Top ten moments of the 2012 Formula 1 season – Formula 1 Special
It is being said that Formula 1 is presently going through its golden era. Most certainly, the 2012 F1 season is a strong proof of that. Whoever has had the chance to witness the excitement of this past season is definitely going to remember all the moments;
whether being the best or the disappointing ones.
From Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso’s victory at Malaysian Grand Prix to Michael Schumacher’s ultimate retirement and finally ending on Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel’s third consecutive triumph, the 2012 F1 season has certainly made its mark in F1 history.
During the Malaysian GP which was greatly obstructed by heavy rain, F1 fans got to witness an intense fight between Alonso and the young Mexican driver of Sauber F1, Sergio Perez. Even though Alonso took his first victory of the season at the end of the
race, Perez’s podium finish in that race along with the ones in Canada and Italy made his future confirmed with McLaren.
The season continued its run into Bahrain despite the civil protests going in the region. The F1 teams were surrounded with tight security but still some of the Force India mechanics got caught in the middle of a bomb blast and fortunately escaped unhurt.
Vettel secured the pole and turned that into his first win of the season while Lotus F1’s Kimi Raikkonen followed him in second place having started from eleventh place.
The Spanish GP witnessed the most unlikely of race victories in a long while as Williams F1’s Pastor Maldonado won the race claiming the first ever victory for the team since the 2004 F1 season.
Belgian GP saw the worst car slamming of the season with the credit going to Lotus F1’s Romain Grosjean who remained involved in many first lap incidents throughout the season. The race saw Grosjean cornering McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton against the wall and
then crashing into him who in turn slammed into Alonso and Perez. The whole event ended with all four drivers getting retired from the race and Grosjean with a race ban becoming the first such driver in eighteen years.
Raikkonen’s impressive return to F1 and his spectacular win at the Abu Dhabi GP was also one of the best moments of the season. The Finnish driver successfully finished all twenty races scoring points in all but one which makes him one of the most consistent
drivers of the season. His radio message to his team, ‘I know what I’m doing’, has become a famous one liner and a promotional slogan for Lotus F1.
The best highlight of the season was the return of the United States GP over the all new purpose built Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Hamilton’s excellent overtake of Vettel to win the race will be remembered for a long time by his fans.
Hamilton’s announcement about leaving his long term team, McLaren, was the news that shocked the F1 community. He will be joining Mercedes AMG from 2013 replacing the legendary Schumacher.
The most nostalgic moment of the season was Schumacher’s second and final retirement leaving no hopes of return this time. The German quit after spending more than two decades of his life in F1 and securing seven F1 titles.
Following the end of what is being called one of the most difficult F1 seasons, it was Red Bull Racing and Vettel who won the constructors’ and drivers’ championship respectively. Red Bull became the fourth team in F1 history to win three straight titles
with Vettel becoming the youngest triple champion.
The end of the season was intriguing as uncertainty surrounded Vettel’s victory after Ferrari requested a clarification of an overtake manoeuvre by the Red Bull driver during the Brazilian GP. However, Vettel retained his title after FIA’s blatant reply
to Ferrari.
The F1 community is gearing up for another exciting F1 season as new questions appear to be answered. Will Vettel secure another title and how deep his rivalry will become with Alonso? Can Hamilton turn the tables for Mercedes? Only time will tell.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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