on the back straight, and Glock retired his Virgin two laps later with suspension damage. There was also contact at turn 3, as Narain Karthikeyan hit the back of Jarno Trulli's Lotus, spinning the Italian off the track. Trulli pitted for repairs and continued, but he was slow for the rest of the race. On lap 9, Jaime Alguersuari successfully completed an overtaking manoeuvre on Senna, with the aid of the DRS, to move into tenth place. The Renault driver was passed just a couple of laps later by Alguersuari's Toro Rosso teammate Sébastien Buemi. Pastor Maldonado suffered a gearbox failure on lap 13 and became the race's third retirement. However, he parked the Williams far enough off the race track to avoid a safety car. The following lap, Alguersuari continued his charge up the field, passing Adrian Sutil's Force India to take ninth place. The pitstops began for the top ten on lap 17, as Webber, Alonso, Hamilton and Alguersuari all pitted. Alonso emerged behind Michael Schumacher, but was able to quickly pass the Mercedes driver. The following lap, Massa and Rosberg both pitted to restore the positions up front. 

 

After the leaders, Vettel and Button, also pitted, the order from before the pitstops was exactly restored, with the exception of Bruno Senna, who was now in tenth having not yet pitted. When he did, Sebastien Buemi had managed to jump in front of Sutil in the pit stops. Shortly afterwards, the race's major talking point occurred when Lewis Hamilton attempted to pass Felipe Massa in turn five. As had happened already four times before in the 2011 season - in Monaco, Silverstone, Singapore and Suzuka - the two cars collided. Massa continued without damage but was later awarded a drive through penalty for the incident. Hamilton, meanwhile, was forced to return to the pits to change his front wing. On the same lap, Sébastien Buemi retired his Toro Rosso with an engine failure, maintaining the relatively high level of attrition in the race. At the end of that lap, then, Massa remained in fifth place, but Rosberg, Schumacher and Alguersuari were promoted to sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively. Hamilton was now ninth after his adventures, with Sutil promoted to tenth by Buemi's retirement. When Massa took his drive through penalty, he dropped down behind the two Mercedes cars. Meanwhile, Hamilton passed Alguersuari for eighth, leaving the McLaren and the Ferrari nose to tail once again. However, it was only one lap before Massa suffered a suspension failure, just as he had suffered in qualifying, as he this time broke the left front suspension of his Ferrari on the kerb and retired from the race. This left, on lap 32, Hamilton in seventh, Alguersuari back to eighth and Sutil and Sergio Pérez, who had been having a quiet race for Sauber, rounding out the points. The second round of pitstops saw far less action than the first, with the exception of Alonso's better stop allowing him to emerge ahead of Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing in the battle for third place. Also, Bruno Senna was now in ninth, due to being on a different pit stop strategy. Senna pitted four laps from the end, allowing Sutil and Pérez back into their ninth and tenth places. The race finished, therefore, with Vettel comfortably ahead of Button and Alonso holding off a charge from Webber to round out the podium. Michael Schumacher led home teammate Nico Rosberg for a strong fifth place, while Hamilton was the last unlapped runner in seventh. Alguersuari's eighth place allowed Toro Rosso to draw level with Sauber in the chase for seventh in the Constructors' Championship, with Sutil leading Pérez home in the last two points scoring positions. 

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Vettel completed his first career Grand Chelem with the race's fastest lap on the final lap, having led every lap from pole position prior to doing so but at the time no one knew this would be Vettel's last win of 2011. The most exciting moment of the Indian Grand Prix was when some cows invaded the only viaduct connecting New Delhi to the circuit. It was 2:25 p.m., 35 minutes before the start of the race, and the city's traffic had already been going crazy, in the literal sense of the word, for several hours. The most ordinary scene admired at the time was that of a distinguished gentleman in a turban by the side of the road violently slapping his driver, on a regular basis, a slap every 15 seconds. A settling of accounts between classes. The decision of the aforementioned cows was more important, however, because it caused the situation to collapse. Since, at the same time, the driver of a bus, all colourful and painted with mysterious symbols, had decided to manoeuvre on the same viaduct and the wrong way round, in order to return home. The cow/bus combination definitely prevented access to the circuit, and so half of the 95.000 paying Indians missed the start and a good part of the race. The rather bitter truth is that they missed nothing in the way of entertainment. Apart from yet another episode of the Massa-Hamilton sitcom, enriched this time by a nonsensical decision by the stewards, there was not much to see. Vettel has been racing alone for weeks now, no one in his rear-view mirrors, no one in front, just chasing his records to beat, a host of numbers and faces from the past, Mansell's fourteen poles in 1991, Schumacher's thirteen victories in 2004, which stand out among the Olympic clouds of his thoughts and urge him to go faster. 

