2012 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jenson Button opened the season with victory in Australia after beating Lewis Hamilton away from the line. Sebastian Vettel used the safety-car period to take second, while a frantic finish changed the points positions behind the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:24.922
Fastest lap	Jenson Button	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:29.187 on lap 56
First	Jenson Button	McLaren
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Third	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
16 March 2012	Practice 1	12:30 – 14:00
16 March 2012	Practice 2	16:30 – 18:00
17 March 2012	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
17 March 2012	Qualifying	17:00
18 March 2012	Race	17:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The 2012 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Albert Park Circuit hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.

Race entries

Kimi Räikkönen returned to Formula 1 with Lotus alongside Romain Grosjean. Jean-Éric Vergne joined Toro Rosso and Charles Pic joined Marussia. The former Team Lotus became Caterham, while the former Renault team raced as Lotus.

Free Practice

The track was initially caught between slick and intermediate conditions in FP1, delaying meaningful running. Jenson Button led once a dry line developed, while Kimi Räikkönen lost time to steering adjustments. HRT failed to record a lap, and Felipe Massa spun off, leaving several teams with incomplete preparation after the opening session.

More rain reset the grip levels for FP2, with Toro Rosso gathering wet-tyre data before a dry line emerged. Michael Schumacher made the most of late soft-tyre running to go fastest. HRT’s difficulties continued through another Narain Karthikeyan stoppage and hydraulic trouble for Pedro de la Rosa, while Kamui Kobayashi narrowly avoided the wall after spinning.

Dry, sunny FP3 allowed more representative running, but Red Bull’s qualifying preparation was disrupted. Sebastian Vettel spun off soon after switching to soft tyres, and Michael Schumacher’s spin spoiled Mark Webber’s quick lap. Lewis Hamilton finished fastest, while Pedro de la Rosa finally recorded a time before power-steering trouble sent him back to the pits.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2012 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 16 March 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:27.560	11
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.245s	14
3	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.675s	17
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.800s	21
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.907s	21
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.123s	22
7	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.348s	23
8	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+1.855s	16
9	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+2.005s	8
10	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.162s	26
11	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+2.230s	21
12	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.305s	17
13	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.321s	18
14	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+2.393s	21
15	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.564s	22
16	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+2.955s	16
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+3.026s	16
18	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+3.183s	11
19	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+3.618s	17
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+4.423s	8
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+7.170s	8
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+12.696s	11
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	No time	3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2012 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 16 March 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:29.183	16
2	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.109s	19
3	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.016s	23
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.158s	13
5	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.526s	14
6	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.283s	13
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.322s	14
8	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+2.749s	16
9	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+3.001s	17
10	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+3.011s	19
11	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+3.113s	20
12	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+3.449s	17
13	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+3.584s	15
14	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+3.639s	11
15	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+3.856s	18
16	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+4.069s	11
17	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+4.925s	21
18	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+5.092s	7
19	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+5.129s	17
20	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+5.302s	29
21	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+5.421s	31
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+5.587s	13
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+13.444s	16
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2012 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 17 March 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:25.681	18
2	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+0.077s	21
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.219s	20
4	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.225s	17
5	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.248s	23
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.397s	14
7	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.530s	12
8	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+0.789s	17
9	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+0.951s	20
10	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.042s	17
11	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+1.052s	15
12	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+1.056s	19
13	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.074s	21
14	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.348s	23
15	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+1.438s	20
16	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.642s	19
17	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.747s	22
18	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.342s	19
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+2.660s	19
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+3.021s	11
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+5.047s	13
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+5.544s	14
23	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+7.433s	12
24	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+7.580s	13

Qualifying

Qualifying used three knockout sessions lasting twenty, fifteen and ten minutes. Drivers progressed through Q1 and Q2 before the final ten competed for pole in Q3.

Lewis Hamilton took pole ahead of Jenson Button and the returning Romain Grosjean. Kimi Räikkönen was eliminated in Q1, while both HRT drivers failed the 107% requirement and were not permitted to start.

