2011 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel resisted Lewis Hamilton‘s late pressure to win in Spain, after Fernando Alonso thrilled the home crowd by leading from the start. Jenson Button completed the podium through an effective three-stop strategy.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:20.981
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:26.727 on lap 52
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Third	Jenson Button	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 May 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
20 May 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
21 May 2011	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
21 May 2011	Qualifying	14:00
22 May 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 5 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 93 points, with Lewis Hamilton on 59. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 148 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Spanish Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg also took part in practice.

Free Practice

A sunny FP1 became an important development session as every team arrived with upgrades. Mark Webber led Red Bull’s opening effort by a comfortable margin. With Barcelona providing a familiar test of aerodynamic performance, the running offered teams an early measure of whether their latest changes could narrow the competitive gaps.

Mark Webber remained quickest in FP2 as teams tried the softer tyre compound, but Lewis Hamilton closed to within a few hundredths. That gave McLaren encouragement about its latest upgrades. Felipe Massa survived a trip through the gravel at Turn 5 before continuing, while Ferrari still faced a sizeable deficit to the leading cars.

Sebastian Vettel overcame restricted running from an electrical problem to lead FP3, but Nick Heidfeld suffered the session’s decisive setback. His Renault caught fire, causing damage too extensive to repair before qualifying. The team faced a race to rebuild the car, with his earlier practice pace becoming important to securing permission to start.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 20 May 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:25.142	27
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.007s	20
3	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.237s	29
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.338s	27
5	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.596s	26
6	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.846s	19
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.874s	32
8	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.990s	21
9	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.996s	22
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.070s	20
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.099s	22
12	18	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+2.329s	23
13	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.863s	11
14	15	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.885s	26
15	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.021s	22
16	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+3.512s	28
17	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+3.677s	23
18	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+3.853s	9
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.089s	21
20	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+5.754s	18
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+6.093s	24
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.126s	23
23	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+6.276s	12
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.964s	25

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 20 May 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:22.470	35
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.039s	27
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.356s	37
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.718s	32
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.098s	34
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.116s	35
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.511s	30
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.808s	30
9	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.820s	33
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.896s	31
11	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.013s	38
12	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.316s	43
13	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.826s	33
14	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.833s	38
15	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.987s	34
16	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.133s	43
17	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+3.603s	32
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+3.947s	37
19	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+4.653s	20
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.719s	34
21	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+5.566s	36
22	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.592s	28
23	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.999s	28
24	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+7.006s	31

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 21 May 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:21.707	6
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.084s	17
3	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.350s	16
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.361s	13
5	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.507s	14
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.690s	18
7	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.962s	17
8	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.336s	18
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+2.563s	11
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.611s	18
11	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.615s	17
12	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.622s	19
13	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.692s	17
14	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.828s	16
15	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.988s	18
16	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+3.015s	14
17	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+3.516s	19
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.529s	11
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+5.293s	20
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.999s	20
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.623s	17
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+7.350s	18
23	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+7.493s	6
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+7.855s	16

Qualifying

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

Mark Webber took pole ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Nick Heidfeld missed qualifying after his Renault caught fire in final practice, but was allowed to start based on his earlier competitive running.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 21 May 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:23.619	1:21.773	1:20.981	12
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:24.142	1:21.540	1:21.181	13
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:24.370	1:22.148	1:21.961	12
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:23.485	1:22.813	1:21.964	15
5	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:24.428	1:22.050	1:21.996	12
6	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:23.069	1:22.948	1:22.471	14
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:23.507	1:22.569	1:22.599	14
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:23.506	1:23.026	1:22.888	15
9	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:23.406	1:22.854	1:22.952	14
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:22.960	1:22.671	no time	12
11	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:23.962	1:23.231	—	6
12	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:24.209	1:23.367	—	9
13	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:24.049	1:23.694	—	9
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:23.656	1:23.702	—	8
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:25.874	1:25.403	—	6
16	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:24.332	1:26.126	—	13
17	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:24.648	1:26.571	—	13
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:26.521	—	—	4
19	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	1:26.910	—	—	5
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:27.315	—	—	8
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:27.809	—	—	9
22	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:27.908	—	—	9
23	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:28.556	—	—	5
24	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	no time	—	—	—

Michael Schumacher experienced a problem with his KERS device in the final period of qualifying that led to him aborting his single timed lap in Q3.

