2011 Hungarian Grand Prix pits rubber against the rain [spoilers]

Choosing the right tires is an integral part of a good race strategy. Some of these went out the window a number of years ago, when Formula One moved to a tire manufacturer, but the teams are left to choose between the compounds. When dry, they go to the floor, alternating between the levels of softness and strength. When wet, they've got some rain tires to choose from. But if conditions change constantly during a race, it is exciting for some action. And that's exactly what we had this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Follow the jump to read how it went.

The results of the qualifying session on Saturday left Sebastian Vettel on pole again, each with the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button from the second and third places. The Ferrari of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso came in fourth and fifth, Red Bull Mark Webber sixth number two. Mercedes GP Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg took positions seven and nine, with Adrian Sutil and Force India Sauber Sergio Perez in the eighth and tenth respectively.

With the collapse of the rain, the field from the wet track that Vettel kept his head. McLaren duo of former champions began the battle for second right of the line in battle, who come to would be to characterize the race. Mercedes duo mounted a strong start, Rosberg before the seventh to fourth and ninth to fifth to Schumacher at the expense of the Ferrari, while Webber was the sixth to eighth place.

Hamilton has exceeded Vettel to quickly wide to the knees of five forwards, as he ran off the track and wet. With the button the third sandwich, won Alonso's position of Rosberg, slowly, with Massa in sixth place behind Webber again on the seventh, Schumacher in the eighth, Paul di Resta Force India (eleventh in place starting position) in ninth place and Kobayashi in the tenth.

As the track began to dry, but Massa and Webber were the first in very soft ground in an attempt to obtain an advantage going in as much as 10 seconds per lap estimated profit. The rest of the field would then follow. When they were all carried out by lap 14 Hamilton was still leading, but Vettel button had progressed after the second. Webber is now fourth ahead of Alonso, with Rosberg, di Resta, Schumacher, Massa Kobayashi and rounded on the top ten.

 The race took more than his share of spills and chills, but no evidence that the nagging Massa. Prevent after spinning out, hitting the fence at the back, the damage to his rear wing in Brazil soon to him by the use of DRS Schumacher, whose Mercedes hard it spun round and round until his former pass master, and called it a day . It was not the first retirement of the race and it would not be the last either, as both Lotus drivers - Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen - track and retired. Virgin Jérôme d'Ambrosio showed his inexperience when he turned the car himself up in his own pit. But the most dramatic incident Nick Heidfeld, Renault, the fire at the exit of pit lane, a tire exploded, spewing smoke and debris caught on the track involved.

Past the half-time, Massa and Rosberg muscled past Kobayashi, while Alonso is stuck to Webber and Vettel finally over in the shuffle pit-stop. Vettel Alonso finally took place while the button on the front left Hamilton as the pair was caught in traffic stragglers. Lewis again took up his temporary teammates in an exchange of tit-for-tat on the following laps, but suffered from poor choice of tires and a drive-through penalty for traffic obstruction during recovery from a spin down from the top.

The final laps saw action between Webber, Massa and Hamilton, as well as a number of cars caught later, but ultimately it was Jenson Button, who on the occasion of his 200th Grand Prix saw the checkered flag on the same track where he first met in 2006.

 

 Sebastian Vettel was satisfied with second place for the fourth time this season, adding valuable points to his six victories and solitary non-podium at the Nurburgring last week. Fernando Alonso completed the podium, while celebrating his thirtieth birthday. The remaining points went to Hamilton, Webber, Massa, di Resta, Buemi and Rosberg, Vettel, so that is still firmly in the lead with 234 points to 149 Webber, Alonso and Hamilton 146 145th Red Bull retains a lead of 103 points ahead of McLaren in the constructors' championship with Ferrari to drive yet. The circus now takes a break of almost a month until the Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa starts the last weekend in August.