2011 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel returned to winning form in Valencia, with Fernando Alonso beating Mark Webber in the battle for second. All 24 starters finished the race, setting a new Formula 1 record for classified finishers.

Race Guide

Season: 2011 F1 World Championship
Race date: 26 June 2011
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Valencia Street Circuit
Laps: 57 laps
Circuit length: 5.419 km
2010 winner: Sebastian Vettel

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:36.975
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:41.852 on lap 53
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Third	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 June 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
24 June 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
25 June 2011	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
25 June 2011	Qualifying	14:00
26 June 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 8 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 161 points, with Jenson Button on 101. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 255 points.

Race entries

Sergio Pérez raced for Sauber, replacing Pedro de la Rosa. Daniel Ricciardo, Karun Chandhok, Nico Hulkenberg also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Mark Webber led FP1 as teams assessed the implications of revised engine-mapping restrictions. Lewis Hamilton initially ran without DRS during aerodynamic testing, while Sergio Pérez completed his return to Sauber after Canada. Force India lost running when reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg locked up and damaged the car against a concrete wall.

Fernando Alonso led FP2 in front of his home supporters, with several teams closely matched over a lap. Di Resta faced a frustrating return to his Force India, waiting until the final ten minutes while repairs to Nico Hulkenberg’s morning damage were completed. Red Bull also showed encouraging longer-run pace behind the headline times.

Sebastian Vettel moved ahead in FP3 while Red Bull fixed an early KERS battery problem on Mark Webber’s car. The system was particularly valuable around Valencia, making the repair important before qualifying. Sergio Pérez continued rebuilding confidence on his return and finished ahead of Kamui Kobayashi as Ferrari remained Red Bull’s nearest challenger.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 European Grand Prix FP1, 24 June 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:40.403	22
2	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+0.824s	20
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.836s	22
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.107s	23
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.177s	24
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.355s	23
7	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.523s	14
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.552s	20
9	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.640s	22
10	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.813s	29
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.867s	26
12	18	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+2.009s	27
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.301s	23
14	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.335s	20
15	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.438s	28
16	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+2.538s	21
17	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.798s	18
18	15	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+3.366s	7
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+3.733s	17
20	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.623s	17
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+4.818s	19
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+5.091s	24
23	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.523s	27
24	21	Karun Chandhok	Team Lotus	No time	2

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 European Grand Prix FP2, 24 June 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:37.968	35
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.227s	26
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.297s	31
4	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.347s	30
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.475s	32
6	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.515s	30
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.563s	26
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.013s	33
9	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.072s	35
10	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+1.618s	27
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.658s	31
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.052s	34
13	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.333s	34
14	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.395s	7
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.486s	32
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.563s	37
17	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+4.115s	34
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.188s	39
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.271s	25
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+4.305s	21
21	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.841s	36
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.492s	29
23	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+8.938s	16

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 European Grand Prix FP3, 25 June 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:37.258	15
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.420s	16
3	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.582s	17
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.810s	13
5	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.068s	13
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.322s	15
7	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.483s	13
8	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.541s	14
9	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+1.564s	17
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.855s	15
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.153s	19
12	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.520s	18
13	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.565s	18
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.590s	18
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.630s	17
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.729s	18
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.746s	16
18	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.981s	20
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.009s	15
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.432s	18
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.299s	18
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+5.985s	17
23	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+6.051s	18
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+7.372s	19

Qualifying

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

Sebastian Vettel took pole ahead of Mark Webber, with Lewis Hamilton third. Alonso and Massa qualified fourth and fifth, leaving Ferrari well placed to challenge the Red Bulls over the race distance.

