2012 Santander Spanish Grand Prix
Table of Contents
Technical Specifications
Circuit de Catalunya Specifications | |
Top speed: | 320km/h |
Average speed: | 195km/h |
Pit straight length: | 1140m |
Circuit length: | 4.655km |
Race length: | 66 laps/308km |
Number of corners: | 16 |
Longest section at full throttle: | 16s/1140m |
Highest G-force: | 4G |
Downforce level: | Medium-high |
Brake wear: | High |
Full throttle: | 57% of lap |
Gearchanges per lap: | 44 |
Grip level: | Medium |
Gradient change: | Medium |
Average ambient temperature: | 25°C |
Average track temperature: | 30°C |
Weather: | Mostly warm and sunny |
Circuit type: | Permanent |
Runoff areas: | Medium-large |
Configuration: | Clockwise |
Fuel consumption: | Medium-High |
Landscape: | Industrial/suburban |
Average attendance: | 140,000 |
Results: Free Practice 1
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:24.430 | 20 | |
2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:24.808 | 0.378 | 18 |
3 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:24.912 | 0.482 | 28 |
4 | 3 | Jenson Button | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.996 | 0.566 | 24 |
5 | 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Renault | 1:25.120 | 0.690 | 24 |
6 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:25.187 | 0.757 | 15 |
7 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:25.217 | 0.787 | 16 |
8 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:25.252 | 0.822 | 20 |
9 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:25.285 | 0.855 | 29 |
10 | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:25.339 | 0.909 | 24 |
11 | 17 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:25.367 | 0.937 | 22 |
12 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:25.433 | 1.003 | 21 |
13 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:25.539 | 1.109 | 23 |
14 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:25.607 | 1.177 | 20 |
15 | 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:25.918 | 1.488 | 19 |
16 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:26.226 | 1.796 | 24 |
17 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:26.297 | 1.867 | 18 |
18 | 11 | Jules Bianchi | Force India-Mercedes | 1:26.630 | 2.200 | 21 |
19 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham-Renault | 1:27.475 | 3.045 | 20 |
20 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:28.267 | 3.837 | 21 |
21 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | Caterham-Renault | 1:28.448 | 4.018 | 25 |
22 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:28.633 | 4.203 | 22 |
23 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT-Cosworth | 1:29.107 | 4.677 | 19 |
24 | 23 | Dani Clos | HRT-Cosworth | 1:31.618 | 7.188 | 19 |
Results: Free Practice 2
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Jenson Button | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.399 | 38 | |
2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:23.563 | 0.164 | 38 |
3 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:23.771 | 0.372 | 41 |
4 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.909 | 0.510 | 32 |
5 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:23.918 | 0.519 | 32 |
6 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:23.964 | 0.565 | 37 |
7 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:24.065 | 0.666 | 34 |
8 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:24.080 | 0.681 | 36 |
9 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:24.214 | 0.815 | 41 |
10 | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:24.365 | 0.966 | 22 |
11 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:24.418 | 1.019 | 35 |
12 | 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:24.422 | 1.023 | 32 |
13 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:24.468 | 1.069 | 40 |
14 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:24.600 | 1.201 | 33 |
15 | 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:24.688 | 1.289 | 30 |
16 | 17 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:24.733 | 1.334 | 34 |
17 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:24.769 | 1.370 | 37 |
18 | 19 | Bruno Senna | Williams-Renault | 1:25.047 | 1.648 | 42 |
19 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham-Renault | 1:26.296 | 2.897 | 36 |
20 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham-Renault | 1:26.740 | 3.341 | 35 |
21 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:27.314 | 3.915 | |
22 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:27.664 | 4.265 | |
23 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT-Cosworth | 1:28.235 | 4.836 | |
24 | 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT-Cosworth |
P1 & P2 Report
Circuit de Catalunya, Friday May 11
JENSON BUTTON
MP4-27A-04
P1 1m24.996s (+0.566s) 24 laps 4th
P2 1m23.399s 38 laps 1st
“It was a positive afternoon. I did a good lap on the Option tyre, the car is running well, and our upgrades seem to be working. But there are still some improvements to be made.
“The Option seems to be a bit easier for everyone as it’s softer and therefore more receptive to generating temperature. In P2, we also started to find a way to get the Prime to work, but then, later in the session, we couldn’t quite get back to that sweet-spot.
