F1 2012 Season Review - Part 2

(c) Octane Photographic

After a thrilling first part to the F1 2012 season, the second half was by no means a disappointment in comparison. In fact it was quite the opposite, with the title climax and a number of exciting and drama filled races meaning the thrill lasted all the way to the final flying chequered flag.


The second half of the season saw the cream really rise to the top. Gone were the unpredictable winners, yes we saw some surprises but the best drivers really emerged as consistent race winners and front runners. Here’s part 2 of my F1 2012 season review.

Check out Part 1 here.

Lewis Hamilton arrived in Hungary for round 11 of the Formula 1 2012 world championship needing a boost, after a poor few races and just a few points scored. That is exactly what he got, winning under the scorching sun of Hungary and giving his championship challenge a welcome boost. The second half of the season kicked off with a delay. Literally. The start was delayed and the cars had to do another warm up lap after Michael Schumacher lined up in the wrong grid slot. When the race eventually got underway it was Hamilton and Raikkonen who duelled for the lead. Kimi got the lead after the first stops but Hamilton soon got back ahead thanks to the stunning raw pace of the McLaren MP4-27. However the “Iceman” was not out and put on a good fight, but failed to take the win by just a second. It was the second double podium for Lotus, Grosjean proving the E20 liked the warmer temperatures. A three stop strategy did not work out for Hamilton’s team mate, Button dropping to sixth place. Vettel and Alonso scored valuable points in fifth and fourth, Red Bull mimicking McLaren’s strategy with Button and moving him to a three stop strategy. Like the Brit he dropped down the order. Overall, the Hungarian Grand Prix was not a thriller in comparison to other 2012 race weekends despite it being a good race, showing the quality of the races.

Next up was one of the most dramatic and controversial races of the season, after a first lap pile up at the tricky La Source hairpin of the Spa Franchorchamps circuit. The 2012 Belgian Grand Prix saw the first race ban in 18 years to get one, given to Romain Grosjean. The incident occurred after Grosjean swerved across the track on the run to the first corner. He hit Hamilton, who lost control and had no were to go except attatch himself to the back of Grosjean’s car. The lack of stopping power from the out of control cars launched Grosjean in to Sergio Perez and over the innocent Fernando Alonso, with Hamilton flying in to Kobayashi. It was a scary accident and I held my breath, hoping everyone was okay. They were thankfully but understandably Alonso was slightly shook up. In my view a race ban for a mistake was harsh but it was evident that Grosjean learnt from it by his performances after the race. Maldonado also had a far from normal start, his clutch slipper and he jumped the start. He was given a drive through penalty and retired soon after thanks to a collision with a backmarker. After a lengthy safety car pole sitter Jenson Button controlled the race from there on. The Brit showed dominance and class, rarely under threat and finishing well clear of Vettel and Raikkonen in second and third. What had been a disappointing qualifying for Vettel turned in to a blessing as he avoided the first corner mayhem and moved up the field. Nico Hulkenberg also impressed me with his drive to fourth place.

After the drama of Belgium, the Formula 1 field returned to another circuit with legendary status, Monza, for the Italian Grand Prix. Gone were the first corner crashes of Spa, the fast Monza track brought clean overtakes and strong racing after the firm warning given by Grosjean’s race ban. Jerome D’Ambrosio replaced the Frenchman at Lotus as a one off. He may not have set the world a light with his pace, but Lewis Hamilton certainly did. The McLaren driver started from pole position, alongside team mate Button. He dominated the race and finished four seconds clear of an impressive Sergio Perez in second. The Mexican showed some inspiring late race form, taking third off Massa and then second off Alonso. Button would have made it a McLaren 1-2 had it not been for a mechanical failure. Vettel retired from the race after an alternator failure, but prior to then he had been down the order anyway after a drive through penalty. This was due to the German pushing title rival Alonso off the track at Curva Grande. Webber also retired after suffering a violent spin and resulting tyre vibrations.

Formula 1 moved from Europe to Asia, taking in the sights of Singapore first. It was the only complete night race on the 2012 calendar, with talks suggesting there could be more to come. The humidity of the island nation, even at night, meant it was a real challenge for drivers and teams, as they battled to stay on European time. The race itself was a cruel affair, with Lewis Hamilton being robbed of a certain victory thanks to a mechanical failure. The Brit had started from pole and took a dominant lead that evaporated after his MP4-27 ground to a halt. Michael Schumacher had a similarly horrid race. He locked up his brakes and hit an innocent Jean-Eric Vergne, scattering debris over the track and ending both of their races. Vettel took the lead and no one could catch him, the Red Bull driver and Hamilton were in a league of their own all weekend. After starting from second on the grid, Maldonado could not keep that position and dropped down the order before hydraulics issues halted his progress. Jenson Button benefited from the problems to finish second, overall a quiet race for him. Alonso rounded out the top three, whilst Paul Di Resta impressed in fourth. It was the best Formula 1 result of his career and it really showed to me he had potential.