Nick Heidfeld ‘s Renault R31 caught fire in the final practice session on Saturday morning, seriously damaging the exhaust system and floor of the car. Renault mechanics were unable to get the car repaired in time for the first qualifying session, meaning Heidfeld was unable to set a lap time. As he had demonstrated competitive lap times during free practice sessions, he was permitted to start the race, which he did from the back of the grid.

What happened in the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix?

Alonso made an excellent start from fourth, passing both Red Bulls and Hamilton into the first corner. He held the lead through the opening phase, but Ferrari‘s difficulty with the harder tyres later transformed the contest.

Vettel gained the lead during the pit-stop sequence and Hamilton emerged as his closest challenger. Webber spent much of the race behind Alonso, while Button recovered from a poor start with one fewer stop than the leading pair.

Hamilton caught Vettel in the final stint and repeatedly applied pressure, but could not complete a pass. Vettel reached the flag just ahead, adding another victory to his strong start to the season.

Button finished third ahead of Webber and Alonso. Schumacher led Rosberg home in sixth and seventh, while Heidfeld recovered eighth. Pérez scored his first recognised Formula 1 points in ninth after his Australian disqualification.

Further down the points places, Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld, Sergio Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi completed the scoring positions. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 118 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 77. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 185, with McLaren on 138.

2011 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 22 May 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	66	1:39:03.301	25
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	66	+0.630	18
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	66	+35.697	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	66	+47.966	12
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	65	+1 Lap	10
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	65	+1 Lap	8
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	65	+1 Lap	6
8	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	65	+1 Lap	4
9	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	65	+1 Lap	2
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	65	+1 Lap	1
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	65	+1 Lap	0
12	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	65	+1 Lap	0
13	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	65	+1 Lap	0
14	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	65	+1 Lap	0
15	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	65	+1 Lap	0
16	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	64	+2 Laps	0
17	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	64	+2 Laps	0
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	64	+2 Laps	0
19	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	63	+3 Laps	0
20	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	62	+4 Laps	0
21	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	61	+5 Laps	0
Ret	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	58	Gearbox	0
Ret	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	48	Accident	0
Ret	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	28	Gearbox	0

2011 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	52	1:26.727	193.227
2	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	60	1:26.891	192.862
3	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	61	1:26.958	192.713
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	60	1:27.162	192.262
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	50	1:27.187	192.207
6	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	55	1:27.247	192.075
7	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	63	1:27.518	191.480
8	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	52	1:27.615	191.268
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	22	1:28.737	188.850
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	52	1:28.791	188.735
11	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	24	1:29.081	188.120
12	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	52	1:29.132	188.013
13	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	34	1:29.155	187.964
14	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	64	1:29.391	187.468
15	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	34	1:29.463	187.317
16	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	42	1:29.469	187.305
17	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	35	1:29.592	187.047
18	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	27	1:30.049	186.098
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	34	1:30.618	184.930
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	34	1:30.783	184.594
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	40	1:31.635	182.877
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	36	1:32.549	181.071
23	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	33	1:32.848	180.488
24	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	22	1:33.884	178.496

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 Spanish Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	118
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	77
3	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	67
4	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	61
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	51
6	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	26
7	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	25
8	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	24
9	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	21
10	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	14
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	9
12	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	6
13	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	2
14	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	2
15	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	2
16	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	0
17	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	0
18	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
19	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
20	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
21	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	0
22	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
23	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
24	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	185
2	McLaren	138
3	Ferrari	75
4	Renault	46
5	Mercedes	40
6	Sauber	11
7	Toro Rosso	6
8	Force India	4
9	Williams	0
10	Team Lotus	0
11	Virgin Racing	0
12	HRT	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