Turkish GP : Disappointing race for Williams


Rubens Barrichello

By Andrew Hooper
May 8 2011

The results of the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix would be very disappointing for the AT&T Williams F1 team with Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado finishing the race in 15th and 17th. A very disappointing result for Rubens after having started from 11th. He seemed to have the pace to look at getting inside the top ten but in the later stages of the race fell well back. The Williams team is really going to have a struggle to find the pace to see them challenge for points.

 
 Turkish GP Race Review
 
Barrichello
 

Qualifying for the fifty eight lap 2011 Turkish Grand Prix would see the AT&T Williams drivers finish in eleventh and fourteenth. Rubens Barrichello was ahead of his team-mate Pastor Maldonado on the grid for a race where the Williams team must try to come away with a good result, meaning a points scoring finish. On pole was Vettel from Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton, Alonso, Button, Petrov, Schumacher, Heidfeld, and Massa in tenth. For Virgin's Timo Glock was in his garage with the rear of his car was off as it looked like the team tried to fix a gearbox problem having lost fifth gear. It would be a real struggle to get his car into the race.

AS for strategy a three stop one looked to be the best choice as the drivers moved off on their parade lap. Both AT&T Williams drivers would start the race on the softer tyre. The top ten would all start on the softer tyre. The grid would form and the five red lights would go out and it would be Vettel leading with Rosberg taking second. Webber was third defending from Hamilton. Hamilton would run wide losing places to now be behind Button in sixth. Rubens was running in eleventh and Pastor fourteenth. Alonso was fourth from Button and Hamilton. Schumacher was seventh from Petrov, Massa and Heidfeld in tenth.

Hamilton would try and pass Button at Turn eight on their second lap. Perez had pitted to change his front wing. Petrov would make a dive down past Schumacher but the pair would touch seeing Schumacher pit with front wing damage. While this was happening Rubens was making the most of it passing Heidfeld for ninth. Lap three and Vettel was leading by 2.4 seconds from Rosberg and Webber. Pastor was still in fourteenth running close behind Buemi. Replays showed that Petrov was past Schumacher and Michael moved over seeing the Renault and Mercedes make contact. Webber would pass Rosberg going into Turn twelve. Webber would lead Rosberg going down the main straight with Alonso behind Rosberg.

Lap five and Vettel was now leading by 4.4 seconds ahead of Webber. Hamilton would pass Button at Turn twelve but Button would get back in front only for Hamilton to pass Button going into Turn one. Heidfeld had re-passed Rubens for ninth as Alonso passed Rosberg on the run into Turn twelve. The DRS was certainly having an impact. Button would pass Hamilton for fifth going into Turn one while Massa was closing in onto Hamilton. Lap nine and Petrov would pit while at the front Vettel was leading by 5.6 seconds from Webber, Alonso, Rosberg, Button, Hamilton, Massa, Heidfeld, Rubens, and Sutil. Massa would pass Hamilton using his DRS but he would pit joined by Hamilton, and Buemi. Hamilton would make a quicker pit stop forcing Massa to slot in behind him as they went down the pit lane. Both Hamilton and Massa were on the softer tyre. Lap eleven and Webber, Alonso, Rosberg, Heidfeld, Rubens, and Sutil would all pit.

 
Maldonado
 
Rosberg would come out in front of Hamilton and Massa. Lap twelve and Vettel would pit from the lead with Button now second. Di Resta would pit from sixth joined by Pastor from eleventh. Rubens was down in eighteenth while the two Renault drivers would make contact going into the final turn as Heidfeld tried to pass Petrov. Lap twelve and Button was leading from Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Kobayashi, Rosberg, Hamilton, Massa, Petrov, and Alguersuari. Lap fourteen and Button would pit joined by Kobayashi. Alguersuari and Trulli would also pit. Lap fourteen and Vettel was leading Webber by 2.9 seconds. Rosberg was passed by Hamilton for fourth. Schumacher would pit from fifteenth.

Alonso was now third from Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa, Button, Petrov, Heidfeld, Buemi and Rubens in eleven. It was looking like Button was on a three stop strategy while the others may be on four. Kovalainen would pit from fifteenth seeing Pastor move into this spot. Rubens was 2.4 seconds behind Buemi. Lap sixteen and Webber was now 3.1 seconds behind Vettel. Kobayashi would pass Rubens for eleventh. Schumacher was down in sixteenth Rubens had dropped off the pace with Kobayashi moving away from the Williams. Lap twenty and Petrov would pit from eighth. Pastor was 10.4 seconds behind fourteenth placed Di Resta. Massa would pass Rosberg going into Turn nine. Rosberg would try and get past Massa with the pair making contact going through Turn twelve.

