Mark Webber of Red Bull won a Spanish grand prix that lived down to its dreary reputation – at least until a dramatic late crash cost Lewis Hamilton second place.
A suspension failure on the penultimate lap sent Hamilton’s McLaren veering into the gravel beside the third turn, and the car lost its front-left wheel as it collided with the crash barrier. Hamilton was unharmed.
The crash handed second place to the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, loudly supported by his home crowd. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel came third, after late mechanical trouble allowed Alonso past.
Webber led from start to finish in a car that Hamilton had previously called “crazy quick”, becoming the 10th pole sitter in a row to win on this circuit. The Briton said afterwards that keeping up with Webber had been “impossible”.
It was the 33-year-old Australian’s first win this year, and third of his career, lifting him to fourth in the championship. The Guardian
Felipe Massa’s Ferrari took sixth, just over a second behind Button, while Force India’s Adrian Sutil held off the Renault of Robert Kubica for seventh.
Williams’s Rubens Barrichello was ninth after driving a superb first lap to jump up from 17th on the grid to 12th, with Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari promoted to 10th by Hamilton’s late retirement.
The result has tightened an already close championship battle.
Button retains his lead, but it has been cut to just three points by Alonso, who jumps from third to second.
Vettel is 10 points adrift of Button in third place, and a further seven ahead of Webber.
Hamilton, who would have been second in the championship just a point behind Button if he had finished second, is sixth, 21 points off the lead. BBC Sport
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Formula 1: Spanish Grand Prix - Race Results
Video: Hamilton Gutted Over Dramatic Late Exit From Spanish GP
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