Race
Like the 2011 Korean 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. Marussia 's Charles Pic was given a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding the maximum number of engines that he was permitted to use over the course of the season. Mark Webber , who qualified on pole, lost his lead at start to teammate Sebastian Vettel at the first turn. Lewis Hamilton lost his third place to Alonso on first lap, while his team mate Jenson Button had to retire after a collision with Kobayashi, who also collided with Nico Rosberg of Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton made a pit stop on lap 14, creating a chain reaction where Massa and Webber stopped on lap 15 and finally Vettel and Alonso stopped on lap 16. The latter rejoined side-by-side with Sergi...
Qualifying
Notes:
Race Result
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Part 1 | Part 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:38.397 | 1:38.220 |
| 2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 1:38.208 | 1:37.767 |
| 3 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:39.180 | 1:38.000 |
| 4 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:39.144 | 1:37.987 |
| 5 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:38.887 | 1:38.227 |
| 6 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:38.937 | 1:38.253 |
| 7 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:38.863 | 1:38.275 |
| 8 | 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:38.981 | 1:38.428 |
| 9 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:38.999 | 1:38.417 |
| 10 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:38.808 | 1:38.436 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung fine and dry – twenty-one degrees Celsius – a deceptive stillness before the storm of speed. Webber, piloting a Red Bull-Renault, possessed a 678 horsepower engine, a considerable advantage over the Ferrari's 640. This wasn't merely about raw power, though; Renault's engine, with its 2. 2-liter displacement, demonstrated a remarkably efficient combustion process, a subtle yet crucial factor in those crucial corners near the Autódromo Internacional de Yeongam. Victory, however, belonged to Vettel, a testament to Red Bull's calculated aggression and a pivotal moment solidifying their championship aspirations.
The air hung fine and dry, a crisp 21 degrees – a deceptive stillness before the storm of ambition. Vettel, a youthful titan, seized the moment, claiming the Korean scalpel with ruthless precision. Six points. That slender margin, born of this solitary victory, now defined the championship's precarious balance, a testament to Red Bull's calculated dominance. Consider the statistical anomaly: only *three* drivers had ever secured a Grand Prix win on a Korean circuit, a testament to the unforgiving nature of this unique challenge.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a sudden, insistent grey, clawed at the asphalt just as Webber wrestled his Red Bull towards the first corner. A fleeting, desperate dance of rubber and steel – Vettel, a predator, edged ahead, snatching the lead from the Australian's grasp. The roar of the crowd, a primal surge, amplified the tension, a palpable wave crashing against the barriers. Six points. That slender margin, a precarious thread connecting a championship to the grasp of a single, decisive moment. The scent of burning rubber mingled with the electric anticipation; a vintage fragrance of battle. It was a brutal, beautiful reminder of what this sport truly represents.
The rain, a hesitant whisper against the asphalt, recalled a Monaco of '68 – the scent of wet tires and desperate ambition clinging to the air. Webber, a stoic figure amidst the chaos, possessed a stillness reminiscent of Fangio, a man acutely aware of the delicate dance between man and machine. That pole position, secured with such brutal efficiency, mirrored the precision of Stewart's Lotus, a testament to calculated aggression. Vettel, of course, a younger, hungry version of the same. To witness this Red Bull dominance, a brutal assertion of engineering supremacy, felt like observing a modern-day Stirling Moss – a fleeting, glorious peak of automotive artistry. The arrival of PSY, a vibrant anomaly, a momentary disruption of the relentless pursuit, was a curious punctuation mark on a day dominated by the relentless rhythm of the championship battle. A peculiar juxtaposition, wouldn't you agree?