Hamilton would pit on lap twenty one with Webber pitting on lap twenty two. But Rosberg and Massa would continue to fight with Button joining in with the McLaren driver making it past going around the outside of Rosberg at Turn fourteen as they started to go down the main straight. Lap twenty three and Rosberg and Heidfeld would pit from sixth and seventh. Vettel was now leading Alonso by 8.5 seconds with Webber third. Alonso would pit from second on lap twenty four. Massa and Buemi would also pit. Massa had a big lockup just prior to the pit entry seeing him quickly take to the pit lane. Rubens was now sixth but he would pit on lap twenty five joined by Di Resta from twelfth. Pastor was down in sixteenth.

 
Barrichello
 
Vettel would pit from the lead on lap twenty six returning on the soft tyre. Sutil would also pit from eighth. Pastor would also make his second stop followed by Trulli. Button would pit from fourth on lap twenty seven while Alonso started to set some quick times as he closed in onto second placed Webber. But Vettel, on his fresh tyres, would respond with a new fastest lap, 1m:31.700. After their stops Rubens was now in thirteenth and Pastor nineteenth. Rubens still had a few drivers who had yet to pit in front of him so he may make up a few places. Alonso would pass Webber as they went into Turn twelve, using his DRS.

Rosberg was now leading from Button and Hamilton with these three drivers all having to make another stop. Vettel and Massa in fourth and fifth were going to run to the end. Rubens was now in eleventh but yet to stop while Pastor was down in seventeenth. Hamilton would pass Button going into Turn one. Webber was now in seventh and fastest on lap thirty five, 1m:40.717. Rubens would pit on lap thirty seven. Rosberg was leading Hamilton by 2.6 seconds with Button now 1.8 seconds further back. Perez would pit from tenth on lap thirty seven. Vettel was 12.1 seconds behind Button and 16.7 seconds behind the leader. Will he be able to close the gap so when the top three pit he can come out in front?

Button would pit first on lap thirty eight joined by ninth placed Petrov. Button would come back out in fifth, running on the harder tyres. The next lap Hamilton would pit as Webber passed Schumacher for sixth. Hamilton would return in front of Button. Lap forty and Rosberg would pit from the lead taking on the harder tyre. Vettel would take the lead as Schumacher also came into the pits. Massa was now second with Rosberg been able to come out in front of Hamilton. Hamilton had tried to pass Rosberg at Turn six but it didn't come off. Lap forty and Vettel was leading by 3.6 seconds with Webber pitting on lap forty one. Pastor would pit on lap forty one while Rubens was in fifteenth. Rosberg was told that he was tight on fuel as on lap forty two Hamilton would pass Rosberg at Turn six for third.

 
Maldonado
 

Button was also looking to pass Rosberg with Pastor having dropped to nineteenth. Vettel would extend his lead to Massa and on lap forty three it was 4.3 seconds. Both Hamilton and Button were right behind the Ferrari with jus twelve laps remaining. Hamilton would pass Massa going down the main straight. On lap forty two Webber would set a 1m:38.993 to now be sixth after passing Alonso coming out of Turn six. Button was now right behind Massa after getting past Rosberg when the German made a mistake at Turn fourteenth. Lap forty six and Vettel's lead was a 3.3 seconds from Hamilton, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Webber, Alonso, Schumacher, Di Resta, and Kobayashi in tenth.

Alguersuari would pit from twelfth allowing Rubens to take this spot. Lap thirty and Vettel was leading Alonso by 9.0 seconds with Webber right behind the Ferrari. Hamilton was fourth from Petrov, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Heidfeld, and Buemi in tenth. Schumacher would pit from eleventh for his third stop. Rubens pace had improved s was now up to eleventh. Petrov, Massa, and Button were all running close together as Kovalainen pitted from nineteenth on lap thirty three. Rubens was 9.2 seconds behind tenth placed Buemi as Di Resta and Perez pitted from fifteenth and seventeenth on lap thirty three. Webber had dropped back from second placed Alonso with the gap 2.3 seconds.

Rosberg would pit from eighth on lap thirty four, taking on the softer tyre. Lap thirty five and
Hamilton would pit from fourth. He was joined by Petrov and Massa. Hamilton would have a long stop with a problem changing his right front. He would return to the track with the hard tyres. Button had passed Massa just prior to the Ferrari's pit stop. Lap thirty six and Webber would pit from third taking on the hard tyres. With the stops Rubens had moved up to eighth. Lap thirty seven and Alonso would pit from second taking on the hard tyres. Heidfeld had pitted from fifth as seventh placed Hamilton set a new fastest lap with a 1m:31.586. Rosberg had passed Rubens for eighth. Pastor was running down in eighteenth.

