British GP: Vettel goes to flag-to-flag

Red Bull teammates Mark Webber (2nd), and Sebastian Vettel (1st) spray the bubbly

Red Bull

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel dominated today's British GP from start to finish at what might be the final F1 race at Silverstone. Vettel pulled away at a rate of over 1 second per lap and came out of his first pitstop with a massive 22 second lead. From there he backed off into cruise mode and at the finish was 15.1 seconds up on his teammate Mark Webber for a Red Bull 1-2. Rubens Barrichello was 3rd for Brawn.

Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button followed running almost nose to tail.

While Vettel dominated for his third career win, Webber completed Red Bull's sweep by squeezing ahead of Barrichello as he emerged from his first pitstop, which he made a lap later than the Brazilian. Staying out 1 lap longer enabled him to turn a fast lap while Barrichello was pitting and he thereby made the pass in the pits.

F1's best driver, Sebastian Vettel, cruised to victory

Red Bull

Barrichello could not keep pace with the Red Bulls, and came under pressure from the lighter Nico Rosberg (Williams) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari).

After the race Barrichello revealed that he could not have completed the race had he not received treatment to ease back pain over the weekend.

"I want to thank all the doctors that helped me this weekend because I was in terrible back pain," said Barrichello.

"(Toyota team doctor Riccardo) Ceccarelli and the doctors at Toro Rosso and my friends there and my physio really helped me because my back was really hurting for the whole weekend.

"They helped me big time and I could finish the race feeling good."

Massa drove a fine race and made the most move forward as he came from 11th on the grid to fourth.

Championship leader Jenson Button was never a factor in his home race.

On lap 35 Heikki Kovalainen was hit from behind by Sebastien Bourdais when Kovalainen emerged from the pits on cold tires and Bourdais tried to go past on warm tires. Kovalainen's McLaren suffered a tire puncture and Bourdais front wing was broken off. They blamed each other.

"I moved over to defend but Bourdais ran into the back on me and damaged my car, game over," said Kovalainen. "I wasn't distracted but he had his tires warmed up and had a good run, I saw there was someone behind me into Turn 8, and he hit me and punctured my tires."

To which Bourdais responded, "He changed lanes 3 times, inside outside inside, and we touched. I don't know whose responsibility it is but it looks a little stupid, he was on one stop. Anyway we had to stop due to oil pressures a few laps later. It's not my job to speak to the stewards, the team might."

Silverstone was another bad day for defending champion Lewis Hamilton. He spun off on his own at one point but managed to get back on the track and finish 16th, well over a lap in arrears. Hamilton would have won no fans in the stewards' office with his post-race doughnut on the slowing down lap, but it was a gesture of appeasement to the partisan crowd after finishing sixteenth.

Last year the British media were gaga over Hamilton and predicting he would surpass Michael Schumacher's record. This year everyone realizes that without the best car he is nothing.

The real 2nd coming of Schumacher is Vettel, who showed last year in the rain at Monza that if you really are the best you can take a backmarker car like the Toro Rosso and dominate, very reminiscent of a young Ayrton Senna in the rain at Monaco in the Toleman against Prost. After today's performance the F1 pundits now realize that what we have said about Vettel since last year is indeed true.

Vettel got the jump in the first corner and drove away into the distance at 1 second per lap

Red Bull

Red Bull's Christian Horner and Adrian Newey were delighted with Sunday's 1-2 result.

Newey: Delighted, it's been brilliant today. There's been lots of long hours, the team has worked really hard, great determination by the team, staggered by their commitment, it's a tribute to today’s result! The circuit helped us to be fair, it suits us, this year and last with the high speed corners. The new nose has helped also, we now need to see how much of today’s performance has been from circuit and what from the car. This is a great victory, I've missed a lot of them this season, working on the car, so to be here today with this car is very special."

Horner: "It was a completely seamless race by both drivers, fantastic in front of all the guys from the factory. It was a dream result for the team. Newey is being modest, he's a great designer and the car is great, proud for Red Dull and the whole team."

The battle for the 2009 world championship came alive as Sebastian Vettel took a 7 point bite out of Jenson Button's big lead.

The German driver is now 25 points behind Brawn's Button with nine races to go.

"To be here today and to have a car which showed a clean pair of heels to everyone was very special," added the RB5's designer Adrian Newey, who collected the constructors' trophy from the podium.

Button's sixth place finish, from his season-worst starting position of sixth, was also the Briton's worst result of his otherwise almost seamless 2009 campaign so far.

"We've definitely got problems with the car; the car's not performing as we'd hoped," said team boss Ross Brawn just before the 60-lap British grand prix.

"If you look at Jenson's position you'd have to say we've dropped back and it looks as if Red Bull have made some progress."

Results

Fastest lap: Vettel lap 16 1:20.735