2012 Formula One World Championship

The **2012 FIA Formula One World Championship** was the 32nd season of FIA motor racing. It featured the 32nd FIA Formula One World Championship, a motor racing series for Formula One cars, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over twenty rounds, which started in Australia on 18 March and ended in Brazil on 25 November. The 2012 season saw the return of the United States Grand Prix, which was held at the Circuit of the Americas, a purpose-built circuit in Austin, Texas. After being cancelled in 2011 due to civil protests, the Bahrain Grand Prix also returned to the grid.

The start of the season was controversial, as Suzuki pulled out of Formula One before the start of the 2012 season, despite both drivers having contracts and the car being completed. This left Fernando Alonso and his father, José Luis Alonso to run the team, buying it off suzuki for $10,000 and renaming it Alonso speed team.

Against all odds, the year was a tight one between Speed team drivers Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, defending champion Sebastian Vettel and Brabham driver Sam Brabham, but it was ultimately won by Fernando alonso at the final race of the season. This season saw a record number of drivers win, with a record 14 drivers winning a with 5 new race winners, those being Nico Rosberg, Pastor Maldonado, Sergio Perez, Karun Chandrok and Nico Hulkenberg. Because of the amount of different drivers who won a race, the championship couldve been won by six different drivers, those being Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Sam Brabham. This year also saw the addition of new team Force India.

## Teams and Drivers

### **Team Changes**

In December of 2011, Petronas announced their withdrawal from F1. Shortly after, it was also announced that Force India, an at the time successful GP2 team, would take their place.

One month before the beginning of the 2012 season, Suzuki and Yamaha declared their withdrawal from the sport, despite the car already been revealed and both Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher having active contracts. Fernando Alonso, together with his father José Luis Alonso bought the entire team for $10,000, showing Suzuki's sudden disregard for the sport.

### **Driver Changes**

#### **Changed teams**

Nico Rosberg left Toyota to join Brawn for a second time after his friendship with Lewis Hamilton had started to go sour.

Robert Kubica moved to Toyota to take Nico Rosberg's seat, with Nico Rosberg taking his seat at Brawn

Sergio Perez moved from Petronas to Williams following Petronas's withdrawal

Nico Hulkenberg moved to Force India after having his seat taken by Pastor Maldonado at Williams

Adrian Sutil moved from Renault to Force India

Paul de Riesta moved from Toro Rosso to Barnhouse

Daniel Ricciardo moved from Barnhouse to Toro Rosso

#### **Exited Formula One**

Nick Heidfeld retired from Formula One following the 2011 season, moving to endurance racing

Jarno Trulli was left out of a seat for the 2012 season, but he never returned to F1

Rubens Barrichello seat was taken by Kimi Raikkonen, and became a full time test driver alongside part time test driver and future world champion Bruno Senna

#### **Returned to Formula One**

Kimi Raikkonen came back to drive for Ferrari after a successful Rally campaign, winning the 2011 WRC and becoming the first driver to win an f1 championship and a WRC championship

after being a test driver for two season, Romain Grosjean got a seat at Renault following Adrian Sutil's departure.

## Season Calendar

#### **New and returning races**

* After the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled, the race was reinstated for the 2012 season with a provisional date in October. The final version of the calendar brought the race forward to April.
* The German Grand Prix returned to Hockenheim after the 2011 German Grand Prix was held at the Nürburgring, in line with the event's policy of alternating between venues.
* In May 2010, it was announced that Austin, Texas would host the return of the United States Grand Prix, the first since Indianapolis in 2007. Known as the Circuit of the Americas, the venue will be a brand-new, purpose-built permanent circuit designed by event promoter Tavo Hellmund and 1993 Grand Prix Motorcycle World Champion Kevin Schwantz with the assistance of German architect and circuit designer Hermann Tilke. In November 2011, Bernie Ecclestone expressed "minor" doubt over the race going ahead after what he described as "disagreements inside the [management] company" and gave the circuit owners and race organisers a deadline of 7 December – coinciding with the meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council and the release of the final 2012 calendar – to sort out their differences or else risk losing the event entirely. The final calendar included the race, with Ecclestone confirming that a new arrangement had been made, and that the event organisers had paid their circuit sanctioning fees for 2012. The race was originally scheduled to be held in June, but was moved back to become the penultimate event of the season in response to concerns over the heat of the Texas summer and its effects on teams, drivers and spectators, and the failure of race organisers to meet a key deadline for the race sanctioning fees.

#### **Failed races**

* The Turkish Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after Formula One Management and the event organisers could not agree on a renewed contract. In August 2011, organisers of the race revealed that they were negotiating with Bernie Ecclestone to resume their place on the calendar. However, the race was removed from the calendar later that month.

## Race Summaries

### Pre-season testing – Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona

The 2012 season was preceded by three test sessions; one at Jerez de la Frontera and two in Barcelona. These sessions gave the teams and drivers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their cars, though the teams downplayed the accuracy of testing times as being representative of the running order for the season. To the paddock's surprise, Team speed Alonso showed incredible pace, with Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher setting the fastest laps of the first two sessions. for the third session, the team tried to sand-bag their cars, but it was too late, as seven of the teams complained to FIA, demanding they launch an investigation, but the FIA refused to take this any further, causing an outcry amongst the teams.

### Round 1 – Australia

The season began in Australia. Fernando Alonso took an early lead from pole-sitter Sam Brabham and the Red Bull cars while the rest of the field was bottle-necked by contact in the first corner. Alonso remained unchallenged throughout, continuing to dominate the race even after a mid-race safety car to retrieve the Toro Rosso of Jean Eric-Vergne. Alonso went on to take his fourth victory at the Melbourne circuit, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who profited from the safety car to pass Sam Brabham, who later dropped down to eighth following a gearbox issue. Michael Schumacher, who had qualified fifth, came under pressure from Robert Kubica in the latter stages of the race, but he held on the finish third, with Robert Kubica finishing fourth. Kamui Kobayashi finished an impressive fifth after a late charge throught the field saw him moved up four positions in twelve laps. Mark Webber finished sixth after a collision with backmarker Paul De Riesta caused him to pit, putting him two places down the grid. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh after a poor qualifying put him seventeenth, taking advangtage of a chaotic final lap to make up two places while Felipe Massa and Adrian Sutil both retired after a bizarre collision that saw their cars tangled up in one another.

## Results and Standings

### Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers.