2011 European Grand Prix
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 19 in the 2011 Formula One season | ||
 The Valencia Street Circuit | ||
| Date | 26 June 2011 | |
| Official name | LV Grand Prix of Europe | |
| Location | Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain | |
| Course | Temporary street circuit 5.419 km (3.367 mi) | |
| Distance | 57 laps, 308.883 km (191.931 mi) | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault |
| Time | 1:36.975 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault |
| Time | 1:41.852 on lap 53 | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault |
| Second |  Fernando Alonso | Ferrari |
| Third |  Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault |
The 2011 European Grand Prix (formally the LV Grand Prix of Europe) is the eighth race of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 26 June 2011 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was won by defending champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel who started from pole position and delivered a fastest lap on lap 53, giving him a hat-trick. Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber finished second and third. The race was notable for having the least retirements and the most finishers ever in a Grand Prix.
After this race, Vettel extended his lead on championship points to 77 points over Jenson Button and Webber.
Report
Background
In the week leading up to the Spanish Grand Prix, FIA race director Charlie Whiting announced that the Canadian Grand Prix would see the introduction of a secondary Drag Reduction System (DRS) activation zone. The plan for a secondary DRS zone would be continued at the European Grand Prix, with the first zone incorporating the long back straight on the approach to Turn 12, and the second zone using the stretch from Turns 14 to 17. Future use of a second DRS zone will depend on its success in Montreal and Valencia.
The FIA originally announced a ban on the off-throttle blown diffuser concept to be introduced at the British Grand Prix. While the planned date for the ban was kept in effect, extra limitations were introduced for the race in Valencia. This ban prohibits teams from running "extreme" engine maps in qualifying before reverting to a "safer" map for the race. The ban effectively means that teams are forced to run the same engine maps in both qualifying and the race. The European Grand Prix also marked the race debut of Pirelli's medium-specification tyre compound.
This race was scheduled to be the last where off-throttle blown-diffusers were used; however the ban did not continue after the British Grand Prix and proved to be temporary. In Germany all the teams returned to use what was commonly referred to as Valencia specification, or Valencia-spec diffusers. The concept was eventually banned for 2012.
Race report
At the start Sebastian Vettel led easily from pole, with team mate Mark Webber behind. Felipe Massa had a good start from fifth, driving straight between and past Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at Turn 1; but because Massa looked down the outside of Webber at Turn 2, Alonso could cleverly get back in front of Massa on the inside of Turn 3. Bad starts from the McLarens meant Hamilton dropped from third to fifth, and Jenson Button dropped from sixth to seventh - behind Nico Rosberg. Button later retook sixth place from Rosberg a few laps later into Turn 2. Before the pit stops the order was now Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher (the four fastest cars in the top eight spots).
It seemed like the Ferraris had made great improvements since Canada because their pace was at least equal to the McLarens, and significantly faster at some stages of the race. The McLarens had quiet races, Button stuck in sixth, while Hamilton used the undercut to get past Massa in the pit stops for fourth, where he would finish the race.
Fernando Alonso engaged in a race long battle with Mark Webber for second while Vettel stormed away into the distance. Early on in the race Alonso overtook Webber in the first DRS zone, on the inside of Turn 12. However, in the pit stops, great Red Bull strategy got Webber back in front. Ferrari later used the pit stops to get Alonso back in front of Webber. A radio message to Webber, telling him to go slower due to gearbox troubles ensured Alonso's second place.
Michael Schumacher finished a disappointing 17th after a misjudgement from him, when he exited the pits, where he ploughed his front wing into the side of Vitaly Petrov's Renault. This meant he had to pit again the following lap demoting him to 17th, where he stayed on a circuit notoriously difficult to overtake on. Although, Schumacher admitted after the race that seventh and eighth was the maximum for the two Mercedes cars.
Sergio Pérez did a respectable job of preserving his tyres so he only had to pit once, he finished eleventh after starting in 16th place. His Sauber teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, finished in 16th place, the first time in 2011 he did not finish in the top ten.
After the race both McLaren drivers told the media that there was work to be done, particuarly improvements in the aerodynamics of their car.
For the second race in a row Jaime Alguersuari justified his position in Toro Rosso by finishing eighth (4 points). He did this, even though he started 18th. Another driver on a good race was Mark Webber, calling it his "best race this year". Yet, he was still beaten by his teammate Vettel, who took his sixth victory from eight races. Notably, Vitantonio Liuzzi almost lapped his team mate Narain Karthikeyan.
The European Grand Prix had the most classified finishers (24) beating the record set in the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. The Grand Prix is notable as it was only the fourth World Championship Grand Prix where there were no retirements, the others being the 1961 Dutch Grand Prix(15 starters), the 2005 United States Grand Prix (six starters) and the 2005 Italian Grand Prix (20 starters). It was a very hot race, the average temperature around 47 Celsius.
Many people criticized the track after the race, because its nature makes it difficult for drivers to overtake. Since the first race there in 2008, the track has seen little, if any, fights for positions, which has led fans and drivers to say the race can be a bit boring. While there may be argument over whether the track should host the European Grand Prix once its contract expires in 2014; there is no argument that this was the least eventful race of an action packed season.
Classification
Qualifying
Race
Standings after the race
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ReferencesExternal linksRetrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_European_Grand_Prix 
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