The Formula 1 Paddock landed in Japan and the 15th round of the season, and this was where the championship started to turn. We saw yet another dramatic start, with championship leader Fernando Alonso spinning in to the gravel at turn 1 and Romain Grosjean torpedoing Mark Webber in to a spin. After his clear victory in Singapore, Sebastian Vettel took the win in Japan. The German always seems to get his act together in the Asian races, and the Suzuka circuit is one of his favourites. He qualified on pole and avoided the first lap mayhem, taking an early lead over Kobayashi, Button and Massa. The latter three had benefited from the chaos at the start, moving up a number of positions. A brief safety car meant the race started on lap three and the drivers soon settled in to a rhythm. After the first round of stops Massa leap frogged Kobayashi and Button to take second, thanks to a late stop. He was on fire and soon pulled away, leaving the other two to battle to the flag. Vettel won in dominant and classy style, whilst Massa returned to the podium. Kobayashi was ecstatic at getting his podium debut on home soil, fending off Button and Lewis Hamilton. His team mate did not finish the race after slithering in to the gravel trap. It was great to see a new face on the podium and Kobayashi really deserved it, I was so happy for him and so were the rest of the paddock. The fans chanting “Kamui” was something very special.

After racing at the iconic Suzuka Circuit in Japan, Formula 1 soon returned to the fresh tarmac of Korea. Since its debut in 2010, the racing has been disappointing and so have the crowds. It was a stark contrast to Japan, where flocks of enthusiastic racing fans attended. In Korea there were empty grandstands and little interest which made me feel slightly annoyed at the lack of impact F1 was having on the country. Vettel’s stunning momentum continued as he won his third consecutive race, dominating the race after snatching first from the slow starting pole sitter Mark Webber at the first corner. He soon distanced himself from the rest and ended the race eighth seconds clear of his team mate, third place man Alonso even further back. McLaren had yet more rotten luck, Hamilton finishing 10^th after losing pace consistently throughout the race and having a touch of AstroTurf attached to his car. Button’s race did not last long, retiring on the first lap after being hit by the previous rounds hero Kamui Kobayashi. Like Maldonado in Spain and Monaco, it was from hero to zero for the Japanese driver. He actually hit Button twice, the second impact breaking his suspension and damaging Nico Rosberg’s car too.

After taking the championship lead in Korea, Vettel continued to extend his advantage at the Indian Grand Prix. The cultural city of New Delhi played host to the second Indian Grand Prix, after the success of the inaugural race in 2011. The 2012 race was another thriller, with a slightly predictable result. It was not at Valencia standard, but the race proved to be another success and there were larger crowds than the previous year. Sebastian dominated the whole weekend, topping every practice session, getting pole and taking a clear victory. However the battles behind were what made the race exciting. Alonso went from fifth on the grid to second in the race after some stunning overtakes on the McLaren drivers and a challenging battle with Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed out on beating the Aussie for third place, with Button settling for a distant fifth. There were numerous incidents and talking points during the race. General driving and race craft was at the typically high standard but some moves were questionable. Schumacher got hit at the first corner by Jean-Eric Vergne and had to crawl around the opening lap with a puncture. Sergio Perez also got tagged and ended up retiring with collision damage, Kamui Kobayashi also getting in a spot of bother and creating a puncture for Pastor Maldonado.

Who would have thought it? Two of the best races of the 2012 season were staged at Valencia and Abu Dhabi. The Yas Marina circuit proved its doubters wrong with a thrilling 18^th round of the championship under the setting sun and bright lights. Vettel’s dominant run of victories was derailed after a dramatic qualifying climax. He took third provisionally but stopped out on track after instructions from his team to do so immediately. The FIA found that he did not have the compulsory one litre of fuel for a sample and he was dropped to the back of the grid, eventually starting from the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton led away from pole position and looked to be on course for a certain victory. However like in Singapore, this was cruelly taken from him due to a mechanical failure. Kimi Raikkonen had disposed of the slow starting Webber and Maldonado to take second, before being gifted the win due to Hamilton’s problems. The Finn was a formidable force, no one could touch him and he soon pulled out a gap. Meanwhile Vettel’s race early on was problematic. He made contact with Bruno Senna on lap one and damaged his front wing further during the early safety car period, due to a huge accident for Rosberg and Karthikeyan that truly shocked me, after hitting a marker board trying to avoid a slowing Ricciardo. He pitted for a new nose and had to start his battle through the pack again. Vettel was aided later in the race by another safety car period after Perez collided with Grosjean, with Webber failing to avoid the accident and ploughing in to the Lotus driver. Sergio was given a stop go penalty for re-joining the track in an unsafe manner. When the racing resumed Vettel was on a charge and after moving up to fourth place, he dropped Jenson Button out of the podium positions. Fernando Alonso managed to gain a few useful points on the German but it was Raikkonen’s day, a brilliant and deserving win. The race also produces one of the funniest moments of the year, Kimi telling his team to “leave him alone” because “I know what I’m doing” on the radio.

