Mark Webber Takes Advantage Of Safety Car To Win The Hungarian Grand Prix

The 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix took place at the Hungaroring in a valley outside of Budapest

, Hungary. This venue has hosted the race since 1986.

The circuit features natural viewing points because of its valley setting. The stands are set to take advantage of these vantage points.

The Hungaroring features fourteen turns, and the course is a tight one. The circuit length is 4.381 km. The race is 70 laps and the race distance is 306.630 km.

Qualifying on the Saturday was really a battle between the Red Bull's and Ferrari's, who had the pace this past weekend. When qualifying was over, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel held pole position, with teammate Mark Webber securing second spot.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were third and fourth respectively. It remained as to who would maintain the pace for the Sunday race.

The lofty heights of first place didn't last overly long for Vettel once the Hungarian Grand Prix hit its stride. Through the first 15 laps, he did build up a lead over the top contenders. Fernando Alonso grabbed second spot at the race start by passing Mark Webber who fell into third position.

Felipe Massa of Ferrari was in fourth spot, fighting to hold off Vitaly Petrov of Renault. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was in sixth spot, dropping back a position from his fifth place grid start.

Vettel's day took a turn for the worse when a safety car underwent deployment on lap 15. Debris on the circuit prompted the safety car to come out, and this changed the dynamic of the entire race. Recognizing an opportunity to take charge of the race, Mark Webber and his team chose not to pit to change tires during the safety car period.

However, Sebastian Vettel did stop to change tires. Emerging from the pit lane, he now found himself in second spot. Mark Webber, due to the other teams making pit stops for fresh tires, found himself in first place.

Vettel's downfall in the race came when he failed to stay grouped close to Webber during the safety car period. He fell more than 10 lengths behind Webber as the safety car negotiated the Hungaroring. He was also holding up Ferrari's Fernando Alonso who was behind him.

For this miscue, Vettel received a drive through penalty. He had to exit the circuit and drive through the pit lane at a fixed speed before he could re-enter the circuit and resume racing. This caused him to lose his position to Ferrari's Alonso.

Vettel tried the rest of the race to catch Alonso but couldn't. He ended up finishing third, disappointing to him as he started from pole. It was up to his teammate Webber to gain maximum points for the Red Bull team.

It was a daring decision for Webber to try to stay out on his softer tires for a prolonged period. Tire degradation would be a concern. In fact, Webber did not come into the pits to change tires until lap 43.

By that time, he had built a significant lead. Even with his pit stop, he was still in first place as he came back out onto the circuit.

Alonso was in second followed by Vettel and Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Webber drove a clean and controlled race to the end to claim his fourth GP victory this season.

McLaren's Jenson Button qualified 11th on the grid and managed to finish in eighth. His teammate Lewis Hamilton challenged for approximately a third of the race.

However, transmission trouble saw him exit the race on lap 24. Renault's Vitaly Petrov drove an impressive race and finished fifth.

It was a good day for the Williams team, showing some signs of making progress with their cars this year. Nico Hulkenberg finished in sixth spot, and teammate Rubens Barrichello came in tenth to garner one Championship point. The sixth place finish was the best result so far for Hulkenberg in Formula 1.

BMW Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa came in seventh. His teammate Kamui Kobayashi made up significant ground. Kobayashi started 23rd on the grid but ended up in ninth spot in this Grand Prix race.

Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher, trying to hold onto tenth spot, engaged in aggressive driving at this year's Hungarian Grand Prix. As Rubens Barrichello made a move to pass him, Schumacher tried to steer Barrichello into the concrete wall.

Schumacher admitted after the race that he crossed the line. The race stewards gave him a 10-place grid penalty for the next race for his actions.

The 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix is now part of the record books, and the Driver and Constructors Standings look different. Mark Webber now leads all drivers with 161 points.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes is in second with 157 points. Sebastian Vettel is in third with 151 points. Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso have 147 and 141 points respectively.

In the Constructors Standings, Red Bull leads with 312 points. McLaren is close behind with 304 points. Ferraris is in third with 238 points.

by:Henry Ashworth

POST COMMENT

The Different Views About The Construction Safety Plan Meeting The Demands Of Construction Safety Management Plans Send A Message With The Help Of Your Construction Site Safety Plan Embracing The Construction Health And Safety Plan - The Onsite Benefits How To Find Reliable Electronic Component Supplier Radiology Technician Schools - How To Become A Radiologic Technologist Mixing Electronics & A Green Lifestyle Evil Eye Bracelets Ensure Safety And Harmony Of Your Home Electrical Safety Training For Your Home Valuable Bathroom Devices - Shower Radio The Keys To Power Tool Safety 7 Diy Safety Tips Electronics: Shopping Reviews And You