European GP: Bridgestone Race Review

Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won a high speed and action-packed European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia after using a super soft-medium Bridgestone Potenza tyre strategy.

Vettel crossed the line ahead of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. There was a safety car period early in the race after a dramatic exit for Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing). Nine cars, including third place finishing Jenson Button, were being investigated after the race for their safety car in lap time.

Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
"Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing for their win today. Well done also to Kamui Kobayashi for using a great tyre strategy for a strong result for the BMW Sauber F1 Team, who have had many changes to the team since last season, so this was great points finish for them. We are happy that Mark Webber had no serious injuries from his dramatic accident. This was a very exciting race set against the great backdrop of Valencia city."

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says
"Today tyre performance was strong from both tyres, and we saw fastest laps being set by both compounds. The track conditions continued to improve throughout the race. Sebastian Vettel drove very strongly and he did not fall foul of the rules, unlike other drivers today. Kamui Kobayashi demonstrated the durability of the medium tyres here with his long first stint, setting competitive lap times, even with over 50 laps completed on them. He was then able to use the super soft tyres when the track was most rubbered in, enabling him to overtake even on a track which is not well known for its overtaking opportunities. Even though our tyres were durable, the rear right on Nico Hulkenberg's car was unable to withstand the difficult circumstances it faced there from a non tyre related issue."

Stats of the Day 
Race: 14:00 - 15:41
Driver            Team      	    Time            Strategy
Sebastian Vettel  Red Bull Racing   1h 40m 29.571s  SS-M
Lewis Hamilton    Vodafone McLaren  1h 40m 34.613s  SS-M
Jenson Button*    Vodafone McLaren  1h 40m 37.229s  SS-M
*under investigation

Tyres used: Medium (prime) / Super Soft (option) 

Temperatures Ambient    Track       Weather 
PM - Race    28C-27C    45C-43C     Sunny