Lap thirty eight and Vettel was leading Alonso by 25.0 seconds with Webber 1.8 seconds behind the Ferrari. Button was fourth from Buemi, Hamilton, Rosberg, Petrov, Rubens, and Heidfeld in tenth. Heidfeld was closing in onto Rubens and would pass the Williams using his DRS seeing Rubens drop to tenth. Button would pit from fourth on lap forty while Vettel would pit on lap forty one. He was now on the harder tyre as Buemi pitted from sixth. Rubens would also pit from eleventh and Sutil from thirteenth. After his stop Vettel was now leading by 7.1 seconds from Webber, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Petrov, Heidfeld, Massa, and Schumacher in tenth. Rubens had dropped to sixteenth as Pastor pitted from eighteenth on lap forty three. Again there were several drivers win front of Rubens who had yet to pit.

 
Barrichello
 
Perez would pit from thirteenth on lap forty four and would go one lap down. Pastor was been investigated for speeding in the pit lane. Rosberg would pit from fifth on lap forty five seeing him make a fourth stop as Pastor received his drive through penalty. Di Resta would pit from fourteenth. Webber would pit from third seeing him also make four stops. Petrov would pit from sixth joined by Schumacher from eleventh. Di Resta would pull off the track to retire. Lap forty seven and Alonso would pit joined by Hamilton. Pastor would take his penalty as Heidfeld and Massa would pit from sixth and eighth. Lap forty eight and Vettel would pit as Webber set a fastest lap on lap forty seven with a 1m:29.945. Massa would have a slow stop as the rear wheels would spin not allowing the mechanics to change the tyres.

Vettel was still leading from Alonso, Webber, Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Petrov, Heidfeld, and Kobayashi in tenth. Rubens had dropped to fourteenth as Hamilton passed Button using his DRS going into Turn twelve. Lap fifty and Vettel was leading Alonso by 6.3 seconds with Webber right behind Alonso. Running on the soft tyres Rosberg was closing in onto Button. Rubens was right behind Sutil challenging for fourteenth. Webber would get past Alonso going through twelve and thirteen. Alonso would then try to pass Webber going onto Turn one. Rubens had passed Sutil for fourteenth but Sutil was able to get back past the Williams. Pastor was down in seventeenth.

Perez was right behind Rubens and would get past seeing Rubens drop even further down the order to sixteenth. Rubens was now just one place ahead of Pastor. Massa would pass Schumacher for twelfth but Schumacher would come right back again to retake the position. Rosberg would pass Button for fifth using the DRS going into Turn twelve. Three laps remaining and Vettel was 7.9 seconds ahead of Webber with Alonso 1.7 seconds behind Webber. Rubens was in sixteenth after dropping well off the pace in the later stages of the race. Pastor was simply not on a competitive pace at all for any part of the race. Rubens was now also a lap down as the race drew to a close. Alguersuari would pit from fifteenth seeing Rubens move into this spot.

The final lap was completed by Vettel to take victory in the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix. Webber was second from Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Heidfeld, Buemi, Petrov, and Kobayashi in tenth. For the AT&T Williams team they would see their drivers Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado finish in fifteenth and seventeenth. A very disappointing result for Rubens after having started from eleventh. He seemed to have the pace to look at getting inside the top ten but in the later stages of the race fell well back. The Williams team is really going to have a struggle to find the pace to see them challenge for points.
 
Maldonado
 
Pos  Driver  	   Team		  	      Time
 1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h30:17.558
 2.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +     8.807
 3.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    10.075
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    40.232
 5.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    47.539
 6.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    59.431
 7.  Heidfeld      Renault                    +  1:00.857
 8.  Petrov        Renault                    +  1:08.168
 9.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:09.300
10.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:18.000
11.  Massa         Ferrari                    +  1:19.800
12.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +  1:25.400
13.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +     1 lap
14.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +     1 lap
15.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +     1 lap
16.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
17.  Maldonado     Williams-Cosworth          +     1 lap
18.  Trulli        Lotus-Renault              +     1 lap
19.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Renault              +    2 laps
20.  D'Ambrosio    Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
21.  Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth               +    3 laps
22.  Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth               +    5 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:29.703

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes         45
Glock         Virgin-Cosworth              1
 

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Turkish GP : Disappointing race for Williams
Discussion started by Williams F1 , 08/05/2011 14:52
Williams F1
08/05/2011 14:52
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