Qualifying Classification

2012 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 17 March 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:26.800	1:25.626	1:24.922	14
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:26.832	1:25.663	1:25.074	15
3	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:26.498	1:25.845	1:25.302	21
4	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:26.586	1:25.571	1:25.336	18
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:27.117	1:26.297	1:25.651	17
6	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:26.773	1:25.982	1:25.668	18
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:26.763	1:25.469	1:25.686	16
8	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:26.803	1:26.206	1:25.908	20
9	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:27.464	1:26.314	1:26.451	18
10	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:27.024	1:26.319	no time	16
11	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:26.493	1:26.429	—	12
12	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:26.688	1:26.494	—	12
13	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:26.182	1:26.590	—	12
14	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	1:27.004	1:26.663	—	16
15	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:27.469	1:27.086	—	16
16	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:27.633	1:27.497	—	16
17	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:26.596	no time	—	11
18	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	1:27.758	—	—	9
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:28.679	—	—	7
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:29.018	—	—	8
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:30.923	—	—	10
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:31.670	—	—	9
—	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:33.495	—	—	6
—	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:33.643	—	—	6

Sergio Pérez took a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan failed to set a lap time within 107% of the fastest time recorded in Q1. They were not given permission to start the race by the stewards. As a result, both cars failed to qualify for the race.

What happened in the 2012 Australian Grand Prix?

Button took the lead at the start, while Grosjean lost positions and later retired after contact with Pastor Maldonado. Nico Hülkenberg was eliminated in the opening-lap incidents, and Michael Schumacher‘s gearbox problem ended a promising early run.

Button maintained the advantage through the first stops. Vitaly Petrov‘s stranded Caterham then brought out the safety car, allowing Vettel to gain second ahead of Hamilton during the pit-stop sequence.

Button pulled clear immediately after the restart and protected his lead. Hamilton could not pass Vettel, while Mark Webber followed closely in fourth after recovering from a difficult opening lap.

Fernando Alonso held fifth, but Maldonado crashed on the final lap while pursuing him. Kamui Kobayashi finished sixth and Räikkönen seventh, while Daniel Ricciardo scored his first points in ninth at home.

Further down the points places, Kimi Räikkönen, Sergio Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo and Paul di Resta completed the scoring positions. Jenson Button set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2012 rules.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 25 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 18. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 40, with Red Bull Racing on 30.

2012 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2012 Australian Grand Prix was held on 18 March 2012, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	58	1:34:09.565	25
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	58	+2.139	18
3	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	58	+4.075	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	58	+4.547	12
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	58	+21.565	10
6	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	58	+36.766	8
7	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	58	+38.014	6
8	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	58	+39.458	4
9	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	58	+39.556	2
10	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	58	+39.737	1
11	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	58	+39.848	0
12	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	58	+57.642	0
13	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	57	Accident	0
14	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	57	+1 Lap	0
15	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	53	Oil pressure	0
16	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	52	Collision damage	0
Ret	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	46	Collision damage	0
Ret	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	38	Suspension	0
Ret	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	34	Steering	0
Ret	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	10	Gearbox	0
Ret	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1	Collision	0
Ret	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	0	Collision damage	0
DNQ	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	–	Failed to reach 107% time	0
DNQ	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	–	Failed to reach 107% time	0

2012 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	56	1:29.187	214.053
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	57	1:29.417	213.503
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	1:29.438	213.452
4	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	57	1:29.538	213.214
5	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	53	1:30.254	211.523
6	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	52	1:30.274	211.476
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	52	1:30.277	211.469
8	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	53	1:30.592	210.733
9	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	57	1:30.605	210.703
10	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	55	1:30.620	210.668
11	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	50	1:30.759	210.346
12	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	46	1:30.843	210.151
13	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	49	1:30.855	210.123
14	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	53	1:30.931	209.948
15	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	46	1:31.940	207.644
16	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	27	1:33.214	204.806
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	26	1:33.693	203.759
18	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	4	1:34.021	203.048
19	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	43	1:34.253	202.548
20	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	45	1:35.011	200.932

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2012 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2012 Australian Grand Prix.

2012 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	25
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	18
3	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	15
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	12
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	10
6	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	8
7	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Lotus F1	6
8	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	4
9	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Toro Rosso	2
10	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	1
11	Jean-Éric Vergne	French	Toro Rosso	0
12	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	0
13	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	0
14	Timo Glock	German	Marussia	0
15	Charles Pic	French	Marussia	0
16	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Williams	0
–	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
–	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Caterham	0
–	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Caterham	0
–	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	0
–	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	0
–	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	0

2012 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	40
2	Red Bull Racing	30
3	Sauber	12
4	Ferrari	10
5	Lotus F1	6
6	Toro Rosso	2
7	Force India	1
8	Mercedes	0
9	Williams	0
10	Marussia	0
–	Caterham	0

2012 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2012 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	18 March
2	2012 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	25 March
3	2012 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2012 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	22 April
5	2012 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2012 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2012 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2012 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 June
9	2012 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
10	2012 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
11	2012 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
12	2012 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	2 September
13	2012 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	9 September
14	2012 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	23 September
15	2012 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
16	2012 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	14 October
17	2012 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	28 October
18	2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	4 November
19	2012 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	18 November
20	2012 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	25 November