2012 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mark Webber passed Fernando Alonso late on to win the British Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel completed the podium after a wet practice and qualifying programme gave way to a dry race at Silverstone.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Pole time	1:51.746
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1
Fastest-lap time	1:34.661 on lap 50
First	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Second	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
6 July 2012	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
6 July 2012	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
7 July 2012	Practice 3	10:00 – 11:00
7 July 2012	Qualifying	13:00
8 July 2012	Race	13:00

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

Championship background

Fernando Alonso arrived at round 9 leading the 2012 F1 World Championship on 111 points, with Mark Webber on 91. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 176 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the British Grand Prix. Dani Clos, Jules Bianchi, Valtteri Bottas also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Heavy rain prevented teams from testing Pirelli’s experimental hard tyre in FP1. Romain Grosjean went fastest, but several drivers did not set times as teams conserved their limited wet-tyre supplies. Force India also lost useful running to steering and braking problems, leaving little opportunity to evaluate its car.

FP2 remained wet and activity was sparse as teams balanced tyre conservation against preparation. Bruno Senna hit standing water at Becketts and crashed heavily, causing a stoppage. Fernando Alonso also spun and damaged his front wing late on, while Lewis Hamilton led the limited running in front of the soaked home crowd.

FP3 finally offered dry running, although slippery patches initially remained. Teams hurried to recover Friday’s lost work before another possible shower. Fernando Alonso led, while Jenson Button showed useful pace on used harder tyres. Charles Pic twice stopped on track, with the first stoppage briefly interrupting the session for recovery.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2012 British Grand Prix FP1, 6 July 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:56.552	13
2	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+0.275s	10
3	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.622s	6
4	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.112s	11
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.567s	7
6	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.911s	7
7	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.931s	19
8	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.941s	10
9	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+2.390s	8
10	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+2.524s	12
11	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+2.862s	11
12	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+3.062s	9
13	19	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+3.181s	7
14	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+3.235s	10
15	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.573s	5
16	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+3.701s	6
17	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+5.282s	6
18	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+5.283s	6
19	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+7.789s	9
20	23	Dani Clos	HRT	+8.470s	11
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+15.208s	6
22	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	No time	4
23	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	No time	3
24	12	Jules Bianchi	Force India	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2012 British Grand Prix FP2, 6 July 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:56.345	8
2	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+0.129s	16
3	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.200s	12
4	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.222s	9
5	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.148s	13
6	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.603s	9
7	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+2.235s	10
8	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+2.552s	8
9	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.598s	12
10	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+2.670s	14
11	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+3.084s	9
12	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.127s	6
13	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+3.131s	10
14	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+3.509s	7
15	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+4.220s	7
16	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+4.475s	11
17	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+4.754s	6
18	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+5.003s	12
19	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+7.374s	8
20	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+8.429s	8
21	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	No time	1
22	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	No time	2
23	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2012 British Grand Prix FP3, 7 July 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:32.167	21
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.153s	20
3	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+0.191s	25
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.253s	21
5	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+0.287s	25
6	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.310s	20
7	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+0.455s	21
8	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+0.773s	19
9	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+0.879s	20
10	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.983s	19
11	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+1.100s	25
12	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.200s	20
13	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.231s	24
14	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.295s	24
15	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+1.506s	22
16	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.507s	21
17	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.540s	21
18	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.566s	15
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+2.131s	18
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+2.614s	20
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+4.438s	18
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.893s	14
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+5.102s	23
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+5.262s	17

Qualifying

Fernando Alonso headed qualifying for Ferrari, with Mark Webber second and Michael Schumacher third.

Fernando Alonso took pole after a lengthy rain interruption, ahead of Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher. Jenson Button was eliminated in Q1 when yellow flags prevented him from improving on his final attempt.