Qualifying Classification

2011 European Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 June 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:39.116	1:37.305	1:36.975	15
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:39.956	1:38.058	1:37.163	19
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:39.244	1:37.727	1:37.380	13
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:39.725	1:37.930	1:37.454	20
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:38.413	1:38.566	1:37.535	20
6	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:39.453	1:37.749	1:37.645	14
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:39.266	1:38.373	1:38.231	15
8	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:39.198	1:38.365	1:38.240	18
9	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	1:39.877	1:38.781	No time	17
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:39.329	1:39.034	No time	14
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:39.690	1:39.068	—	14
12	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:39.852	1:39.422	—	16
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	1:39.602	1:39.489	—	19
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:40.131	1:39.525	—	17
15	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:39.690	1:39.645	—	10
16	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:39.494	1:39.657	—	13
17	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:39.679	1:39.711	—	8
18	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:40.232	—	—	5
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:41.664	—	—	10
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:42.234	—	—	9
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:42.553	—	—	9
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:43.584	—	—	10
23	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:43.735	—	—	6
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:44.363	—	—	9

Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil did not set a lap time in Q3, as they were saving their tires for the race.

What happened in the 2011 European Grand Prix?

Vettel led away as Massa made a strong start between Hamilton and Alonso. Alonso quickly regained the position over his team-mate, while both McLarens lost ground in the opening corners.

Alonso and Webber traded the advantage through overtaking and the pit-stop sequence. Ferrari ultimately gained second, while Webber had to manage a gearbox concern as the race approached its conclusion.

Hamilton recovered fourth ahead of Massa, but could not join the podium contest. Button finished sixth, while Schumacher’s contact with Petrov after leaving the pits forced an extra stop and left him well down the order.

Vettel won and set the fastest lap, extending his championship advantage. Rosberg finished seventh and Alguersuari recovered eighth from eighteenth on the grid. Every car reached the finish without a retirement.

Further down the points places, Nico Rosberg, Jaime Alguersuari, Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld completed the scoring positions. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 186 points, followed by Jenson Button on 109. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 295, with McLaren on 206.

2011 European Grand Prix race results

The 2011 European Grand Prix was held on 26 June 2011, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	57	1:39:36.169	25
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	57	+10.891	18
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	+27.255	15
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	57	+46.190	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	57	+51.705	10
6	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	57	+1:00.065	8
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	57	+1:38.090	6
8	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	4
9	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	56	+1 Lap	2
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	56	+1 Lap	1
11	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	56	+1 Lap	0
13	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	0
14	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	56	+1 Lap	0
15	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	56	+1 Lap	0
16	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
17	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	56	+1 Lap	0
18	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	56	+1 Lap	0
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	55	+2 Laps	0
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	55	+2 Laps	0
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	55	+2 Laps	0
22	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	55	+2 Laps	0
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	54	+3 Laps	0
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	54	+3 Laps	0

2011 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	53	1:41.852	191.536
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	49	1:42.308	190.683
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	57	1:42.340	190.623
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	39	1:42.534	190.262
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	53	1:42.705	189.945
6	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	47	1:42.947	189.499
7	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	47	1:43.134	189.155
8	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	41	1:43.151	189.124
9	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	42	1:43.517	188.456
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	53	1:43.526	188.439
11	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	53	1:43.579	188.343
12	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	53	1:43.649	188.215
13	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	54	1:43.851	187.849
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	51	1:43.901	187.759
15	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	41	1:43.949	187.672
16	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	47	1:44.103	187.395
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	55	1:44.131	187.344
18	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	50	1:44.578	186.544
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	44	1:45.055	185.697
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	28	1:46.208	183.681
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	49	1:46.628	182.957
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	51	1:47.164	182.042
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	37	1:47.418	181.612
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	32	1:47.708	181.123

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 European Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	186
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	109
3	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	109
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	97
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	87
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	42
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	32
8	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	31
9	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	30
10	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	26
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	25
12	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	10
13	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	8
14	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	8
15	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	4
16	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	2
17	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	2
18	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Sauber	0
19	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
21	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
22	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
23	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
24	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	0
25	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	295
2	McLaren	206
3	Ferrari	129
4	Renault	61
5	Mercedes	58
6	Sauber	27
7	Toro Rosso	16
8	Force India	12
9	Williams	4
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

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Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.