Alonso claims European GP, Schumacher finally reaches podium

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Published time: June 24, 2012 14:56
Edited time: June 24, 2012 18:56

Fernando Alonso of Ferrari has taken the most of an incident-filled European Grand Prix to become the first driver to win two races in Formula One this season. The result brought him on top of the overall standings.

The Spaniard was 11th on the starting grid but a mistake-free race and a bit of luck secured him a victory. The favorite to win, pole sitter Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, was forced to withdraw midway through the race due to technical problems.

Alonso moved into first place in the points standing with his 29th career win, leaving Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Vettel 20+ points behind.

Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus finished second, while Michael Schumacher completed the podium after Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado collided on the penultimate lap as they battled for third. The seven-time Formula One champion earned a first top three finish since his return to the sport.

Russia’s Vitaly Petrov of Caterham started the race from 20th but managed a season’s best by finishing 13th. He was satisfied with his performance despite an unfortunate collision with Daniel Ricciardo of Toro Rosso that prevented him from finishing in the top ten.