2011 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mark Webber claimed his first victory of the season in Brazil, leading Sebastian Vettel home in a Red Bull one-two. Jenson Button finished third to secure second place in the drivers’ championship.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:11.918
Fastest lap	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:15.324 on lap 71
First	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Third	Jenson Button	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 November 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
25 November 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
26 November 2011	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
26 November 2011	Qualifying	14:00
27 November 2011	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Sebastian Vettel arrived at round 19 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 374 points, with Jenson Button on 255. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 607 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Jan Charouz, Jean-Eric Vergne, Luiz Razia, Nico Hulkenberg, Romain Grosjean also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Mark Webber led FP1 while several reserve drivers received outings at the season finale. Fernando Alonso stopped with an engine failure near the finish, and Romain Grosjean’s Renault also came to a halt. Luiz Razia drove at his home circuit for Lotus, while Jan Charouz took over Vitantonio Liuzzi’s HRT for the morning.

Lewis Hamilton moved ahead in FP2 as teams compared tyres and fuel loads over longer runs. Both he and Sebastian Vettel completed substantial soft-tyre stints, offering a more useful race-performance comparison than their outright laps alone. The closely grouped leading cars suggested a competitive finale, although different fuel levels complicated firm conclusions.

Sebastian Vettel led a closely matched FP3, with the Red Bulls and McLarens covered by less than two tenths. Fernando Alonso remained nearby but had moments at the Bruno Senna S while extracting Ferrari’s pace. Sebastien Buemi missed the session entirely because of a hydraulic problem, denying Toro Rosso valuable final preparation.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 25 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:13.811	26
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.014s	25
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.150s	20
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.214s	28
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.696s	34
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.730s	26
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.351s	28
8	14	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.367s	28
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.430s	31
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.510s	29
11	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.657s	29
12	10	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+1.736s	18
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+1.852s	27
14	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+1.921s	32
15	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.936s	31
16	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.025s	27
17	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.168s	35
18	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+2.241s	33
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+2.703s	33
20	21	Luiz Razia	Team Lotus	+3.784s	31
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+4.329s	29
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.842s	29
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+5.141s	33
24	23	Jan Charouz	HRT	+5.766s	37

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 25 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:13.392	35
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.167s	41
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.195s	41
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.206s	35
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.331s	38
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.358s	39
7	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.395s	36
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.480s	42
9	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.752s	41
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.415s	48
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+1.464s	38
12	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+1.539s	37
13	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.578s	32
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.627s	45
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.872s	44
16	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.996s	41
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.287s	43
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.511s	40
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+2.906s	36
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+2.946s	48
21	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.639s	39
22	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+4.659s	45
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+4.975s	42
24	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+5.084s	42

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 26 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:12.460	21
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.087s	19
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.137s	21
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.162s	15
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.305s	17
6	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.653s	22
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.826s	21
8	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.933s	19
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+0.959s	19
10	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.123s	18
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+1.378s	20
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+1.823s	19
13	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.826s	20
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.851s	24
15	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+1.994s	22
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.087s	24
17	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+2.091s	15
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+3.383s	24
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+3.566s	22
20	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.156s	26
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+4.683s	23
22	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+4.836s	23
23	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.524s	23
24	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	No time	3

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed qualifying for Red Bull Racing, with Mark Webber second and Jenson Button third.

Sebastian Vettel took his fifteenth pole of the season, breaking Nigel Mansell‘s record. Mark Webber completed the front row, with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton sharing the second row.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:13.664	1:12.446	1:11.918	17
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:13.467	1:12.658	1:12.099	16
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:13.281	1:12.820	1:12.283	18
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:13.361	1:12.811	1:12.480	22
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:13.969	1:12.870	1:12.591	22
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:14.083	1:12.569	1:13.050	21
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:14.269	1:13.291	1:13.068	18
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:13.480	1:13.261	1:13.298	23
9	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	1:14.453	1:13.300	1:13.761	20
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:13.694	1:13.571	no time	18
11	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:13.733	1:13.584	—	17
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	1:14.117	1:13.801	—	17
13	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:14.225	1:13.804	—	18
14	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:14.500	1:13.919	—	22
15	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:13.859	1:14.053	—	16
16	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:14.571	1:14.129	—	18
17	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:14.430	1:14.182	—	21
18	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:14.625	—	—	11
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:15.068	—	—	11
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:15.358	—	—	14
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:16.631	—	—	8
22	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	1:16.890	—	—	9
23	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:17.019	—	—	10
24	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:17.060	—	—	10

What happened in the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Vettel led from the start, but gearbox trouble forced him to manage the car and ultimately concede the lead to Webber. Even with the problem, the Red Bulls remained too quick for their closest rivals.

