Torrente Makes F1 Switch Pay Off, First Victory After Two Races

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time
1	30	Dean Stoneman		1:08.127
2	29	Pastor Maldonado		1:08.255
3	2	Lewis Hamilton		1:08.400
4	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		1:08.428
5	62	Jules Bianchi		1:08.610
6	23	Pierre Gasly		1:08.727
7	33	Einar Ármannsson		1:08.905
8	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		1:08.999
9	27	Dave Cassidy		1:09.224
10	24	Kevin Magnussen		1:09.436
11	34	Valtteri Bottas		1:09.304
12	1	Sebastian Vettel		1:09.657
13	22	Jordan Davies		1:09.688
14	28	Daniel Melrose		1:09.824
15	31	Romain Grosjean		1:09.932
16	6	Santiago Urrutia		1:10.107
17	32	Alexander Albon		1:10.342
18	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		1:10.388
19	91	Max Verstappen		1:10.673
20	90	Daniel Ricciardo		1:10.677
21	55	Artem Markelov		1:10.828
22	66	Pascal Wehrlein		1:11.003
23	56	Sergey Sirotkin		1:11.057
24	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1:11.243
25	67	Mike Rockenfeller		1:11.378
26	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		1:11.624

* demoted five places for changing engine/gearbox

Report:

Every employee at Sauber already knows that they are not the squad with the biggest fund on the grid. Whilst their success has given them a safety net, the bigger teams are very likely to financially outperform them and therefore increase the odds of Sauber not having the best racing car on the grid once the funding results in noticeable gains.

Therefore striking on their chances whilst they exist is elementary. Dean Stoneman failed to do so again: after scoring his first pole position in Formula One, he suffered a very disappointing start, dropping him down the order and giving others the chance at winning this Grand Prix.

A Spaniard took the opportunity when it presented itself. Diego Torrente had a great start to take the lead. From then on it was a mature drive by the young talent that kept him out front and saw him fight off the two Saubers in the last laps. He was able to show the world that Jeroen Krautmeir made a wise decision to draft him in despite criticism.

This Grand Prix was also a great outing for Theodore and Fernando Alonso’s racing team. Pierre Gasly and Einar Ármannsson had shots at finishing on the podium themselves. These new teams are bringing a positive energy to the sport, proving competitive right from the word “go”.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Points
1	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		50:11.856	15
2	29	Pastor Maldonado		+1.688	12
3	30	Dean Stoneman		+2.125	10
4	23	Pierre Gasly		+5.982	8
5	33	Einar Ármannsson		+8.857	6
6	62	Jules Bianchi		+10.340	5
7	24	Kevin Magnussen		+24.943	4
8	34	Valtteri Bottas		+27,116	3
9	27	Dave Cassidy		+28.000	2
10	1	Sebastian Vettel		+28.835	1
11	28	Daniel Melrose		+32.255	0
12	22	Jordan Davies		+36.302	0
13	32	Alexander Albon		+49.543	0
14	31	Romain Grosjean		+54.478	0
15	56	Sergey Sirotkin		+59.850	0
16	55	Artem Markelov		+61.338	0
17	90	Daniel Ricciardo		+68.076	0
18	66	Pascal Wehrlein		1 Lap	0
19	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		1 Lap	0
20	67	Mike Rockenfeller		1 Lap	0
21	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1 Lap	0
DNF	6	Santiago Urrutia		Accident	0
DNF	91	Max Verstappen		Accident	0
DNF	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		Accident	0
DNF	2	Lewis Hamilton		Accident	0
DNF	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		Collision	0

Fastest Lap:

Pastor Maldonado – 1:09.730

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Diego Álvarez Torrente – started his career badly but went from 0 to 100 in a nanosecond.

Reject Of The Race:

Caterham-Judd – a miserable result for the reigning, defending champions.