F1: Rising star Vettel wins at Silverstone

Rising German star Sebastian Vettel maintained his challenge in this year’s drivers’ world championship yesterday when he cruised to a comfortable victory at the British Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old tyro finished 15.188 seconds ahead of Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to prove that the much-improved Milton Keynes-based team have the potential to challenge in the second half of the season.

Vettel started from the fourth pole of his career and was never challenged as he pulled clear from the start and delivered a perfectly-judged drive to secure the third win of his brief career — and his first in dry weather. His two previous wins came in torrential rain in Italy last year and China earlier this season.

This time he was able to reel off a series of fastest laps as he dominated proceedings under a partly-sunny sky.

Webber came home second, ahead of Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello in a Brawn and his compatriot, Felipe Massa of Ferrari. German Nico Rosberg finished fifth for Williams, ahead of championship leader Jenson Button in his Brawn, Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and German Timo Glock for Toyota.

Vettel’s win cut Button’s lead in the drivers’ championship — the Briton now has 64 points with Barrichello second on 41 points and Vettel third on 39 points.

After all the political chicanery of the previous three days, the race was a rather dull and predictable affair.

In what is widely expected to be Silverstone’s final British Grand Prix, there was precious little for the home fans to cheer.

Button started from sixth and struggled with his tires as he battled to finish sixth, while Lewis Hamilton gave everything in an incident-filled outing that saw him finish 16th.