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This was Mark Webber's 'Torvill & Dean moment' - Martin Brundle

Mark Webber is closely followed by Sebastian Vettel

Highlights - Spanish Grand Prix

Martin Brundle
By Martin Brundle
BBC F1 analyst in Monaco

The Spanish Grand Prix was mainly a race of disappointments for many teams - I even sensed there was a mixed reaction for winners Red Bull.

Despite a massively dominant race victory for Mark Webber, they felt they had thrown away a great potential one-two with more brake reliability issues and a scruffy pit stop.

Red Bull's pace was incredible. When Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel was coasting to the end of the race not using his fragile brakes, he was still lapping as fast as Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

Yes, I did mean 'not using his brakes' - Vettel was lifting early and allowing the drag and downshifts to slow the car. Extraordinary.

The win was an immense performance from Webber; his best F1 drive I thought. I asked his partner Anne if I she thought so too, and she said "absolutely" - so it's official.

Mark Webber

Webber 'stoked' at Spanish GP win

Webber was over-aggressive at the Nurburgring, the scene of his maiden victory last year, and earned himself a drive-through penalty and a bunch of headaches.

The Australian was the real deal in Barcelona. He had it completely covered - the right amount of aggression at the start, the first corner, the first lap, his race pace, and the way he managed the phases of the two tyres.

He said it was a very long afternoon in Spain counting down the laps because nothing happened. It's what I call a 'Torvill and Dean' moment - effortless excellence with perfection.

Vettel finished third but at one point they were going to retire him.

The team told him on the radio: "Your brakes are about to fail." And that's a tough call for a team who cannot take careless risks when the safety of the driver, marshals and fans are at risk.

They cleared a space in the garage and told him to come in but Vettel said: "Let's see if we can get a few points."

Lewis Hamilton also put in a special effort to split the Red Bulls for McLaren before his late visit to the barriers, when it appears a damaged wheel failed. Hamilton's mind-management kicked straight in and his only thought was: "There are plenty more races left."

Lewis Hamilton crashes

Hamilton crashes out on penultimate lap

He kept Vettel honest from the get-go and was ready to pounce after Red Bull's pit-stop issues. It was an extremely good drive from Hamilton and he was truly robbed, so yet another disappointed driver.

Hamilton would be second in the championship without the failure, but with the new points structure we know the title chase can turn in a heartbeat.

Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button was thoroughly dejected when he spoke to BBC pit-lane reporter Lee McKenzie after the race and rightly so.

I spoke with Jenson at breakfast here in Monte Carlo this morning and I hadn't realised at the time he was carrying so many problems in the race.

Not having any information on the steering wheel means that there is a risk, on every gear change, of changing too early or hitting the rev limiter. Either way it will cost several 10ths of a second per lap.

In the pit-stops he wasn't able to perform the proper procedure on the faulty steering wheel and this allowed the clutch to bite and spin the rear wheels, making it very difficult for the pit crew.

Button frustrated by mechanical problems

It was a poor race for him all round. I'm not sure he should have let Schumacher past at pit exit into Turn One, but I understand he had a late radio call to let him know that Michael was taking his position.

After this, Button never really made a decisive and incisive effort to re-pass him. A bad day at the office, although he described it more colourfully.

He still leads the championship from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso but it's not off the back of raw pace and a great weekend. Heading into the Monaco race, where he's traditionally very strong, he knows he is fighting a rearguard action.

Alonso is just three points behind Button after picking up the pieces with his fast pace and problem-free run in Spain. He kept Hamilton and Vettel in view for the whole race and he remains a strong contender for a third title.

It's testing times for Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari. He doesn't look comfortable in the car and we keep hearing his engineer Rob Smedley feeling the need to tell him how to drive it. Massa's chin is down and that's not helpful heading into the unyielding streets of Monaco.

The most disappointed team on Sunday night were surely Mercedes - they were well off the pace with their revised car.

ANDREW BENSON BLOG

Schumacher scored his best finish of the year with a lucky fourth but was more than a minute behind a car that was cruising in Webber's hands, and team-mate Nico Rosberg had the race from hell.

He started the race on the grass trying to pass Robert Kubica's Renault and it was all downhill from there with pit issues with a loose front wheel and front brake on fire. He looked out of sorts with the new package and they'll be having some very heavy meetings on Monday.

The new teams didn't show much improvement in Spain, with the possible exception of Lotus. They were also mobile chicanes and that doesn't bode well for the confines of Monaco. Expect complaints and contact aplenty.



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see also
Hamilton positive despite setback
10 May 10 |  Formula 1
Dominant Webber wins Spanish GP
09 May 10 |  Formula 1
Ferrari to investigate Massa form
09 May 10 |  Formula 1
Spanish Grand Prix race results
24 Feb 10 |  Results


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