Red Bull Racing at the 2011 Formula 1 Belgian GP

Red Bull Racing at the 2011 Formula 1 Belgian GP

It was a one-two finish for Red Bull Racing at the 2011 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, with Championship leader Sebastian Vettel extending his lead yet again with a decisive win at Spa-Francorchamps despite some controversy at the start of the race.

Vettel went into the race charged after rival teams, namely McLaren and Ferrari, refused to allow him and his Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber to change their qualifying tires, which were damaged from some blistering.

Despite Pirelli rushing a set of spare tires for the duo, under the mandate of FIA chief Charlie Whiting, Vettel and Webber started with their damaged tires.

Nevertheless, both drivers managed to finish the race on top despite having to stop quite early for a new set.

This was Red Bull Racing’s second one-two of the season, Vettel’s seventh win and Mark’s seventh podium place.

After a promising start, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was involved in a tangle with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi at Les Combes on lap 13, with the Brit hitting his left rear wheel on Kobayashi’s right front before spinning out and crashing into the barriers.

In the end, crossing the line behind the Red Bull drivers to complete the race top eight were McLaren’s Jenson Button, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Mercedes GP drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

Sebastian Vettel has now increased his lead to 259 points in the 2011 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, followed by Mark Webber on 167 points and Fernando Alonso 157 points.

In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull Racing remains the clear leader with 426 points, followed by McLaren on 295 points and Ferrari on 231 points.

The next race on the calendar is the 2011 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, which kicks off at the Autodromo di Monza on September 9.