Race
Red Bull came good again and certainly didnt look like theyd been hampered in the least by the tyres as they managed a perfect race from the front to take their first transatlantic victory. Webber gained a place from the grid and took an untouchable fourth to back it up, and seemed like he might threaten the podium before fading in the final stint. Behind Vettel it was all action, and we were treated to a fantastic race to the flag over the final 15 laps between Alonso and Hamilton, with the former hunting down and overtaking with 7 laps to go to complete an excellent drive from the third row. Tyre problems were nowhere to be seen and we got treated to an all-out race at a classic racetrack. The Front Runners Vettel delivered a near-flawless race, reminiscent of his 2011 dominance, as he broke away from the line and stretched a lead out to keep clear of the DRS zone and then drive away into the distance. A couple of mistakes saw him touch the wall early on and run wide across turn two later, but with his margin he was in no danger of losing the lead and delivered exactly what could be asked of him. Webber started on the third row with Alonso, and after making his way past the surprising Bottas in the first corner was then battling with the Spaniard in the pursuit of Hamilton for much of the race. He tangled with Van der Gardes Caterham as he tried to lap him, damaging the front wing, though that didnt appear to affect pace as he set fastest laps. Alonso got past him after the final pit stop, and then he dropped back, eventually coming home fourth, 10 seconds behind the podium. Alonso drove a fantastic race that did everyone possible aside from win the race. Starting from sixth on the grid wasnt ideal, and after Vettel broke away at the front the victory slipped out of his grasp. However, he delivered a brilliant, champions drive to carve through the competition on his way to the second step of the podium. On days when Vettel wins, Alonso must finish second, and he achieved that by driving through Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton in a thrilling duel. Felipe Massa drove aggressively after his qualifying accident saw him start 16th, and with two stints on the option tyres, including a 25-laps on the second set, he worked his way up the field to finish eighth, mugging Raikkonen for it with a lap to go. Mercedes found their fortunes a little less perfect after their Monaco win; Lewis Hamilton drove in a strong second for most of the race, very pleased with his car, managing his tyres well and keeping just out of touch of his pursuers, though unable to match the pace of Vettel. In the final stint however, once Alonso broke free of Webber, it seemed only a matter of time until he was passed. He raced hard with Alonso to the end, and collected his third podium for Mercedes to underline their competitive edge away from specialised locations like Monte Carlo. The same couldnt be said for Rosberg however as, on a split strategy, after the start when he ran third behind the sister car he slipped backwards towards the midfield, being passed by Webber and Alonso in the space of two straights. After a big brake lock-up flat spotted a tyre, he made a third pit stop, still finishing fifth but nearly a lap down. Mercedes took third in the constructors from Lotus, a pleasing step forward as they only trail Ferrari by 11 points. Torro Rosso were delighted as Jean-Eric Vergne delivered a strong sixth place, up a place from his seventh in qualifying, keeping himself out of trouble. Whilst he never threatened those ahead of him, he drove a solid race ahead of Sutil and Raikkonen to take home eight points for the team without the help of changing conditions. Force India managed to deliver on their pace come the flag, as a sterling one-stop strategy from Paul di Resta, where he delivered a phenomenal 57 laps on his set of prime tyres from the start, paid off and he took a solid seventh place. Sutil took tenth with a few dramas, as on lap six he spun in the first chicane whilst trying to overtake Bottas Williams, dropping him down the order where he then tangled with Maldonado and picked up rear wing damage. Following that, he got a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags with nine laps to go for impeding Lewis Hamilton. He was ultimately lucky to get the final point, and could have taken much more from this weekend. Kimi Raikkonen had a difficult race where he never really seemed comfortable and didnt have the edge weve seen in other races this year. After starting tenth, he suffered brake problems and struggled to overtake Ricciardo, then had Massa all over him more than once, resulting in him getting overtaken right at the end to only take ninth place and two points for a disappointing blow to his title hopes that now leave him 44 points behind leader Vettel. He did however equal Michael Schumachers record of 24 consecutive points finishes.