By Jayme Monsanto, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Team Red Bull Racing’s performance on the England GP last weekend surpassed all expectations.
Their two drivers – German Sebastian Vettel and Austrian Mark Webber – got the high spots in the podium of the Silverstone Circuit, in the midst of a season widely dominated by the debuting British team Brawn GP and their main driver, Englishman Jenson Button.
Vettel started the race in pole position, and managed to maintain his lead until the end with an outstanding performance. This was the racer’s 2nd victory in the 2009 season, and 3rd in his short career in F1, as he won this year’s Shanghai GP and last season’s Monza GP. When he won the race in Italy last season, Sebastian Vettel was the youngest winner ever in F1 history, beating the record set by Fernando Alonso in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Brazilian Rubens Barichello, a driver for team Brawn GP, started the race in the second position, but was passed by RBR’s Mark Webber when he went for his first pit stop in the 21st lap. The Brazilian driver finished third, and kept his current ranking of 2nd place in the World Championship. “To come away with the third position is very satisfying and I’m happy to have taken some points out of Jenson’s lead,” said Rubens after the race.
Aside from the two RBR racers, the England GP’s biggest highlight was Brazilian Felipe Massa, who drives for Ferrari. He started the race in the eleventh position, but managed to finish fourth, after a flawless race.
The other Brazilian in the race, Renault’s Nelsinho Piquet, finished in the 12th position, but had brilliant moments. Piquet passed two World Champions during his race: Lewis Hamilton (2008 winner, driving for McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (2005 and 2006 winner, driving for Renault).
This is the first time in the season that driver Jenson Button was left outside the podium. He finished the race in the sixth place, earning 3 points. Team Brawn GP had great expectations about disputing their first race in England, but the Red Bull Racing team’s one-two victory frustrated them. “All points are important at this stage of the season and to come away with three from this weekend is okay but it’s been a very frustrating home Grand Prix for us,” said Button.
World Drivers Championship:
1— J. Button (ENG) 64 pts
2— R. Barrichello (BRA) 41 pts
3— S. Vettel (GER) 39 pts
4— M. Webber (AUS) 35.5 pts
5— J. Trulli (ITA) 21.5 pts
6— F. Massa (BRA) 16 pts
7— N. Rosberg (GER) 13.5 pts
8— T. Glock (GER) 13 pts
9— F. Alonso (SPA) 11 pts
10— K. Raikonnen (FIN) 10 pts
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