2012 Race Summary
Title contender Alonso and his Ferrari-Team were hoping for damp conditions during the race, stating: "Wet races are a bit more unpredictable so we need some kind of damp race with many things happening, because we know that in normal conditions, fighting for the championship will be very difficult". The race on Sunday then turned out to be one of the most exciting in the history of the sport, with three-time world champion Niki Lauda stating that he had never seen a race like it.
Vettel started poorly, dropping to seventh position, while his rival Alonso moved up into fifth. Vettel and Bruno Senna collided at turn 4 in a racing incident, neither driver to blame, which saw Vettel spin while Senna ended up hitting the rear of Pérez. Vettel suffered damage to his left diffuser but was able to carry on racing in 22nd position. The reigning world champion soon moved up the order, while there were heavy fights for position at the front of the field. Local Massa helped his teammate overtake Mark Webber on lap 2 going into the Senna-S, giving the Spaniard the crucial third position he would need to grab the title. But Alonso lost the position again to the fast running Force India of Nico Hülkenberg after running wide on lap 4. Maldonado crashed out on lap 2, when he lost control of his car on the kerb through the inside of turn 3, and crashed into the tyre barrier on the exit of the corner.
Rain began to fall during the next few laps and the first cars pitted for intermediate tyres, including the two title contenders, while Button and Hülkenberg stayed out. This proved to be the right decision since rain decreased shortly after and all cars on intermediates were forced to pit for slick tyres once again. Hülkenberg continued his stunning performance by overtaking Jenson Button for the lead on lap 19.
With the two cars in front leading the field by almost a minute, debris on the track brought out the safety car on lap 23. At this point Alonso and Vettel were running in fourth and fifth place. At the restart in lap 29, Kamui Kobayashi took fifth position from Vettel, with the Red Bull unable to answer. Massa helped his teammate once again by overtaking Vettel. Meanwhile at the front, Hamilton took second from his teammate and was able to pass Hülkenberg when the German half-spun. Hülkenberg pursued the McLaren but slid into him on lap 56, leaving Hamilton out of the race with damage to the left front suspension and himself with a drive-through penalty, handing Button the lead.
When the rain started again, Vettel was one of the first to pit for intermediates, but since his radio had failed the team was not ready for him, causing a long delay. Ferrari timed Massa's pit stop perfectly, letting Alonso take second position from him. Vettel took sixth position from Michael Schumacher which proved sufficient to retain the title even with Alonso finishing second.
The race then ended quite underwhelmingly when Paul di Resta crashed on the start/finish straight, bringing out the safety car once again until the conclusion of the race. Caterham's Vitaly Petrov took 11th position which meant his team surpassing Marussia in the constructors' championship. Former world champion Kimi Räikkönen had an eventful race as well, almost crashing into Vettel after the start and later trying to use an escape road only to find it being a dead end. He also had an exciting tussle with the retiring Michael Schumacher, who finished 7th after recovering from an early puncture, but gave up sixth to Sebastian Vettel in order to help him extend his small point advantage over Fernando Alonso in the championship.
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Most Wins (Drivers)
Alain Prost (6)
Most Wins (Constructors)
McLaren (12)
Previous Winners & Pole Positions
2012 -
Winner: Jenson Button - McLaren Mercedes
Pole: Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes - 1:12.458
2011 -
Winner: Mark Webber - Red Bull Renault
Pole: Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Renault - 1:11.918
2010 -
Winner: Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Renault
Pole: Nico Hulkenberg - Williams Cosworth - 1:14.470
2009 -
Winner: Mark Webber - Red Bull Renault
Pole: Rubens Barrichello - Brawn Mercedes - 1:19.567
2008 -
Winner: Felipe Massa - Ferrari
Pole: Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:12.368
2007 -
Winner: Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
Pole: Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:11.931
2006 -
Winner: Felipe Massa - Ferrari
Pole: Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:10.680
2005 -
Winner: Juan Pablo Montoya - McLaren Mercedes
Pole: Fernando Alonso - Renault - 1:11.988
Video Highlights
Highlights from the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
Highlights from the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
Highlights from the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix
Highlights from the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix
Highlights from the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix
Final lap of the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix
Final laps of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
Changes from 2012
-New debris fences have been installed on both sides of the track between Turns Three and Four.
-Race control has been renovated with new high definition camera feeds and other enhancements.
GP Facts
-Sebastian Vettels sixth place in last years Brazilian Grand Prix made him a triple world champion. It was the sixth time the Drivers Championship has been decided at Interlagos since the race was moved to the back end of the calendar in 2004. Fernando Alonso (05, 06) Kimi Räikkönen (07), Lewis Hamilton (08) and Jenson Button (09) also sealed their titles at this circuit. Only Räikkönen marked the occasion with a victory.
-Button is scheduled to make his 247th grand prix start on Sunday a record for a British driver, overtaking David Coulthard who ended his driving career in F1 at this circuit in 2008.
-Prosts four McLaren victories are bracketed by wins for Renault (82) and Ferrari (90) making him the most successful driver in the history of the race. He and Carlos Reutemann are the only drivers to have won the race both in Rio and São Paulo.
-Vettels victory in Austin was his eighth consecutive win of 2013, beating a record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004. This weekend Vettel can equal the nine consecutive victories recorded by Alberto Ascari. Ascaris record was set over the seasons 1952-1953 and is only applicable if the Indianapolis 500 (in which Ascari and other regular F1 drivers did not participate) is discounted.
-Interlagos historically has provided excellent overtaking opportunities. In the modern times Turns One & Two (Senna S) and Turns Four & Five (Descida do Lago) have provided the bulk of the overtaking action. Records show that from 30 races at this circuit, pole position has only led to victory on 10 occasions. The only driver to win from pole this century is Felipe Massa, who managed the feat in both 06 and 08.
-This is Mark Webbers final grand prix. To date, the Australian has 214 grand prix starts, nine victories, 32 other podium finishes, 13 pole positions and 18 fastest laps. He has twice finished third in the Drivers Championship (10, 11). His first F1 race was the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, in which he finished fifth, driving for Minardi.
-This weekend F1 also says goodbye to Cosworth for the immediate future. The engine privateer has powered 176 F1 victories, second in the all-time list behind Ferrari. Its most recent victory was at this circuit in 2003: Jordans Giancarlo Fisichella awarded the win after a red flag. Cosworth also recorded its most recent pole position here, Nico Hülkenberg taking P1 for Williams in 2010.
Drivers Championship Standings
Constructors Championship Standings
Fantasy Championship Standings