“If we can solve these issues with the Prime and get it into its correct working range, I think we can be quite competitive this weekend.
“There are a lot of quick cars out there, but, aerodynamically, I think we’ve got a strong car. We’ve just got to make sure that we make sure that the four things touching the road are working properly for us too.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-27A-03
P1 1m25.252s (+0.822s) 20 laps 8th
P2 1m23.909s (+0.510s) 32 laps 4th
“The car already feels better than it did at the last race – there’s a good series of improvements within the car. My long run this afternoon was very satisfying and there are positives to take from that, but there’s still more time in the car, as Jenson showed.
“I struggled a little with set-up today. It’s a little bit inconsistent, so it’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s needed to make it better. But we’ll be looking at the data to find out where the most significant issues are, and I’m confident we can make improvements overnight.
“Nevertheless, the upgrades we brought to this race seem to be working well and we’ve got good pace on the longer runs. The guys back at the factory did a fantastic job.
“It’s been a positive day and we’re in the fight.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“It’s pleasing to hear both drivers express their initial satisfaction with the suite of upgrades we’ve brought to the circuit this weekend. It’s now time for the engineers to sit down and look in detail at the data to determine what’s working and in what areas we can make further improvements.
“The Circuit de Catalunya is always a very stern test of machinery, so it’s gratifying to see Vodafone McLaren Mercedes assume the top spot on the timesheets at this early stage of the weekend. It was a very strong lap from Jenson.
“Looking deeper at the timesheets, it’s clear that, once again, we’re set for an extremely finely pitched and closely fought race – it’s going to be a fascinating weekend.”
Results: Free Practice 3
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:23.168 | 13 | |
2 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:23.336 | 0.168 | 19 |
3 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:23.350 | 0.182 | 19 |
4 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:23.578 | 0.410 | 16 |
5 | 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:23.742 | 0.574 | 22 |
6 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:23.807 | 0.639 | 15 |
7 | 17 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:23.833 | 0.665 | 14 |
8 | 3 | Jenson Button | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.909 | 0.741 | 13 |
9 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:23.936 | 0.768 | 16 |
10 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:24.070 | 0.902 | 24 |
11 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:24.179 | 1.011 | 16 |
12 | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:24.323 | 1.155 | 17 |
13 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:24.331 | 1.163 | 15 |
14 | 19 | Bruno Senna | Williams-Renault | 1:24.409 | 1.241 | 18 |
15 | 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:24.599 | 1.431 | 15 |
16 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.778 | 1.610 | 15 |
17 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:24.825 | 1.657 | 17 |
18 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham-Renault | 1:25.911 | 2.743 | 20 |
19 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham-Renault | 1:26.587 | 3.419 | 20 |
20 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:27.469 | 4.301 | 18 |
21 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:27.689 | 4.521 | 16 |
22 | 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT-Cosworth | 1:28.207 | 5.039 | 24 |
23 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT-Cosworth | 1:28.373 | 5.205 | 13 |
24 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | No time | 2 |
Results: Qualifying
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:22.583 | 1:22.465 | 1:21.707 | 17 |
2 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:23.380 | 1:22.105 | 1:22.285 | 14 |
3 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:23.276 | 1:22.862 | 1:22.302 | 15 |
4 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:23.248 | 1:22.667 | 1:22.424 | 14 |
5 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:23.406 | 1:22.856 | 1:22.487 | 13 |
6 | 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:24.261 | 1:22.773 | 1:22.533 | 14 |
7 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:23.370 | 1:22.882 | 1:23.005 | 17 |
8 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:23.850 | 1:22.884 | no time | 14 |
9 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:23.757 | 1:22.904 | no time | 15 |
10 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:23.386 | 1:22.897 | no time | 14 |
11 | 3 | Jenson Button | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.510 | 1:22.944 | 13 | |
12 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:23.592 | 1:22.977 | 8 | |
13 | 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:23.852 | 1:23.125 | 14 | |
14 | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:23.720 | 1:23.177 | 13 | |
15 | 17 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:24.362 | 1:23.265 | 11 | |
16 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:23.906 | 1:23.442 | 11 | |
17 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:23.886 | 1:23.444 | 12 | |
18 | 19 | Bruno Senna | Williams-Renault | 1:24.981 | 8 | ||
19 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham-Renault | 1:25.277 | 8 | ||
20 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham-Renault | 1:25.507 | 8 | ||
21 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:26.582 | 8 | ||
22 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:27.032 | 8 | ||
23 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT-Cosworth | 1:27.555 | 6 | ||
24 | 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT-Cosworth | 1:31.122 | 4 |
Race Report
Circuit de Catalunya, Sunday May 13
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-27A-03
Started: 24th
Finished 8th
Fastest lap 1m28.918s (+2.668s, 18th)
Pitstops Two: laps 14 (4.0s) and 35 (3.8s) [Opt-Pri-Pri]
Points 53 (3rd)
“I’m proud of my performance today, and proud of the team too. They did a great job: a real improvement with the pitstops, following our difficulties in that area recently. All in all, then, I think today’s result was the best we could do.
