TheChequeredFlag

Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton to victory in an enthralling and controversial European Grand Prix in Valencia.

The Red Bull driver led from start-to-finish, whilst the McLaren driver produced a sterling display to finish second, despite a drive-through penalty.

Hamilton still leads the drivers’ championship, six points ahead of his British team-mate Jenson Button, who finished third despite being given a five-second time penalty for speeding under safety-car conditions.

The safety car was deployed after a spectacular airborne crash involving Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Lotus’s Heikki Kovalainen on lap 9. Fortunately, the incident left both drivers unhurt.

Webber made a terrible start and so decided to end his stint on the option tyre, and change to the favourable prime compound. The move meant he didn’t have to pit again as he had used both compounds in the race, which is mandatory in F1.

The move left him at the back of the field, and whilst trying to overtake the Finn, the Australian driver hit the rear of the Lotus and ventured into the air, hitting the advertising sign in the process, before landing back on the circuit upside-down. The car then skewed onto it’s wheels and continued at high-speed before smashing into the tyre-wall to stop.

The crash was a timely reminder which proves how dangerous the sport can be at times, but, the fact Webber walked away from the incident is a testament to the design and strength of the modern-day F1 car.

Webber’s crash and the subsequent safety-car emergence allowed the leaders to make an opportunistic pit-stop, with Button being the main winner. The reigning champion again showed his canniness and jumped both Ferrari’s and Robert Kubica to join the field in fourth behind Kamui Kobayashi.

Ferrari were furious with Lewis Hamilton after the 2008 world champion appeared to illegally overtake the safety car as it was deployed from the pit-lane. Under the rules, cars are not allowed to overtake whilst under safety-car conditions.

Hamilton’s pass allowed him to get a full lap in and create a big enough gap to the opposition so he could make his pit-stop without losing position.

Fernando Alonso was livid with Hamilton and radioed in a colourful message to his engineer regarding his former team-mate. Hamilton was subsequently given a drive-through penalty but had pulled out a big gap to third place man Kobayashi to maintain second position.

On hearing this information Alonso became even more irritated, and after the race he branded the race “manipulated” and “unfair”.

Hamilton defended his position, claiming he thought he had already passed the safety car and was free to continue racing normally.

“As I was coming round Turn 1, literally as I got to the safety line, I saw the safety car was pretty much alongside me,” said Hamilton. ”I thought I had passed it, so I continued,” he added.

However, the data did suggest he lifted before clearing the safety car, which prompted the furious protest from Alonso and Ferrari. Only Hamilton will know the the truth behind his actions, but frosty relations between the the two masterful drivers are likely to have hit a new low.

Both Ferrari’s entered the pits a lap later but their race’s were ruined as they emerged outside the points. Felipe Massa was particularly unlucky as he had to wait for Alonso to finish his stop before having his tyres changed. The Brazilian re-entered the race at the back with the Lotus’,Virgin’s and Hispania’s.

After the chaos of the opening laps, the race became a calm affair at the front, with Vettel largely untroubled. Hamilton did apply some pressure late on with some fastest laps, but, Vettel was able to match his pace and the fight was called off between the pair.

Kobayashi finally made his pit-stop with four laps remaining, allowing Button to poach the final podium spot. The world champion showed what he was capable of as he produced the fastest lap on lap 54.

Alonso’s day, though, was compounded with more misery as the rookie Kobayashi pulled off a great maneuver on the double world champion on the penultimate lap, which prompted pandemonium on the Sauber pit-wall.

Vettel crossed the line to claim his first win since Malaysia in April, and was relieved to be back on top of the podium.

“It’s good to be back winning and on a circuit where we didn’t expect to be that strong,” the German said, before watching Germany’s 4-1 demolition of England.

“But we were quick enough all times to pull away, find the gap, and guide the car home, but it wasn’t as easy as expected,” he continued.

He was also thankful to see his team-mate Mark Webber unhurt after his spectacular accident, believing “cars get safer but still there is a lot of risk so it’s good he’s OK”.

Meanwhile, after the race, race stewards gave Button, Barrichello, Kubica, Sutil; Petrov, Liuzzi, Hulkenberg, De la Rosa and Buemi a five-second time penalty after speeding whilst under safety-car conditions.

The revised result sees Button, Barrichello, Kubica and Sutil hang onto their original positions of third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Williams, in particular, will be delighted with their best result of the season, whilst Kubica continues his fine form for Renault.

Kobayashi finished seventh in his much-improved Sauber, whilst Alonso concluded an infuriating weekend with eighth place and four championship points.

Buemi finished ninth officially, whilst Pedro de la Rosa was bitterly disappointed to be demoted to 11th after his misdemeanor. Nico Rosberg grabbed the sole consolation from an atrocious weekend for Mercedes, as the German was elevated to tenth and claim one championship point.