The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
What looked to be a blowout early on ended in a thrilling chase into the twilight hours of the season – in the end Red Bull’s Mark Webber ran away with the 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Award
Mark Webber’s win at the final Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula 1TM season in Sao Paolo, Brazil, was the culmination of some extremely consistent driving throughout the year. That consistency saw him race a remarkable seven fastest laps during the 20-race season. He demonstrated dependability second to none, finishing every race in the top five save the Italian Grand Prix. And Webber earned the right to stand atop the winner’s podium no less than nine times this year, missing that chance by mere seconds six other times.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
A blowout?
The race for the coveted 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Award looked to be a blowout early on as Webber set fastest lap after fastest lap, leaving the competition in the dust. After only six Grand Prix, Webber had already pulled way out in front with four fastest laps to his name. He was in the top five on the two other circuits.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa scored the first fastest lap of the season at the Australian Grand Prix. Webber followed with three wins in Malaysia, China and Turkey. At the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton joined the race, followed by Webber’s fourth fastest lap in historic Monte Carlo.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
Fastest lap drivers dominate
In Canada, Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button ran a late fastest lap that put him in a position to capitalize on a rare but fateful error by then-leading Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel.
Two weeks later in Valencia, Vettel led the race from pole to podium, taking the fastest lap and the checkered flag. The domination continued in Britain and Germany as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso mastered the famous Silverstone Circuit – where he holds the track record – to win both the race and the fastest lap, and Hamilton drove a fast and nearly flawless race at the frosty Nürburgring, taking both his second checkered flag and second fastest lap on the season.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
Feel the heat
The race for the Fastest Lap trophy heated up again in Budapest a week later, even though the weather didn’t. Spectators were treated to a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns as drivers slid wide through the turns, spun out and wandered off the track. Webber also saw his control of the fastest lap lead slip as Massa managed to grab his second.
It didn’t take long for the Australian to tighten his grip on the trophy once again. Just three weeks later in Belgium, Webber responded with a hair-raising, high-precision performance fit for a champion, grabbing his fifth fastest lap of the season, a lap that also solidified his second place finish in the race.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
The chase
In the weeks to follow the competition made a thrilling, last-ditch effort to chase down Webber’s now seemingly unyielding grip on DHL’s annual award. In Italy, Hamilton’s poor start left him battling for third place, a fight he eventually lost but not before putting together a series of courageously fast laps as the race drew to the close, setting a number of fastest laps that culminated in the fastest on the second-to-last lap of the race.
In Singapore, under floodlit skies, Button piloted a flood of flawless final laps to destroy the huge lead Vettel had opened up early in the race after a series of fastest laps of his own. Although he took second place, the British driver walked away with the fastest lap and a great deal of respect from his fellow drivers.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
Button followed up his performance with another statement on Japan’s much-loved Suzuka Circuit, topping the podium – his third win in 2011 – and grabbing his third fastest lap of the year to join Hamilton and move to within two of Webber. Team McLaren was coming on strong in the second half of the season, recording four fastest laps in six races. It appeared the British McLaren duo was looking to leave their mark on the 2011 season.
A hat trick
Their hopes were dashed over the next two races as Vettel first grabbed both the win and the fastest lap in Korea and then his third fastest lap of the year at Formula 1’s history-making inaugural Grand Prix in India. With two races to go, his performance made him a real contender to win the 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Award and score a hat trick for Team Red Bull.
The 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Trophy
A dependable display
In the end Red Bull did score the hat trick, but it was teammate Mark Webber who delivered the third and final piece of the puzzle. He ripped up the Yas Marina Circuit to record his sixth fastest lap and round off what was undoubtedly Red Bull’s year. To crown a season of dependable driving, Webber finished with a checkered flag at the finale in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he also drove his seventh fastest lap.
Mark Webber’s consistent speed and high performance throughout the 2011 Formula 1 season is precisely what the DHL Fastest Lap Award aims to showcase and honor. His dependable driving showed time and again that he was, in fact, the fastest man on the track in 2011.