“I was the only driver to attempt a two-stop strategy, and I’m glad I was able to made it work. People often say that I have an aggressive driving style, but my final stint on the Prime tyre was 31 laps, so I reckon I proved today that I can make tyres last.
“It was a huge challenge to come through the field from the back, but I never gave up for a single second, right up to the finish line. Before the race I said I’d race my heart out, and that’s exactly what I did. For me, that’s what racing is all about.
“Today was all about damage limitation. But, now, looking at the bigger picture, I can’t really complain because, despite the setbacks I’ve had this season, I’m still only eight points behind the leader of the drivers’ world championship.
“The team has been working extremely hard, and our car is quick. So, when things go right, I think we’ll be in a great position – and it’ll come to us before too long.
“Finally, big congratulations to Pastor [Maldonado] and everyone at Williams – it’s a fantastic result for them and this is a great day for him personally.”
JENSON BUTTON
MP4-27A-04
Started 10th
Finished 9th
Fastest lap 1m28.624s (+2.374s, 14th)
Pitstops Three: laps 9 (4.1s), 25 (4.6s) and 38 (3.8s) [Opt-Pri-Opt-Pri]
Points 45 (6th)
“Congratulations to Pastor! His was a great drive and I’m sure it will instil a lot of confidence in him and the Williams team.
“The Formula 1 form-book is very mixed-up at the moment, which is unusual, but that’s the way it appears to be going this season. As for us, well, a lot of my afternoon was spent stuck in traffic, and I had a Sauber breathing down my neck for most of the race. All in all, we weren’t quite quick enough today – but that’s something I need to solve myself. I need to find a set-up that suits me better as I feel like I have pretty poor grip at the moment.
“Having said that, I’m already looking forward to Monaco and a much better weekend there. It’s a circuit I love and hopefully a place where we can achieve a good result.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Before I say anything else, I want to offer my very hearty congratulations to Williams, to Pastor and particularly to Sir Frank for a stunning victory here today.
“For Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, following our disappointments yesterday, today was always going to be about recovery. Even so, Jenson will be disappointed: he struggled with balance and grip all afternoon, and won’t be satisfied with the brace of world championship points that his ninth place delivered him.
“Lewis, having started in 24th and last place following his qualifying penalty yesterday, drove an absolutely storming race to eighth place at the chequered flag, all but catching and passing Nico [Rosberg] for seventh place on the final lap. Like Jenson, he won’t be content with the four world championship points he earned this afternoon, but in truth he should be immensely proud of his performance here.
“Lewis was the only driver to make a two-stop strategy work today – and that, given that his race strategy called for him to drive exceptionally hard and extremely fast in heavy traffic all afternoon, pulling off some sensational passing manoeuvres on a circuit on which overtaking is notoriously difficult, was a truly magnificent feat.
“Make no mistake about it, the 2012 Santander Spanish Grand Prix was one of the most impressive races that Lewis has ever driven. His performance combined fabulous verve with commendable caution – and I’d go so far as to say that, rising above the frustration he inevitably felt yesterday evening, he’s inspired each and every one of us at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes with his stirring drive today.
“He’s only eight points behind the leader in the Drivers’ World Championship, and he loves the Monaco Grand Prix, the next stop on the World Championship calendar.
“Jenson, too, is a past winner at Monte-Carlo, and, like Lewis, he’ll approach the dauntingly tortuous streets of the famous Principality with the forceful precision that marks out both our drivers as the superb World Champions that they are.
“They’ll both be aiming to win, of that you may be sure.”
