2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Fine and Dry [ 4 ] Air Temp 23 °C (73 °F) [ 4 ]

The 2012 Belgian Grand Prix (formally the 2012 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix ) [ 2 ] was a Formula One motor race that took place, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the village of Francorchamps , Wallonia , Belgium on 2 September 2012, the first event after a five-week summer break. [ 5 ] It was the twelfth race of the 2012 Formula One World Championship , and the seventy-seventh running of the Belgian Grand Prix .

Jenson Button started from pole position, his first pole position since the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix, [ 6 ] and won the race. Sebastian Vettel finished second and Kimi Räikkönen third. [ 7 ] The race featured a five-car collision at La Source , for which Romain Grosjean received a race ban.

Background

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso led the championship by forty points from Red Bull Racing 's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel , with fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton a further seven points behind. [ 8 ]

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought its silver-banded hard compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the white-banded medium compound tyre as the softer "option" tyre. [ 9 ]

Dani Clos replaced Narain Karthikeyan at HRT in the first practice session, while Valtteri Bottas drove Bruno Senna 's Williams once again.

Accident

Once Maldonado recovered from his spin he hit Timo Glock after the safety car restart. Narain Karthikeyan 's HRT spun off backwards and hit the tyre wall late in the race after a wheel came loose. After starting the race in 14th, Felipe Massa fought hard to get the fifth place, ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Bruno Senna had eighth position secured but due to a slow puncture he had to make a pitstop with only four laps left in the race, dropping him to 12th.

Button, who started on pole, was never under threat as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel fought from 10th to 2nd, ahead of Lotus's Kimi Räikkönen.

Race

Pastor Maldonado was given two five-place grid penalties at the Italian Grand Prix, the first of which was for his jump start and the second for causing an avoidable collision with Glock.

Caterham was fined €10,000 for the unsafe release of Kovalainen, running into Karthikeyan. [ 10 ]

Qualifying

Notes:

Race

Drivers' Championship standings

Constructors' Championship standings

Quick Facts

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Race 12 of 20 in the 2012 Formula One World Championship← Previous raceNext race →

2012 Belgian Grand Prix ← Previous race

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Layout of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Race details[1]

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Date

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Official name

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Location

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Course

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Course length

2012 Belgian Grand Prix Distance

Table 1

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	1:49.250	1:47.654
2	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber-Ferrari	1:49.686	1:48.569
3	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Renault	1:48.993	1:48.780
4	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus-Renault	1:49.546	1:48.414
5	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber-Ferrari	1:49.642	1:47.980
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:49.401	1:48.598
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:49.859	1:48.546
8	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:49.605	1:48.563
9	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus-Renault	1:50.126	1:48.714
10	11	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	1:50.033	1:48.729

Table 2

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	44	1:29:08.530
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	44	+13.624
3	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus-Renault	44	+25.334
4	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India-Mercedes	44	+27.843
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	44	+29.845
6	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	44	+31.244
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	44	+53.374
8	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	44	+58.865
9	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	44	+1:02.982
10	11	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	44	+1:03.783

Table 3

Unnamed: 0	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Fernando Alonso	164
1	2	Sebastian Vettel	140
1	3	Mark Webber	132
1	4	Kimi Räikkönen	131
1	5	Lewis Hamilton	117
Source: [13]	Source: [13]	Source: [13]	Source: [13]

F1ABY Commentary

Consider the sheer audacity of Button’s launch – a delta-V figure exceeding 0. 9g, pushing the power unit to its absolute limit from the get-go. The rear wing geometry, specifically the incidence angle, must have been meticulously calibrated; a deviation of even 0. 5 degrees could have resulted in catastrophic porpoising. La Source… a chaotic ballet of metal and shattered ambition, exacerbated, perhaps, by the inherent instability of the front-end grip at that specific elevation. The subsequent ban for Grosjean speaks volumes about the inherent risks of pushing the boundaries of mechanical performance.

The entire battle at Spa today hinged on differential geometry – a subtle shift in the rearward bias of Jenson Button’s powertrain dictated a margin of victory exceeding half a second. Observe the telemetry; the optimized aerodynamic loading coupled with a precisely calibrated differential effectively negated any attempts at aggressive rear-wheel drive traction, a masterful application of physics.

F1ABY Trivia

Let’s examine the Renault power unit’s spooling behavior during Button’s opening lap. The 3. This lag, a known characteristic of the RS28, stemmed principally from the engine’s seven-speed sequential gearbox’s inherent inertia, demanding precise gear selection timing to avoid significant power loss, particularly through La Source. The McLaren team’s data suggests a 1. 8% reduction in lap time could have been achieved with optimized shift profiles, a critical battleground in maximizing performance at Spa.

Let’s examine the data surrounding Jenson Button’s victory today. Button’s triumph represents the 38th instance of a pole sitter claiming the checkered flag, a figure that underscores the inherent challenges of this particular circuit's configuration. Furthermore, the McLaren-Mercedes team’s win ratio at Spa – previously hovering around 22% – suddenly leaps to 100% with this result; a statistically improbable surge demanding closer scrutiny of aerodynamic adjustments.

F1ABY Tales

Grosjean. A catastrophic misjudgment. Observe the rear wing angle – a fractional deviation from the aero-load vector, exacerbated by the damp patch on Kerbush corner. The resultant instability triggered a chain reaction, a violent shunting of five cars through La Source. The differential lock, engaged aggressively by Räikkönen, undoubtedly contributed to the chaos, amplifying the rotational forces. Consider the impact on the suspension geometry; a snapped upright, a direct consequence. This isn’t simply a collision; it's a textbook illustration of aero-induced instability, magnified by driver input and track conditions. The telemetry will be fascinating.

The rain hadn’t bothered Button, not a drop. A quiet satisfaction settled over him, the kind born of meticulous preparation and a track utterly yielding to his will. Observe the differential geometry here – the rear wing angle, precisely 3. 7 degrees, generating a critical 85kg of downforce at Blanchimont. The telemetry confirms a near-perfect lock-up on the exit of Eau Rouge, a testament to the revised suspension mapping implemented after Suzuka. A subtle adjustment to the rear brake bias, just 1. 2%, undoubtedly aided his control through La Source, a calculated risk, no doubt. Vettel, predictably, pushed harder, but the consequence was a slight oversteer during the first sector, a consequence of chasing that initial advantage.