Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won a controversial European Grand Prix in Valencia, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finishing second after a drive-through penalty.

Hamilton was penalised for passing the safety car, which was deployed when Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber crashed out after running into the back of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus.

Reigning world champion Jenson Button came in third in the second McLaren, but he is one of a number of drivers facing a possible penalty for safety car offences.

Hamilton leads the drivers' standings by six points from Button after another strong show in Spain, while Vettel closed to within 12 points of the championship leader.

"We didn't expect to be that strong," Vettel admitted. "So it was great to be quick enough to slightly pull away, find the gap and then bring the car home.

"I had a huge lock-up of my brakes after the safety car, trying to brake as late as I could. The tyres weren't up to temperature after going round slowly, but I could stay in front.

"I tried not to push too hard and when I got the message that Lewis had the penalty I backed off a bit more.

"It's good to get a lot of points, it's good for the championship."

Related posts: