A fantastic one-two for Red Bull Racing in the British Grand Prix means that as the championship moves into its second half, we can really begin to think about taking on the Brawn team in the title fight.
Sebastian Vettel was never really challenged after taking pole position yesterday, pulling away from Rubens Barrichello in the Brawn at the rate of about a second a lap in the early stages.
Mark Webber was running a strong third and clever timing of the first of his two pit stops saw a few heart-stopping moments as he came down pit lane just as the Brazilian charged down the start-finish straight.
The Title Fight Starts Here
They were pretty much side by side at the exit to the pit lane, but the Aussie had the edge and from then on, the Red Bull duo were never really troubled and in fact, Sebastian was told from the pit wall to slow his pace to bring the car home. The Bulls were on a charge!
Barrichello picked up six points for third, but his Brawn team-mate, Jenson Button had the quietest weekend of his year, only managing three points for sixth place. This means we have closed the gap dramatically in the Constructors’ series, from around 40 to nearer 25 points. And Sebastian is now much closer to second placed Barrichello in the Drivers.’
All the work back at the factory to produce what, in aero terms at least, was pretty much a new car for this race, certainly paid off.
But let’s not get carried away: there is still a long way to go and one less than brilliant weekend for our main rivals doesn’t mean they’ve lost the plot. So for impartial race fans (you won’t find many of them in our camp) it could be a thrilling fight through the second half of the season.
There were some good performances further back, with Felipe Massa coming from eleventh on the grid to finish fourth, ahead of Nico Rosberg in fifth. Behind Button, Jarno Trulli finished seventh for Toyota with the Kimi Raikkonen claiming the final point on offer for Ferrari, in eighth spot.
And in case you didn’t notice, unlike in China, the Silverstone podium crew got it right and played the Austrian National Anthem for our Constructors’ trophy, although Adrian Newey didn’t look as though he knew the words, as he clutched the cup. He’ll have to take lessons. Team boss Christian Horner traditionally hosts a party at his home on Sunday night in Silverstone and as the UK’s BBC commentator said on the final lap of the race: “With a one-two finish, it’s bound to get messy!”
As the entire team gathered for a celebratory photo outside the Energy Station an hour after the race, the Red Arrows did a flypast over Silverstone, but today the Home of British Motorsport belonged to the Red Bulls.
