Sebastian Vettel claimed first place in the European Grand Prix in Valencia, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button taking second and third place respectively.
Mark Webber started second on the grid, but lost out badly on the opening lap. He was then fortunate to escape uninjured from a crash on lap nine, when his car struck the rear of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus.
The subsequent safety car was a disaster for both Ferraris; Felipe Massa finished in 15th, while Fernando Alonso finished only ninth. The Spaniard was elevated to eighth when five-second penalties were given to nine drivers after the race as punishment for speeding when the safety car was deployed.
Hamilton was another to fall foul of safety car rules, but his penalty was delayed for crucial minutes as he ran in second place overall. By the time he had to take a drive-through penalty, his advantage over the remaining runners was such that he was able to rejoin without losing a position. The penalty did put Vettel out of his reach, however.
Kamui Kobayashi was one of the stars of the race; he went nearly the entire race on harder tyres, holding onto third place. After pitting for soft tyres on lap 53, the Sauber driver then dived past both Alonso and Sebastien Buemi in the dying stages of the race to claim seventh.Tom Richards