Alonso passed Button early in the race and held a podium position for much of the afternoon. Button fought back later, reclaiming third as their tyre strategies unfolded.

Hamilton retired with a gearbox problem, while Bruno Senna received a drive-through penalty after contact with Schumacher. Massa completed his home race in fifth behind Alonso.

Webber won ahead of Vettel and Button, ending the season with a victory and third place in the championship. Sutil finished sixth for Force India. The race also marked the final Formula 1 appearances of Rubens Barrichello and Jarno Trulli.

Further down the points places, Nico Rosberg, Paul di Resta, Kamui Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov completed the scoring positions. Mark Webber set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 392 points, followed by Jenson Button on 270. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 650, with McLaren on 497.

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 27 November 2011, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	71	1:32:17.464	25
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	71	+16.983	18
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	71	+27.638	15
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	71	+35.048	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	71	+1:06.733	10
6	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	70	+1 Lap	8
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	70	+1 Lap	6
8	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	70	+1 Lap	4
9	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	2
10	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	70	+1 Lap	1
11	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	70	+1 Lap	0
12	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	70	+1 Lap	0
13	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	0
14	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	70	+1 Lap	0
15	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	70	+1 Lap	0
16	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	69	+2 Laps	0
17	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	69	+2 Laps	0
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	69	+2 Laps	0
19	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	68	+3 Laps	0
20	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	68	+3 Laps	0
Ret	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	61	Alternator	0
Ret	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	46	Gearbox	0
Ret	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	26	Spin	0
Ret	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	21	Wheel	0

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	71	1:15.324	205.942
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	63	1:15.580	205.244
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	68	1:16.076	203.906
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	65	1:16.181	203.625
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	62	1:16.681	202.297
6	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	70	1:16.684	202.289
7	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	58	1:17.011	201.430
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	36	1:17.161	201.039
9	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	55	1:17.162	201.036
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	45	1:17.207	200.919
11	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	35	1:17.209	200.914
12	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	64	1:17.271	200.753
13	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	59	1:17.428	200.346
14	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	64	1:17.452	200.284
15	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	55	1:17.644	199.788
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	63	1:17.780	199.439
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	69	1:18.023	198.818
18	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	62	1:18.274	198.180
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	47	1:18.596	197.368
20	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	64	1:19.649	194.759
21	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	26	1:19.706	194.620
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	60	1:19.902	194.142
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	60	1:20.648	192.346
24	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	14	1:21.773	189.700

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2011 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	392
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	270
3	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	258
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	257
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	227
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	118
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	89
8	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	76
9	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	42
10	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	37
11	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	34
12	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	30
13	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	27
14	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	26
15	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	15
16	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	14
17	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	4
18	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Renault	2
19	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	1
20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Sauber	0
21	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
22	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
24	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
25	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
26	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
27	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	HRT	0
28	Karun Chandhok	Indian	Team Lotus	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	650
2	McLaren	497
3	Ferrari	375
4	Mercedes	165
5	Renault	73
6	Force India	69
7	Sauber	44
8	Toro Rosso	41
9	Williams	5
10	Team Lotus	0
11	HRT	0
12	Virgin Racing	0

2011 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2011 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	27 March
2	2011 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	10 April
3	2011 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2011 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	8 May
5	2011 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	22 May
6	2011 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2011 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2011 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	26 June
9	2011 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
10	2011 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 July
11	2011 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
12	2011 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
13	2011 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	2011 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	25 September
15	2011 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
16	2011 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	16 October
17	2011 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	30 October
18	2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	13 November
19	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	27 November