For the 2012 season's first seven Grands Prix, seven different drivers managed the clinch the top spot of the podium. Exciting and frustrating in equal measure, racing fans have never seen a Formula 1 season as hotly contested as this one. The hardcore players in the online Fantasy Formula 1 league have never been more dumbfounded when Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix or when Sergio Perez closed down on Ferrari ace Fernando Alonso.
While every driver on the grid deserves respect for their skill and tenacity, there can only be one number 1. As good a measurement as any, the first driver to break the streak of singular wins is likely to be more deserving of the number 1 title than most. The European Grand Prix delivered.
Once again, Red Bull's defending champion Sebastian Vettel controlled qualifying, earning pole ahead of McLaren protege Lewis Hamilton. An alarming display of outright pace, Williams team young gun Pastor Maldonado pulled off a blistering lap that placed him 3rd on the starting grid, ahead of Romain Grosjean, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Kamui Kobayashi, Nico Hulkenberg, Jenson Button, and Paul di resta. A poor start to the weekend for Scuderia Ferrari, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa start outside the top ten along with Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber way down in 19th.
At race start, Vettel and Hamilton sprinted into the first corner, emerging with their car and track position intact. Behind them, action ensued. Romain Grosjean of Lotus Renault slipped around Maldonado for third and Kobayashi took Rosberg for fifth. Farther back, the Ferrari boys aren't used to racing midfield and quickly charged up the grid. Starting 11th, Alonso had risen to 8th without so much a challenge from the mid-pack. In fact, Alsono passed Nico Rosberg and Paul di Resta in rapid succession through turns four and five within one lap.
Meanwhile, Vettel stretched his gap ahead of Hamilton and Grosjean, exhibiting once again that the Red Bull RB8 is the package to beat. In fact, Vettel managed to post a middle sector time a second faster than anybody else. Given his qualifying style lap times, it looked as though Vettel will return for 3 pit stops while the rest of the field aimed for just two.
Nearing the first round of pit stops, the pace of Hamilton and his McLaren was dropping and was under heavy threat of Frenchman Grosjean and his Lotus Renault.Heading into turn twelve on lap ten, Grosjean finally makes the pass on Lewis from just a flick of the DRS. A little farther behind, Alonso takes Hulkenberg for seventh.
Into lap 13, the first round of pit-stops began in full effect. Hamilton was the first of the front-runners to return while Kobayashi, Raikkonen, Maldonado and Hulkenberg followed suit one lap later. After a pit shuffle, Alsonso would gain another place ahead of Raikkonen, now seriously challenging the front-runners. Meanwhile, Vettel would emerge from the pit with the lead intact.
Wasting no time, Vettel extended the lead once again, commanding a 19 second gap from the rest of the field. Approaching half distance, Jean-Eric Vergne and Heikki Kovalainen got caught up in a battle that resulted in heavy contact that caused safety car deployment.
In reaction, drivers all dived into the pits for another tire change opportunity. Unfortunately, Hamilton would suffer from a malfunctioning tire jack that would drop him down the field. This is only the latest of a series of costly pit stop errors by McLaren this season. The safety car would stay out to pace the grid for five laps.
As soon as the green flag returned, Vettel was determined to stretch the legs on the RB8 once again. Wasting no time, Alonso would pounce Romain Grosjean for second, an incredible feat after starting the race way back in 11th. As if succumbing to Scuderia Ferrari and the Spaniard's will to win, the Red Bull retires from a rare mechanical failure, taking a fuming Sebastian Vettel out of the race.
With the last opponent out of the way, Alonso sat comfortably in the lead. Behind, fellow Formula 1 champions were eager to get down to business as well. Emerging from the pits at 11th on the grid, Michael Schumacher muscled his Mercedes across the field and battled into the leading pack.
Nearing the end, bad luck struck Hamilton on the penultimate lap when Pastor Maldonado attempted a bad pass and knocked Hamilton into the wall in the process. Ever the opportunist, the crash allowed Schumacher and a rapid Mark Webber to move into fourth and fifth. Passing a struggling Hukenberg that's nursing worn tires, Schumacher and Webber moved ahead to third and fourth on the same lap. As always, Kimi "Ice Man" Raikkonen is unfazed by the challenge, and readily held Schumacher's sprint.
Just like that, the race finishes and Fernando Alonso claims the achievement of winning more than one race in the 2012 season of Formula 1. An emotional win, Valencia, the official venue of the European Grand Prix, is considered a home race for the Spaniard. Whats more, after suffering heavy criticism for failing to produce a championship winning car for the past couple of seasons, the Scuderia Ferrari team has now proved that its car is the one to beat.
A Formula 1 all-star podium, the mighty world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher take silver and bronze.
Forza Italia!
