Sebastian Vettel just needed to score points to secure his fourth consecutive title. He rose to the challenge on in qualifying gaining pole position whilst his team-mate took fourth place on the slower medium tyre, with Fernando Alonso on the medium tyre as well in eighth place. The Mercedes of Roseberg and Hamilton lined up second and third on the grid.
Great start from Hamilton he goes around his team-mate and takes second meanwhile Webber and Massa touch behind causing Webber to fall back and collided with Fernando Alonso and Raikkonen. The damage to Fernando Alonso’s car is so severe he has to pit for a new nose and ends up at the back of the grid unable to score points to add o his lead of all time point scorers with a total of 1571 points.
Massa makes a fantastic move on the inside turn four managing to pass both the Mercedes for second place, Hamilton loses place to his teammate during this move, now down to fourth.
Van de Garde and Chilton made contact at the back causing damage to the Caterham. The drivers on the soft tyre pitted incredibly early with Vettel pitting on lap two to get rid of the softer tyre. However, he quickly picked off the drivers in the midfield on his newer tyres up to third place by lap eleven.
Kimi Raikkonen stuck on a two stop strategy going into the final ten laps, becoming easy prey to first the Mercedes of Roseberg. Meanwhile Hulkenberg retires due to safety issues with his Sauber whilst his team-mate holds brilliantly to fifth position.
On lap fifty six saw the two Lotus’s of Kimi Raikkonen, on very old tyres, and Romain Grosjean on new tyres and an engine issue scrap for second place, when contact was made as Grosjean ran wide and Kimi managed to stay ahead until a rather irate radio message from the team asked Kimi to let Grosjean past. Tensions came to boiling point with swearing from both the team and the cockpit of Kimi’s car compounding the issues surrounding Lotus at the moment. The message fuelled even more speculation as to Kimi’s issues with the team he is leaving next year for Ferrari after it has been known that he has not be paid at all this season. The team said after the race they were “disappointed” in Kimi for not allowing his team-mate through easily despite his inability to hold onto his failing tyres and the closing Felipe Massa but apologised for the language they used. Grosjean manages to pass of lap fifty seven, and the extent of Kimi’s tyre struggles are shown as Felipe Massa moves easily passes on the pit straight to take fourth.
Vettel drove a champion’s drive to take the win and his fourth consecutive title, along with Red Bull’s fourth consecutive constrictors title. On the pit straight Vettel entertained the crowd by doing donuts, a celebration the stewards did not look kindly on resulting in a reprimand and a 25,000 euro fine.
Roseberg took second placing Mercedes second in the constructors championship as only Felipe Massa of Ferrari managed to score points with a fourth place, Grosjean gains the final podium place whilst his teammate Kimi Raikkonen ended up seventh due to his tyres falling off at the end of the race.
For part six, click here.
