Alonso leads Ferrari to podium in South Korea

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso wins at Korean Grand Prix to seize the lead in the Formula One World Championship.

YEONGAM: Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won a chaotic, rain-hit Korean Grand Prix to seize the lead in the Formula One World Championship as his Red Bull rivals crashed out. The 29-year-old Spaniard took his third victory in the past four races after pole-sitter and race leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing was forced to retire with a blown engine on lap 46 of the 55-lap race. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished second.

The inaugural Grand Prix in South Korea finished in near-darkness after a rain-delayed start and a red flag after just three laps because of the soaked track, with the race taking almost three hours to complete.

Australian Mark Webber, the championship leader heading into the first race at the new Yeongam circuit, crashed on lap 19 when running in second position to Vettel. It was the Red Bull driver’s second non-finish of the year.

Alonso’s victory, 14 seconds ahead of Britain’s Hamilton, was the 26th of his career, and the first in wet conditions. Brazilian Felipe Massa rounded out the podium for Ferrari.

With two races remaining and a maximum 50 points to be won, Alonso has 231 points, an 11-point lead over second-placed Webber. Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, is in third place with 210 points, while Vettel has 206.

“It’s one of the best races of the year for us, for the team. We know that it was a tricky race, a race to finish,” said two-time world champion Alonso after his fifth victory of the season.

“Here it was bad luck for Webber and Vettel, and anything can happen in the next two races. There are still four or five contenders [for the title] at this stage.”

Seven-time world champion German Michael Schumacher equalled his best result of the season with a fighting fourth place for Mercedes, while Poland’s Robert Kubica was fifth for Renault.

It was a miserable afternoon for defending world champion Jenson Button, who finished 12th for McLaren after an early pit stop compromised his race after which he conceded his title defence was all but over.

The next race is the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 7.

Sutil and Buemi penalised

Swiss Sebastien Buemi and German Adrian Sutil were both handed five-place grid penalties for the Brazilian Grand Prix after causing collisions at the new Yeongam circuit. Buemi, driving for Toro Rosso, crashed into the Virgin Racing entry of German Timo Glock on lap 31 of the 55-lap race as both cars were forced to retire.  Meanwhile, Force India’s Sutil crashed with Japanese Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber on lap 47 as he struggled with brake problems. In addition to his penalty, the German driver was fined $10,000 by the race stewards, who imposed the fine “in view of the driver’s admission that he was aware of brake problems with his car throughout the race.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2010.