Sports
Mark Webber in his Red Bull Racing Formula One racecar (AFP Photo / Getty Images)
Red Bull celebrate one-two win at German Grand Prix
Published 12 July, 2009, 18:16
Red Bull’s Mark Webber has won his first ever F1 Grand Prix, crossing the checkered flag ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel at Nurburgring in Germany.
The Aussie pilot was first on the grid, also for the first time in his career, and he looked nervous at the start. Webber had a small collision with Brawn GP’s Rubens Barichello and they were both overtaken by last year’s champ Lewis Hamilton.
Yet the British driver was forced to take the first corner too wide and dropped to the bottom of the peleton. And it looked as though Webber was responsible for the slip, who finished the first lap in second behind Barichello.
This season’s leader Jenson Button had a poor start, but he improved his position fast and soon found himself challenging Ferrari’s Felipe Massa for fourth position.
Despite the exciting beginning, it was the pit stop strategy that decided the race’s outcome, and Red Bull were the best at it on the day. Webber, who was forced to take a drive-through penalty early in the race, regained his first position. He finished nine seconds ahead of another Red Bull pilot and crowd favorite Sebastian Vettel of Germany.
Felipe Massa came in third, claiming his first pole of the season.
The Brawn GP pilots, who were dominating the season, winning six out of eight races, came in fifth (Jenson Button) and sixth (Rubens Barrichello).
Red Bull’s first one-two win in 2009 saw a serious reshuffle in the drivers’ championship. Jenson Button is still on top with 68 points, but his teammate Rubens Barichello dropped to fourth, allowing Sebastian Vettel (47) and Mark Webber (45.5) to overtake him.
