Hungarian GP : Williams again struggle in the race

Rubens leaves his pit
By Andrew Hooper
July 31 2011

The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix would see the AT&T Williams F1 drivers finish in thirteenth and sixteenth, with Rubens Barrichello finishing ahead of team-mate Pastor Maldonado. Another disappointing race for the Williams team with both Rubens and Pastor struggling to find any real pace from the FW33. Now with the summer break it was going to be difficult to see the Williams team get an performance from their troublesome FW33.

Hungarian GP Race Review

With light rain falling as the cars formed up on the grid the AT&T Williams F1 team, like all the other teams, would be looking to their tyre choice for the start. The intermediate tyre was looking like the preferred option under the damp conditions. But this weather would make the Williams teams decision to keep their super soft tyres in preparation for the race. Now it would come down to wether the track would dry enough to use these dry tyres. Strategy is going to be very important today as the Williams drivers Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado got ready for the start of the seventy lap 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix. Rubens and Pastor would be staring from fifteenth and seventeenth.

As the cars came around there was a fair amount of spray coming off the cars. The grid would form up and as the lights went out it would be Vettel leading away from Hamilton and Button. Button would try to pass Hamilton while we had Rosberg and Schumacher in fourth and fifth after making good starts. Alonso would pass Schumacher for fifth as they went onto the main straight. Hamilton was attacking Vettel while for Williams Rubens was in eleventh. Massa and Webber were behind Schumacher as the drivers struggled in the wet conditions. Hamilton would try to pass Vettel going round Turn two. But Vettel would keep him behind for another lap and on the next lap Hamilton would try again but Vettel had track position.

Button was still third while Alonso would run wide at Turn two allowing Rosberg past and into fourth. Pastor was down in sixteenth while Rubens had dropped to thirteenth. At the front Hamilton would finally get past Vettel as Vettel ran wide at Turn two. Vettel would be pressured by Button while team-mate Hamilton was extending his lead as the drivers completed lap six. Hamilton was leading by 3.2 seconds from Vettel and Button. Rosberg was fourth from Alonso, Massa, Webber, Schumacher, Di Resta, and Kobayashi. After one lap Hamilton would build his lead out to 4.5 seconds as Massa would spin at Turn two with a slight touch against the barrier. Massa would now be ninth while team-mate Alonso would pass Rosberg at Turn one, using his DRS.

Rubens was still in thirteenth running behind Buemi. Alonso would set a new fastest lap on lap nine, 1m:40.334, as he tried to close the gap to Button. Rosberg was in fifth followed by Webber, Schumacher, Di Resta, Massa, and Kobayashi. On lap eleven Webber and Massa would pit taking on the super soft tyres. Petrov and Rubens would also come in while Webber had come back out in front of Pastor. Button would pit on lap twelve joined by Di Resta. Pastor would also come in joined by Heidfeld. Hamilton was still leading but he would also pit on lap thirteen, followed by Vettel and Alonso. Rosberg would also come in followed by Kobayashi and Buemi. More drivers were also coming in as Webber set a new fastest lap on the dry tyres, 1m:36.113. With all the pit stops Rubens was now in thirteenth as Schumacher would pit joined by Alguersuari.

Button would pass Vettel going into Turn two as Webber passed Alonso for fourth. Lap fourteen and a 1m:31.634 from Hamilton with his lead over team-mate Button 5.2 seconds. Webber would run wide at Turn one while Pastor was under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. It would be confirmed that he would get a drive through penalty. Team-mate Rubens was in eleventh and right behind Kobayashi. Vettel was now third followed by Webber, Alonso, Rosberg, Di Resta, Schumacher, Massa, and Kobayashi in tenth. Hamilton was extending his lead setting a new fastest lap with a 1m:28.893. Pastor would come in from thirteenth for his penalty. Alonso would continue to attack Webber while Pastor would now be in seventeenth. After lap eighteen Hamilton was leading by 8.6 seconds over Button.

After twenty laps it was reported that there was the possibility of further light rain in ten minutes. Pastor was now sixteenth while Rubens was dropping away from tenth placed Kobayashi. Webber was starting to close the gap to Vettel setting a new fastest lap on lap twenty one, 1m:27.413. Pastor would try to pass Kovalainen for fifteenth but would run wide at Turn one losing a place to Sutil, seeing himself in seventeenth. Hamilton was now starting to pick his way through traffic but was saying that he was having problems with tyre overheating. Heidfeld would pull off the side of the track with flames coming out just after leaving the pit. He would jump out as the marshals would come to the car as the flames grew. The fire would be gotten under control without the Safety Car coming out.

Rubens and Alguersuari would pit joined by Webber and Alonso. Massa, Petrov, and Buemi would also come in. Hamilton would also pit on lap twenty seven. Schumacher would pit from eighth with Button also coming in the next lap. Sutil would also come in from fifteenth. Rosberg and Di Resta would pit from sixth and seventh. Vettel was now leading while Schumacher would retire his car on the side of the track. Vettel would pit on lap twenty nine. Pastor would pit from fourteenth while Rubens was now in tenth. Hamilton was again leading from Button, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Kobayashi, Massa, Rosberg, Di Resta, and Rubens. Pastor was in sixteenth and lapped as at the front Alonso continued to right right behind Webber. Rubens was 10.1 seconds behind Di Resta as Perez received a drive through penalty for passing under the yellows been shown at the site of Heidfeld's Renault.