 

Which he does regularly, winning and overcoming: on the Indian weekend with disarming ease he won pole position, Grand Prix and fastest lap, as if to tell the others, forget it. Advice that the others followed without batting an eyelid. They had a minimalist Grand Prix. Zero overtaking, zero daring, all lined up towards the finish line: for Button and Alonso it was a joke to share the spoils, the Englishman did his usual perfect race and took second place, the Spaniard, almost incredulously, was delighted to be able to place third, knowing full well that he had the fifth car on the grid. The manner in which he managed the miracle was the only other element of any interest: at the start of the second half of the race, when it came to choosing the moment to switch from soft to hard tyres, and Alonso was slower and lagging behind, the Red Bull Racing and Ferrari engineers engaged in a little chess match. Ferrari lasted a few more laps on the track, relying on the Spaniard's sensitivity at the wheel, Red Bull Racing, when they were afraid of the Australian's tyre failure, called a pit stop, and lost their position. The 95.000 who had managed to arrive at the circuit in the meantime did, however, make it in time to see Sebastian Vettel's hand blessing the crowd after the last triumphant lap, Red Bull Racing's designer Adrian Newey being drowned by champagne on the podium, Felipe Massa running furiously towards the stewards, Jenson Button smiling as usual towards his beautiful Jessica. It was a shame that, apart from the start, one could not see the splendid minute's silence that the whole of F1 dedicated to Marco Simoncelli and Indy driver Dan Wheldon. Says Lewis Hamilton:

 

"If I were to die, I can't imagine a better way".

 

While Sebastian Vettel admits at the end of the race:

 

"I have mixed and contrasting emotions, on the one hand sadness for the passing of Marco Simoncelli and Dan Wheldon, on the other happiness for winning the first Grand Prix in India, but my thoughts are with these two extraordinary and unfortunate drivers".

 

The thoughts of Sebastian Vettel, winner of the Indian Grand Prix and World Champion, are for Simoncelli and Wheldon, two drivers who died in accidents on the track, in MotoGP the former and IndyCar the latter. 

 

"We lost two friends, I didn't know Wheldon personally, whereas I met Marco this year and my thoughts are with them. We drivers always take risks, but we pray that nothing happens".

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The German driver then talks about the race and his victory. 

 

"Clearly it was a good race, I enjoyed being in front all the time, there was a bit of a fight with Button, at the pit stops he always came closer, and that's something we have to understand, because we lost time there. I controlled the tyres well, it was a smooth race and the car was very well balanced. It was a very good performance, my thanks go to the team and to Renault who have done a great job all season".

 

Alonso also remembers the missing pilots:

 

"I am happy to have finished on the podium in the first race in India, but I have mixed feelings. It has been a sad few weeks after the tragic accidents of Wheldon and Simoncelli, today we all raced for them".

 

These are the words of Fernando Alonso after his third place in the first edition of the Indian Grand Prix. The Spaniard, like Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, dedicated a thought to Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli. 

 

"We have to look forward, but always remembering these two fantastic people".

 

The race started uphill, but the strategy rewarded the Spaniard. 

 

"My start wasn't perfect, it's a new circuit and even though I started on the clean side of the track I didn't find the grip I wanted. The others started well and I lost a position, I fought with Mark (Webber, ed) until the second pitstop when, surprisingly, he stopped before me. I did two more laps and managed to overtake him".

 

Stefano Domenicali adds:

 

"Fernando Alonso did a great race, we overtook Webber with the strategy. Too bad for Felipe Massa, the penalty in the contact with Hamilton I would have seen differently. Probably the contact with the McLaren put a load on the suspension, it was an unfortunate race, he was also losing tyre pressure, the race for him was compromised by that contact".

 

While Lewis Hamilton makes no controversy:

 

"It's racing, it's normal for things like that to happen".

 

The perfectly fastened full helmet did not cover the grimace at all, while Felipe Massa with furious step, after leaving the Ferrari #6 in the hands of the Indian tow truck, ran towards the stewards seeking if not justice, at least an explanation. He wanted to know how they had managed to blame him for an accident that was, at best, blameless. He wanted to know how they had managed to invent a penalty (drive through) against him: not that it would have changed anything, the front left suspension would have broken anyway, damaged as it was after the accident. And his race would have ended there. But at least, the taste of mockery would not have been so strong. In short, he wanted to argue with the stewards. 

 

"And, instead, once I entered I was confronted with people who were also unsure of the decision they had made". 

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What did they tell you? 

 

"That I had left no room for Hamilton". 

 

And what did he reply? 

 

"And what was I to answer? It was a meaningless dispute. I was in the front. Why should I have given him space?" 

 

OK, explain the dynamics. 

 

"I was in front and on the part of the track with the most grip. He was behind, on the dirt. When I got to the corner I braked and made my turn naturally. I didn't see him. So he took my right rear tyre. I don't understand how it can be blamed on me and the penalty. As I was on the clean side I was able to brake much later than him".

 

Is this your sixth accident? Is there something personal? 

 

"I have nothing personal with him. Maybe him with me... Or maybe him with himself since apart from here, in general, it is he who is being penalised or harmed…".

 

But didn't you talk about it? 

 

"I tried, when I realised it was getting too big I tried to talk to him, but he shot straight ahead. Then here on the track before the start he told me: have a good race. Nothing else".

 

Stefano Domenicali, its team principal, urges everyone not to make a big deal out of it before this antagonism swells too much in the drivers' heads. And he invites the stewards to be more homogeneous and consistent. 

 

"I think he is right".

 

Can such a situation become dangerous? 

 

"I don't know, what I do know is that I never did anything to create it. And that I would have done the same manoeuvre with anyone who tried to do what Lewis did here". 

 

Massa says he did not see Hamilton. But if you look at the pictures again you can see that he looks at the mirrors three times. Could it be that he didn't want to give way? 

 

"On the straight I knew he was on the left. But when I braked he was behind. So I made my turn. If we had been wheel to wheel I would never have tried to close the gap like that".


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