2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
- Hulkenberg’s missed win should have been “high point” for Force India
- Ferrari accepts FIA view on Vettel dispute
- FIA confirms Vettel’s pass on Vergne was legal
- F1 fans’ videos from the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
- Top ten pictures from the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
25th November 2012, 19:20
I’m looking at the result here and I’m thinking about this race in retrospect now. I can’t help drawing some conclusions:
– Alonso is one hell of a driver and this last podium this season, under all this pressure, has established him as one of the sport’s greats. There’s more titles to be won and I can’t imagine an universe where at least one or two of those don’t go Alonso’s way in the following years.
– I’ve watched Button race like a madman in Austin and win here. Maybe he actually has what it takes to lead that McLaren team and charge for the WDC next season, with Hamilton out of the way, afterall. Maybe that was his issue all along: Hamilton.
– Webber is not Massa and he’s clearly not ok with playing second fiddle for Vettel. And I’m expecting that bubble to burst in 2013.
– Hulkenberg will go far. I’m guessing one season at Sauber and he’s up for Massa’s place at the Scuderia. His pace in the wet has been truly outstanding. Sure he’s made a couple of mistakes that ultimately cost him the win but he’s definitely got what it takes to take up a second seat in a top team. And I still think his penalty was nonsense. That was a simple racing incident in very tough track conditions.
– Petrov and Pic could go well together at Caterham next season. They seem to get along fine even when they are in separate teams. And yeah…they’ve both trashed their much more experienced team mates here.
– Grosjean is still both mental and inexperienced.
– Force India will need to bring a solid driver in next season. There’s no way Di Resta has what it takes to lead a team or to be the first driver, for that instance.
– Goodbye Koba, goodbye Senna – they both squandered their chances to make a last massively good impression this season that could have helped their ratings.
rez (@rez0)
25th November 2012, 19:38
Re: Alonso, Button, Webber, Hülkenberg: fully agreed.
I believe that Force India should hire Sutil, there is truly no better option at the moment. Maybe Kovalainen but I rate Sutil higher.
And Grosjean… he still hasn’t been confirmed for 2013, correct? I don’t believe he will be dropped but he must improve next year or he’s out really quick. This year he has shown so much promise only to disappoint in many other incidents.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
25th November 2012, 20:02
@rez0
Fully agreed. Sutil knows the team, had similar results in 2011 to what Hulkenberg managed in 2012, at some extent. He knows Di Resta. He’s the perfect man for the job.
Personally, I’d drop him and I’d bring Kovalainen instead. But that’s just one of my random thoughts.
Ben (@benchuiii)
25th November 2012, 19:33
Congrats to Vettel, think everyone though it was over for him after the first lap. Great drives from many drivers, especially Button and Hulkenberg who were 45 seconds ahead before the safety car. Hulk did well to recover from the spin but the collision and penalty with Hamilton was unfortunate though, really tricky conditions out there. Maybe McLaren should have signed him instead…Perez again no-scoring and Maldo and RoGro out on the opening laps, anyone surprised? Massa was quite lucky with the SC and Kimi was hilarious driving up the old circuit but it meant that he couldn’t complete every lap of the year. Finally it was nice to see Schumacher going out on a high despite being 20th and a lap down early on. What a great year 2012 has been!
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
25th November 2012, 20:35
I agree that it was hilarious and added a much needed comedic break from the huge tension throughout the race but he still completed every lap of the year did he not? He still finished 10th and crossed the line on each of the 71 laps, so that record (along with his points scoring streak) remains intact.
Jani (@jan1)
25th November 2012, 20:59
Kimi was lapped by Button so he only completed 70 racing laps.
Fixy (@)
25th November 2012, 20:11
Once Ferrari had kept Massa out on slicks for so long, and once he had lost the lead he had gained as a result of the others pitting and him not doing so, they were wrong in stopping him. And not much after they had to change back to slicks.
Either way it was nice to see both Ferraris on the podium for the first time since Korea 2010. Massa has improved drastically this year and I really hope Ferrari can build a fast car for him next year. If he doesn’t deserve it because there are better drivers than him, he definitely deserves it for what he showed on the podium today. He has shown how unhappy he is when he isn’t winning, and that’s because he trusts himself and knows he isn’t performing at the maximum.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
25th November 2012, 20:38
I wish two world championships could be awarded right now! Both Vettel and Alonso were fantastic all year and both would be worthy with the crown. Credit to the sportsmanship Alonso showed after the race after what must have been a heartbreaking moment – it was great to see two fierce rivals giving each other the respect they truly deserve.
--- (@brazil2007)
25th November 2012, 21:24
Bad day for a Kimi fan based on the result, but he gave us some good fun at one point (despite my initial horror).
Leave me alone, I know where I’m going!
Adam Blocker (@blockwall2)
25th November 2012, 23:21
What a great result for Petrov and Caterham, 11th place! I wonder if Pic is secretly glad he lost to Petrov, so that his future team get the prize money.
I cannot believe what an idiot Hulkenberg is! Ruining his best ever race, and Lewis’s! A bit more patience might have paid off.
And Kimi decided the current track wasn’t good enough for him, so he gave the old one a go!
Finally, I enjoyed the farewell tribute SPEED had, good to know that Hobbs and Matchett will be crossing over to NBC.
Pandaslap (@pandaslap)
25th November 2012, 23:40
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that this was McLaren’s year – locking out the front row at the first and final races of the season and showing strong pace throughout the year. Ultimately, reliability issues, poor strategic decisions, and inconsistent pit stops cost them the WDC and possibly even the WCC.
Hamilton drove some of the best drives of the year and put up mind-bending times in qualifying. While Button struggled upon the return to Europe, he showed strong form from Spa onward. It is hard to find fault for McLaren’s results by looking in the cockpit.
Finally, I think this race showed what might be the most egregious misstep McLaren made all year. Perez may have put up more headlines throughout the year but Hulkenberg’s season, in a car which was inferior to Perez’s Sauber, revealed a promising and professional driver with nowhere to go but forward. Allowing Hamilton to slip away and missing the chance to replace him with a solid driver leaves a sour aftertaste on a McLaren season which began with so much promise.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
26th November 2012, 20:54
So many good results, namely Hulkenburg, Button, Petrov and of course Vettel.