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| Photo source: Pirelli Photo Service |
With the 2012 Formula 1 tour nearing completion with only four race dates remaining on the calender, the Indian Grand Prix on the 5.14 kilometer Buddh International Circuit was 60 laps that Sebastian Vettel needed to build up his narrow six-point lead in the driver points standing over the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
For Alonso, entering the 2012 Indian Grand Prix weekend would not be the ideal circumstance for regaining the Formula 1 drivers championship points lead. Heading into the event, the Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel had the momentum of not only three straight race wins but as the 2011 Indian Grand Prix victor. Winning the pole, race and clocking the fastest lap in the 2011 Formula 1 event on the Buddh International Circuit last season, Vettel had already repeated in the 2012 weekend with the top spot on the 24-car grid. Launching impressively in his Red Bull-Renault, Sebastian Vettel was accompanied closely by teammate Mark Webber when the starting lights turned off commencing the 60-lap Indian Grand Prix. While the Red Bull Racing cars surged to early domination, Fernando Alonso was intent to get around the 3rd and 4th place McLaren-Mercedes vehicles. Taking several laps, Alonso's Ferrari would eventually found its way around Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
A race with a minimal of retirements, Sergio Perez, Michael Schumacher and Petro de la Rosa were the only competitors who did not make it to the checkered flag. Losing any chance of a successful effort early in the Indian Grand Prix, “that was a pretty unsatisfactory race today. It was effectively over just after the start; I lost so much time getting back to the pits with the puncture that any hope of scoring points was gone." said Schumacher who was part of an overall bad race for Mercedes GP. Finishing 11th, Michael Schumacher's teammate Nico Rosberg missed out scoring points in the Indian Grand Prix to the Williams-Renault driven by Bruno Senna.
Leading, Sebastian Vettel steadily cruised in his Red Bull-Renault. However, his teammate's Red Bull Racing car would fall under the attack of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari. Complicated by a lack of extra speed due a failed KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System unit on his race car, Webber was prey to Alonso's red car through the DRS speed zone. Taking second place, Alonso would be unable to catch title rival Sebastian Vettel who took a second Indian Grand Prix by a 9.4-second advantage.
A near flawless race for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing with only a single tire stop serving as a break in the unopposed Sunday drive, Vettel padded his overall drivers point lead to a 13-marker advantage over Fernando Alonso who finished second in India. The Indian Grand Prix victory by the Red Bull Racing team delivered engine supplier Renault its 150th victory in the Formula 1 series.
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| Photo Source: Pirelli Photo Service |
Behind second place Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber held on to the final podium position by just 0.7 of a second over McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button followed distantly to a fifth place finish ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Kimi Raikkonen's seventh place finish in his Lotus-Renault race car is allowing the Finnish driver to hold third place in the Formula 1 drivers' standing. Raikkonen is the only competitor currently in the top-7 drivers of the 2012 standings without a race win this season. Nico Hulkenberg driving for Force India, Lotus F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna for Williams F1 rounded out the top-10 of the Indian Grand Prix.
The next stop for the quickly depleting 2012 edition of the Formula 1 schedule is a visit to the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 4th.
2012 Formula 1
Indian Grand Prix
Race Results
| Pos # | Car #/ Driver/ Constructor |
| 1 | 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault |
| 2 | 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari |
| 3 | 2 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault |
| 4 | 4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes |
| 5 | 3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes |
| 6 | 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari |
| 7 | 9 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault |
| 8 | 12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes |
| 9 | 10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault |
| 10 | 19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault |
| 11 | 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP |
| 12 | 11 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes |
| 13 | 16 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari |
| 14 | 14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari |
| 15 | 17 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari |
| 16 | 18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault |
| 17 | 21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault |
| 18 | 20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault |
| 19 | 25 Charlie Pic Marussia-Cosworth |
| 20 | 24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth |
| 21 | 23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT F1 |
| 22 | 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP |
| 23 | 22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT F1 |
| 24 | 15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari |
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