The penultimate round of the season saw F1 return to the states, at a new home. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin was a hugely exciting new circuit with fast, flowing corners, elevation changes and tight, twisty turns. The drivers loved it, the fans loved it and it produced another great race. Vettel took pole position, with championship challenger Alonso struggling in ninth. However this soon became eighth and then seventh. Grosjean set the fourth fastest time but Ferrari already knew he would drop five places for a gearbox change. This meant Fernando’s starting position would be eighth, on the dirty side of the grid. Ferrari took the strangely honest and slightly harsh decision to purposely break the seal on team mate Massa’s gearbox so Alonso would be promoted to the clean side. It proved to be the right decision as off the line Fernando moved up to fourth place, with Massa also making up positions from his grid position. Out front it was a straight fight for the lead between pole sitter Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. The two edged away from the rest and had a race long duel, the climax coming on lap 42 when Lewis benefited from backmarkers slashing Vettel’s lead to take the lead. It was a stunning DRS pass with a late pull out from Hamilton, his front wing narrowly missing the German’s rear wheel. It was a brilliant and heart-warming victory for Lewis as it looked set to be his last for McLaren. Alonso managed to finish fourth, with Massa and Button battling through lowly grid positions to take fourth and fifth. Mark Webber retired from the race thanks to another Red Bull alternator failure.

And so F1 arrived at the final destination, Brazil for the season finale. It had been a long and dramatic season, all the teams hoping for a nice rest and re-energise over the winter break and come back fighting in 2013. A number of drivers were saying goodbye to their teams, Hamilton was moving to Mercedes. Hulkenberg was switching to Sauber, there were new faces to look forward to but over that weekend there was only one thing to worry about, the Championship fight between Vettel and Alonso.

What a race the season ended on! It had everything, drama, overtakes, weather and a stunning climax that saw Sebastian Vettel crowned champion. It would have been tough for Alonso to beat him, but he tried his best. The start was on a slippery track and drivers struggled in light rain on dry tyres. Vettel and Webber got slow starts and dropped back, with Massa making a great get away to split the McLaren’s. Button was soon passed the Brazilian but before that happened; Vettel’s race took a dramatic turn. Going in to turn four, the Red Bull driver turned in but was hit by Bruno Senna. Vettel was spun around and by the time he was facing the right way, he had damage and was dead last. The rain soon arrived but Button and Hulkenberg stayed out, moving in to the leading two positions. Hamilton pitted for intermediates like many others, but it proved to be the wrong choice. The rain soon moved away, but strangely it was Hulkenberg who had the pace. The German overtook Button to take the lead, a stunning moved and a fantastic sight to see. Meanwhile Vettel had steadily moved up the field and was helped by a safety car due to debris on track. When the race restarted, Hamilton took second from his team mate and started to pull away. As he closed in on Hulkenberg the German suffered a half spin, gifting the lead to Lewis. However by flag fall the order was very different. After the rain began to fall again and people pitted for fresh rubber, Hamilton was delayed by backmarkers. Hulkenberg seized the opportunity and dived up the inside, but slid in to the side of the McLaren. This damaged Hamilton’s suspension and caused a retirement, not how he wanted to end the race. Button took over the lead and crossed the line at a slow speed to win. This was thanks to a last lap safety car after a heavily accident for Paul Di Resta on the start finish straight. Alonso took second after an early fight up the field and benefiting from the collision between Hamilton and Hulkenberg, with Massa in third. Fourth was Mark Webber, recovering from a spin. Hulkenberg eventually finished fifth, with Vettel in sixth. The German passed seven time world champion Michael Schumacher for the position late on, becoming just enough to take his third consecutive world championship by just three points.

It was a stunning climax in Brazil and the championship was won again by such a slim margin. A year to remember and definitely the best season I have ever witnessed.

See the whole review by reading part 1: http://www.jackleslief1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/f1-2012-season-review-part-1.html