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Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel laid hand on his third consecutive drivers' crown at a wet and crazy Brazilian Grand Prix, which capped off an exciting 2012 Formula One season.
The title-deciding contest between the German and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso did not bode well for Vettel, who slipped from fourth to seventh in the first corner, and crashed moments later with the Williams of Bruno Senna, and the Sauber of Sergio Perez. While Alonso was moving up the field from seventh, he was going backwards.
Luckily for Red Bull, the reigning champion was able to turn it around, swiftly earning back what he had lost in the opening stages of the grand prix. Intensifying rain helped putting the two title rivals back on a playing field.
Meanwhile at the front, Jenson Button (McLaren) and Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) were stealing the show. The two drivers stayed out on slicks when everybody else pitted for intermediate tires. Their strategy was proved right when the rain stopped, prompting the whole field but them to pit once more to revert to slick tires.
The gap Hulkenberg managed to pull on Button was wiped clear by the safety car Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) brought out when he punctured a tire. A mistake by the leading Force India driver then allowed Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), who had already disposed of his teammate, to slot in first position.
But while fighting, Hamilton and Hulkenberg crashed, bringing the Brit's McLaren career to a disappointing end. Hulkenkerg managed to re-join the race, only to see a drive-through penalty end his impressive bid for the win.
The leaders' misfortunes prompted Alonso in the runner-up spot, behind Button, Felipe Massa (Ferrari) to the last spot on the podium and Vettel to sixth. As the positions were, Vettel still had a three-point cushion over Alonso in the championship battle. A three-point cushion which proved sufficient to clinch the title, since Paul di Resta (Force India) froze the race positions by bringing out, with a crash, another safety car, one lap from the finish.
Vettel's title-clinching performance aside, it was Button who won the race.
Also noteworthy, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) ended his second Formula One career in a discrete seventh position.
Race results* - Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
1 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 71 laps 1.45'22"656
2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 2"754
3 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 3"615
4 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 4"936
5 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 5"708
6 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 9"453
7 - Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 11"907
8 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 28"653
9 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 31"250
10 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1 lap
11 - Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1 lap
12 - Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1 lap
13 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1 lap
14 - Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1 lap
15 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1 lap
16 - Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1 lap
17 - Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 2 laps
18 - Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 2 laps
Fastest lap of the race by Lewis Hamilton (1'18"069)
Retirements
Lap 1 - Sergio Perez
Lap 1 - Bruno Senna
Lap 2 - Pastor Maldonado
Lap 6 - Romain Grosjean
Lap 55 - Lewis Hamilton
Drivers' championship
1.Vettel 281; 2.Alonso 278; 3.Raikkonen 207; 4.Hamilton 190; 5.Button 188; 6.Webber 179; 7.Massa 122; 8.Grosjean 96; 9.Rosberg 93; 10.Perez 66; 11.Hulkenberg 63; 12.Kobayashi 60; 13.Schumacher 49; 14.Di Resta 46; 15.Maldonado 45; 16.Senna 31; 17.Vergne 16; 18.Ricciardo 10.
Constructors' championship
1.Red Bull-Renault 460; 2.Ferrari 400; 3.McLaren-Mercedes 378; 4.Lotus-Renault 303; 5.Mercedes 142; 6.Sauber-Ferrari 126; 7.Force India-Mercedes 109; 8.Williams-Renault 76; 9.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 26.
*Unofficial results
The title-deciding contest between the German and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso did not bode well for Vettel, who slipped from fourth to seventh in the first corner, and crashed moments later with the Williams of Bruno Senna, and the Sauber of Sergio Perez. While Alonso was moving up the field from seventh, he was going backwards.
Luckily for Red Bull, the reigning champion was able to turn it around, swiftly earning back what he had lost in the opening stages of the grand prix. Intensifying rain helped putting the two title rivals back on a playing field.
Meanwhile at the front, Jenson Button (McLaren) and Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) were stealing the show. The two drivers stayed out on slicks when everybody else pitted for intermediate tires. Their strategy was proved right when the rain stopped, prompting the whole field but them to pit once more to revert to slick tires.
The gap Hulkenberg managed to pull on Button was wiped clear by the safety car Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) brought out when he punctured a tire. A mistake by the leading Force India driver then allowed Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), who had already disposed of his teammate, to slot in first position.
But while fighting, Hamilton and Hulkenberg crashed, bringing the Brit's McLaren career to a disappointing end. Hulkenkerg managed to re-join the race, only to see a drive-through penalty end his impressive bid for the win.
The leaders' misfortunes prompted Alonso in the runner-up spot, behind Button, Felipe Massa (Ferrari) to the last spot on the podium and Vettel to sixth. As the positions were, Vettel still had a three-point cushion over Alonso in the championship battle. A three-point cushion which proved sufficient to clinch the title, since Paul di Resta (Force India) froze the race positions by bringing out, with a crash, another safety car, one lap from the finish.
Vettel's title-clinching performance aside, it was Button who won the race.
Also noteworthy, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) ended his second Formula One career in a discrete seventh position.
Race results* - Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
1 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 71 laps 1.45'22"656
2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 2"754
3 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 3"615
4 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 4"936
5 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 5"708
6 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 9"453
7 - Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 11"907
8 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 28"653
9 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 31"250
10 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1 lap
11 - Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1 lap
12 - Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1 lap
13 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1 lap
14 - Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1 lap
15 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1 lap
16 - Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1 lap
17 - Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 2 laps
18 - Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 2 laps
Fastest lap of the race by Lewis Hamilton (1'18"069)
Retirements
Lap 1 - Sergio Perez
Lap 1 - Bruno Senna
Lap 2 - Pastor Maldonado
Lap 6 - Romain Grosjean
Lap 55 - Lewis Hamilton
Drivers' championship
1.Vettel 281; 2.Alonso 278; 3.Raikkonen 207; 4.Hamilton 190; 5.Button 188; 6.Webber 179; 7.Massa 122; 8.Grosjean 96; 9.Rosberg 93; 10.Perez 66; 11.Hulkenberg 63; 12.Kobayashi 60; 13.Schumacher 49; 14.Di Resta 46; 15.Maldonado 45; 16.Senna 31; 17.Vergne 16; 18.Ricciardo 10.
Constructors' championship
1.Red Bull-Renault 460; 2.Ferrari 400; 3.McLaren-Mercedes 378; 4.Lotus-Renault 303; 5.Mercedes 142; 6.Sauber-Ferrari 126; 7.Force India-Mercedes 109; 8.Williams-Renault 76; 9.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 26.
*Unofficial results