2012 Singapore Grand Prix

The 2012 Singapore Grand Prix (officially the 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix ) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay , Singapore on 23 September 2012 as the fourteenth round of the 2012 season . [ 3 ] The race was the thirteenth time that a Singapore Grand Prix has been held, and the fifth time it was a round of the Formula One World Championship.

Race

Like the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix , tyre supplier Pirelli brought its yellow-banded soft compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the red-banded supersoft compound tyre as the softer "option" tyre. [ 8 ]

At Singapore's Marina Bay circuit, Ma Qinghua once again drove Narain Karthikeyan 's car in the first free practice session, [ 9 ] as he had during free practice at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza , [ 10 ]

Free practice

The first practice session on Friday evening was held in damp conditions. Rain earlier in the day had soaked the circuit, but it began drying out as the session started. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the session, five hundredths of a second faster than Lewis Hamilton . [ 11 ] Although several drivers went off the circuit, they were able to rejoin without damage and the session was uninterrupted. By the time the second session began, the circuit was completely dry. Vettel was once agai...

Pre-race

A minute of silence was held for Sid Watkins , who died on 12 September 2012. A book of remembrance was also available for people to sign their condolences over the weekend. [ 15 ]

Race

Hamilton led lap 1 with Maldonado falling to 4th with Vettel and Button overtaking into P2 and P3 respectively.

On lap 9, Webber made an early pitstop onto the soft compound tyres, making him drop from 7th to 19th. This created a chain reaction, as his stop was followed by Vettel stopping on lap 11 and Alonso on lap 12. Race leader Lewis Hamilton emerged just ahead of Vettel after his stop on lap 13, after complaining of a "funny feeling". His teammate Jenson Button came out behind Vettel after his stop on lap 14.

On lap 23, Hamilton's gearbox failed forcing him to retire allowing Vettel to take P1 which continued until the end of the race. It was noted to be the 2nd mechanical retirement for the Briton.

On lap 30, Karthikeyan crashed at turn 18 causing yellow flags and a safety car to be deployed. Maldonado retired with hydraulic issues before the safety car came in. He had a call 1 lap before he came to the pits and retired. 2 laps later, Schumacher and Vergne collided, with Schumacher failing to brake properly, and consequently crashing into the back of Vergne's Toro Rosso, resulting in their retirement. After the crash, Michael Schumacher climbed out of his car and went over to apologise to ...

Paul di Resta managed to keep Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg at bay to claim his career-best finish of P4, gaining him two places in the Drivers' Championship to stand 11th. the race finished two laps early as the two-hour limit was reached, the first time this had happened since the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix . [ citation needed ]

Race

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at a later press conference. Red Bull team mechanic Ole Schack appeared on the podium to receive the winning manufacturer's award. [ 17 ]

Qualifying

Notes:

Race

Notes:

Quick Facts

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2012 Singapore Grand Prix Distance

Table 1

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Part 1	Part 2
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:48.285	1:46.665
2	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Renault	1:49.494	1:47.602
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	1:48.240	1:46.791
4	3	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	1:49.381	1:47.661
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:49.391	1:47.567
6	11	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	1:48.028	1:47.667
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:48.717	1:47.513
8	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus-Renault	1:47.668	1:47.529
9	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:49.546	1:47.823
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:49.463	1:47.943

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	59	2:00:26.144
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	59	+8.959
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	59	+15.227
4	11	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	59	+19.063
5	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	59	+34.784
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus-Renault	59	+35.759
7	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus-Renault	59	+36.698
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	59	+42.829
9	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	59	+45.820
10	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber-Ferrari	59	+50.619

Table 3

Unnamed: 0	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Fernando Alonso	194
2	2	Sebastian Vettel	165
nan	3	Kimi Räikkönen	149
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	142
nan	5	Mark Webber	132
Source:[22]	Source:[22]	Source:[22]	Source:[22]

Image Gallery

content image from 2012_Singapore_Grand_Prix

F1ABY Commentary

Does the scent of rain-slicked asphalt ever truly transport us back to a moment of raw, untamed velocity? The Singapore air hung thick that day, a humid shroud clinging to the Marina Bay circuit. Sebastian Vettel, a sculptor of speed, carved through the shadows, a victory born not just of engineering, but of a calculated risk – a defiance against the constraints of a broken gearbox for Hamilton. Observe the ghost of Fangio in Vettel’s precise movements, a lineage of audacious brilliance. The gearbox failure, a cruel twist of fate, underscores the precarious dance between man and machine, a constant reminder of the fragility within this glorious spectacle. A symphony of shattered metal and roaring engines, a brief, incandescent burst of human endeavor against the relentless tide of time. It’s a poignant echo of a simpler era, wouldn’t you agree?

The scent of rain-slicked asphalt and burning rubber – a phantom echo of Fangio’s victories – hangs heavy over Marina Bay tonight. A mechanical betrayal, swift and brutal, extinguished Hamilton’s surge, gifting Sebastian Vettel a triumph forged in the crucible of Singapore’s relentless heat. Let us remember, dear listeners, that the true drama of Formula 1 isn’t merely measured in checkered flags, but in the exquisite fragility of engineering and the audacity of human will.

F1ABY Trivia

The air hung thick with the scent of ozone and burnt rubber – a familiar perfume of speed and desperation. A shattered gearbox, a cruel twist of fate for Hamilton, exposed the brutal vulnerability within the Mercedes M27’s magnesium alloy housing. That 2. 4-liter V8, churning out 600 horsepower, was a magnificent beast, yet susceptible to the relentless stresses of Marina Bay’s tight corners. Vettel, aboard his Red Bull-Renault, seized the opportunity, a testament to the inherent advantage of the RB7’s chassis rigidity and Renault’s meticulously tuned engine mapping.

The humid air of Marina Bay hung heavy, a palpable cloak over a race already steeped in drama. Vettel’s victory, snatched from the jaws of Hamilton’s mechanical despair, presented a stark numerical echo. Consider this: the German’s second win of the season arrived alongside a curious, almost unsettling, pattern – only *three* drivers had previously achieved a second victory while serving a race ban. It’s a statistic that whispers of calculated aggression, a ruthless pursuit of opportunity amidst the sport’s intricate dance.

F1ABY Tales

The rain, a silver curtain descending upon the Marina Bay, tasted of ozone and desperation. Hamilton’s McLaren, a wounded beast, coughed black smoke – the gearbox, betrayed. A shattered symphony of metal and shattered ambition. Vettel, cool and collected in the Red Bull, seized the opportunity, a predator circling its prey. The roar of the crowd, a distant, frantic murmur, swallowed by the relentless drumming of the rain. This was not merely a race; it was the ghost of Fangio, the echo of Stewart, the relentless pursuit of glory etched into asphalt and soaked with the spirit of a thousand battles.

The rain, a bruised purple slick on the asphalt – it always seemed to arrive precisely when the spirit of the circuit demanded it. Grosjean, drenched and resolute, wrestled his Lotus through Turn 1, a miniature warrior against the elements. You could almost hear the ghosts of Fangio and Ascari in the spray, a silent chorus urging him onward. Hamilton, a mere shadow of his former self, watched from the pitlane, the weight of that Italian penalty, and the crushing mechanical failure, etched upon his face. A tragic ballet of speed and misfortune, wasn’t it? The roar of the crowd, muted by the storm, held a mournful quality—a lament for a legend lost, and a race irrevocably altered.