Sebastian Vettel was denied a hat-trick of victories in Valencia after the German retired from the lead of the European Grand Prix. The reigning World Champion comfortably in the lead before a Safety Car period closed the pack up but whilst leading on lap 33 his Red Bull dramatically slowed.
“To be honest we don’t know yet. I lost drive on the straight and had to give way to the other people,” he told BBC Sport. “The engine stalled, it switched off, and there was nothing I could have done.”
Reliability issues cost team-mate Mark Webber in practice and qualifying but the Australian managed to finish the race in fourth.
“It’s not yet clear what the problem is but it could be similar to what happened with Mark on Friday,” he explained. “I think the Safety Car was not ideal for us and it might be that the retirement is in some regards down to the Safety Car.”
A no-points finish in Valencia means Vettel now sits fourth in the championship, while fellow Red Bull driver Webber is propelled into second place behind race-winner Fernando Alonso.
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:44:16.649 |
| 2. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | +6.421 |
| 3. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | +12.639 |
| 4. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +13.628 |
| 5. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | +19.993 |
| 6. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | +21.176 |
| 7. | P. di Resta | Force India | +22.866 |
| 8. | J. Button | McLaren | +24.653 |
| 9. | S. Perez | Sauber | +27.777 |
| 10. | B. Senna | Williams | +35.961 |
| Full results | |||
| Sebastian Vettel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Sebastian Vettel photos | |||
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