Formula 1: ZF Sachs teams score points in first race of the season
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso narrowly failed to make it onto the winners’ rostrum at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, coming fourth. The Spaniard, whose car is equipped with dampers from ZF Sachs Race Engineering, missed out on a place in the top three at the first Formula 1 race of the year by just 1.2 seconds.
Mexican Sergio Pérez enjoyed a successful debut in the top tier of motorsports, coming seventh and scoring points for Sauber in his first ever Grand Prix. His Sauber teammate Kamui Kobayashi came eighth and likewise notched up some points for the constructor. Sauber is another team that places its trust in dampers made in Schweinfurt.
Brazilian Felipe Massa driving the second Ferrari also scored points by coming ninth. Another team in the top ten in Australia to use high tech from ZF Sachs Race Engineering was Toro Rosso, with Sébastien Buemi of Switzerland, whose Toro Rosso Ferrari features ZF Sachs clutch and damper technology, crossing the finishing line in tenth place.
Results, GP Australia (AUS), 1st round, FIA Formula 1 World Championship, 25 Mar–27 Mar 2011:
1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1h 29m 30.259s
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, + 22.297s
3. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, + 30.560s
4. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, + 31.772s, ZF Sachs
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, + 38.171s
6. Jenson Button, McLaren, + 54.304s
7. Sergio Pérez, Sauber, + 1m 05.845s, ZF Sachs
8. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, + 1m 16.872s, ZF Sachs
9. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, + 1m 25.186s, ZF Sachs
10. Sébastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, - 1 lap, ZF Sachs
Drivers’ standings:
1. Sebastian Vettel, 25 points; 2. Lewis Hamilton, 18; 3. Vitaly Petrov, 15; 4. Fernando Alonso, 12; 5. Mark Webber, 10; 6. Jenson Button, 8; 7. Sergio Pérez, 6; 8. Kamui Kobayashi, 4; 9. Felipe Massa, 2; 10. Sébastien Buemi, 1.
Constructors’ standings:
1. Red Bull-Renault, 35 points; 2. McLaren-Mercedes, 26; 3. Renault, 15; 4. Ferrari, 14; 5. Sauber-Ferrari, 10; 6. Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 1.