Perez would come in on lap thirty four as Massa passed Kobayashi going into Turn one for sixth. Kobayashi would pit on lap thirty five seeing Di Resta in eighth. Rubens had Alguersuari right behind him running on the prime tyre, with the pair ninth and tenth. Lap thirty seven and Alonso would pit taking on the super soft tyre. Hamilton was leading now by 7.4 seconds, from Button, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, and Massa. Alguersuari would pass Rubens going into the first corner taking ninth from Rubens. Rubens would pit on lap thirty nine as Alonso would set a new fastest lap with a 1m:24.718, making good use of his new tyres. Webber would pit on lap forty taking on the prime tyre possibly looking to go to the finish. Rubens was now in thirteenth and lapped while Pastor was in fifteenth. Hamilton would pit on lap forty one taking on the super soft tyre.

Massa would pit from seventh taking the option tyre. Vettel would also come in taking on the prime tyre in the same strategy as Webber. Button would pit from the lead taking on the prime tyre following the Red Bull strategy. Button would come out just in front of Alonso. Vettel and Webber would be fourth and fifth as Webber was told that his current set of tyres would have to last to the end of the race. Buemi would pit from tenth on lap forty four as Button set a 1m:24.549 to be 6.6 seconds behind Hamilton. Vettel would pass Alonso going into Turn one using the DRS. Schumacher would confirm that he had a gearbox failure which caused his retirement. Rubens was again in eleventh while Pastor was fifteenth. It was turning out to be a race of varied strategies as the rain again came into play.

It was raining and Button would be able to pass Hamilton as they went past Di Resta. Hamilton has spun at the Turn six & seven chicane with Di Resta having to take avoiding action to not have an accident with Hamilton. Alonso would pit while both McLaren's had stayed out. Alonso would take the prime tyre while at the front Button was leading Hamilton by 1.6 seconds. Vettel was third from Webber, Alonso, Rosberg, Massa, Petrov, Kobayashi, and Alguersuari in tenth. Massa would pass Rosberg for sixth as Hamilton close the gap to Button. It was reported that the rain should last around ten minutes. Hamilton was able to take the lead after Button ran wide but on the next lap Button was again right behind him and would run past him going into Turn one. The rain would start to fall heavier with Webber coming in . Petrov, Rubens, Sutil, and Maldonado would all come in.

Hamilton would pit on lap fifty three running on intermediates while Button was still out on the track. Hamilton was under investigation for the incident that took place at the Turn six & seven chicane. Webber would pit again from fifth taking another set of dry tyres on. Rubens would also come in as the rain stopped. It was confirmed that Hamilton would get a drive through penalty and on lap fifty five he would pit taking on the prime tyre. He would still have to take his penalty. Those drivers who had taken on the intermediates would put again; Rosberg, Petrov, Sutil, and Pastor. Button was now leading Vettel by 5.5 seconds with Alonso third. Hamilton was fourth but yet to stop again while Massa was fifth from Webber, and Kobayashi. Hamilton would take his penalty on lap fifty seven.

Hamilton would come back out behind Massa and Webber. Both of the Williams cars were thirteenth and sixteenth and two laps behind the leader. Lap fifty eight and a 1m:23.937 from Button as Webber passed Massa going into Turn one. Hamilton would pass Massa going into Turn six while Massa would pit on lap fifty nine. Alonso would have a spin but would not lose his third place. Lap sixty one and Button was now leading by 7.6 seconds from Vettel with Alonso third. Webber was fourth with Hamilton closing in on him. Massa was sixth followed by Di Resta, Kobayashi, Buemi, and Alguersuari. Hamilton would pass Webber as they picked their way through traffic.

Five laps to go and Button was now leading by 9.7 seconds from Vettel and Alonso. Rubens and Pastor continued to run thirteenth and sixteenth. Both drivers had suffered as a result of coming into the pits more than they had to. Pastor for his penalty and both drivers to come in an take on intermediate tyres only to see them have to pit again as the track dried. Prior to that Rubens had been looking to challenge for a few points. But it was not to be as the race unfolded. Webber continued to follow Hamilton but with just a lap remaining it was unlikely that he could find a way past. Button would finish his last lap crossing the line to win the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix. Vettel was second from Alonso, Hamilton, Webber, Massa, Di Resta, Buemi, Rosberg, and Alguersuari in tenth.

Another disappointing weekend for the Williams team with both Rubens and Pastor struggling to find a real pace from the FW33. Despite Rubens making a good start and looking to challenge for some points the race would get away from him as he lost places to other cars in the early running and then losing time making extra pit stops. For Pastor his race would go wrong when he received his penalty and then also made the wrong call in regard to pit stops. Now with the summer break it was going to be difficult to see the Williams team get an performance from their troublesome FW33.

Pos  Driver  	   Team		              Time
 1.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           1h43:42.337
 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +     3.588
 3.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    19.819
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    48.338
 5.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    49.742
 6.  Massa         Ferrari                    +  1:17.176
 7.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +     1 lap
 8.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
 9.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +     1 lap
10.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
11.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +     1 lap
12.  Petrov        Renault                    +     1 lap
13.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +    2 laps
14.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +    2 laps
15.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +    2 laps
16.  Maldonado     Williams-Cosworth          +    2 laps
17.  Glock         Virgin-Cosworth            +    4 laps
18.  Ricciardo     HRT-Cosworth               +    4 laps
19.  D'Ambrosio    Virgin-Cosworth            +    5 laps
20.  Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth               +    5 laps

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:23.415

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Kovalainen    Lotus-Renault                56
Schumacher    Mercedes                     27
Heidfeld      Renault                      24
Trulli        Lotus-Renault                18

Hungarian GP : Williams again struggle in the race

Posted by: Williams F1 (IP Logged)

Date: 31/07/2011 15:36

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