China's Treacherous Conditions Hands Red Bull Its First 1-2

Talvir Singh by Contributor Written on April 21, 2009
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The Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit provided an exciting rain filled race that saw Red Bull secure their first victory, thanks to Sebastian Vettel, who scored his second career victory in Formula One.

The Red Bull Racing team brought their maiden victory in style by securing first and second place, at the technical Shanghai circuit under demanding conditions.

Vettel, 21, drove a sensible yet commanding race, completely untouchable from everyone else on the grid. His qualifying performance showed an indication as to how quick the Red Bull's were, topping the time sheets in the second and third qualifying sessions.

The Brawn's were completely outpaced this weekend, but it can be argued that this was mainly due to the weather conditions, and that if it stayed dry, then the Brawn's could have brought home another dominating victory.

They were fuelled 10 laps heavier than the Red Bull's, and Fernando Alonso, who started second, therefore they could have run a longer first stint than the Red Bull's, giving them a good chance of securing a one-two.

As it was, the heavens opened before the race and all the teams were panicking as they had to re-think their strategies, especially the front three. A Safety Car start spiced it up even more for the teams, and some serious planning was to be put into the strategies.

Evidently, Alonso pitted earlier than Vettel and Webber, but the Renault team timed it to perfection by bringing him in just before the Safety Car was brought in. Adrian Sutil and Nico Rosberg also pitted within the first five laps, placing them at the very back of the pack.

After the Safety Car was back in the pits, the race was under way, and this is when Vettel and Webber began to show the potential of the new RB5 by taking the race by the reins.

Webber did have some trouble later on the race with Jenson Button, who showed he was still quicker than team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who was a long way back in fourth. However, Webber dispatched him after there second pit stops, with Button coming out behind, and unable to catch the Australian.

Vettel continued his dominance of the race throughout, driving with a cool head, calmly guiding his RB5 to take the chequered flag, with Webber taking second, and Button rounding out the podium.

Red Bull marked their first victory with a commanding one-two from their drivers, demonstrating to Brawn GP, who dominated the first two races, that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Among the joy and surprise of Red Bull obtaining their first win, there was plenty of other action that happened throughout the race on all corners of the track.

Both Ferrari drivers failed to score any points again, with Kimi Raikkonen going backwards on the track more than anything, finishing 10th. Team-mate Felipe Massa, sitting comfortably in third, bought his car to a halt at the beginning of the one and a half mile back straight.

It is thought that water got into the electronics, causing his car to die on him behind the Safety Car.

Robert Kubica ran up the back of Jarno Trulli at the last corner, losing his front wing, and the Toyota driver losing his rear wing. This put the Italian out of the race.

His team-mate Timo Glock however brought himself up the field to seventh after starting in the pits.

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Vote Now! - Author Poll

Who was your driver of the day?

  • Sebastian Vettel
  • Mark Webber
  • Jenson Button
  • Rubens Barrichello
  • Heikki Kovalainen
  • Lewis Hamilton
  • Timo Glock
  • Sebastian Buemi
vote to see results
Results - Author Poll

Who was your driver of the day?

  • Sebastian Vettel

    40.0%
  • Mark Webber

    10.0%
  • Jenson Button

    0.0%
  • Rubens Barrichello

    0.0%
  • Heikki Kovalainen

    10.0%
  • Lewis Hamilton

    30.0%
  • Timo Glock

    0.0%
  • Sebastian Buemi

    10.0%
  • Total votes: 10
(0)
...
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written on April 21, 2009 Game Recap

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