Qualifying Classification

2012 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 July 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:46.515	1:56.921	1:51.746	25
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:47.276	1:55.898	1:51.793	23
3	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:46.571	1:55.799	1:52.020	22
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:46.279	1:56.931	1:52.199	23
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:47.401	1:56.388	1:53.065	24
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	1:47.309	1:56.469	1:53.290	24
7	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:46.449	1:56.802	1:53.539	25
8	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:47.433	1:54.897	1:53.543	25
9	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:46.334	1:55.556	1:54.382	22
10	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:47.043	1:56.388	no time	20
11	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:47.582	1:57.009	—	19
12	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:46.649	1:57.071	—	18
13	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:47.724	1:57.108	—	17
14	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:47.266	1:57.132	—	18
15	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	1:47.105	1:57.426	—	19
16	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:47.705	1:57.719	—	18
17	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:46.494	1:57.895	—	19
18	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:48.044	—	—	12
19	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:49.027	—	—	10
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:49.477	—	—	10
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:51.618	—	—	10
22	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:52.742	—	—	11
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:53.040	—	—	10
24	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:54.143	—	—	10

Nico Hülkenberg was given a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.

Kamui Kobayashi was given a five-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable accident with Felipe Massa in Valencia.

Jean-Éric Vergne was given a ten-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable accident with Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia.

Charles Pic failed to set a lap time within 107% of the fastest lap time set in Q1. His entry into the race depended on an injunction from the race stewards. He received a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox, before being given permission to enter the race by the stewards, leaving him twenty-fourth overall.

What happened in the 2012 British Grand Prix?

Alonso retained the lead at the start, while Vettel lost ground to Massa before recovering. Vitaly Petrov failed to start after a problem on the way to the grid, and early contact ended Paul di Resta‘s race.

Alonso and Webber ran different tyre sequences, with the Ferrari saving the softer compound for the final stint. Grosjean recovered from an early front-wing change, while Maldonado and Pérez collided and the Sauber retired.

Webber’s harder tyres proved more effective late in the race. He closed on Alonso and passed around the outside at Brooklands, taking the lead with only a handful of laps remaining.

Webber won ahead of Alonso and Vettel, with Massa fourth. Räikkönen and Grosjean gave Lotus fifth and sixth, while Schumacher finished seventh. Alonso retained the championship lead, but Webber reduced the gap with his second win of the year.

Further down the points places, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Bruno Senna and Jenson Button completed the scoring positions. Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2012 rules.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 129 points, followed by Mark Webber on 116. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 216, with Ferrari on 152.

2012 British Grand Prix race results

The 2012 British Grand Prix was held on 8 July 2012, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	52	1:25:11.288	25
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	52	+3.060	18
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	52	+4.836	15
4	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	52	+9.519	12
5	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	52	+10.314	10
6	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	52	+17.101	8
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	52	+29.153	6
8	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	52	+36.463	4
9	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	52	+43.347	2
10	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	52	+44.444	1
11	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	52	+45.370	0
12	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	52	+47.856	0
13	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	52	+51.241	0
14	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	52	+53.313	0
15	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	52	+57.394	0
16	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	51	+1 Lap	0
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	51	+1 Lap	0
18	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	51	+1 Lap	0
19	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	51	+1 Lap	0
20	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	50	+2 Laps	0
21	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	50	+2 Laps	0
Ret	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	11	Collision	0
Ret	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	2	Collision damage	0
DNS	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham		Engine	0

2012 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	50	1:34.661	224.037
2	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	50	1:34.884	223.510
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	52	1:34.897	223.480
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	49	1:34.934	223.393
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	50	1:35.041	223.141
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	52	1:35.191	222.789
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	49	1:35.385	222.336
8	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	49	1:35.448	222.190
9	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	48	1:35.478	222.120
10	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	49	1:35.514	222.036
11	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	49	1:35.750	221.489
12	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	48	1:35.863	221.228
13	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	37	1:35.981	220.956
14	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	52	1:36.086	220.714
15	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	44	1:36.173	220.515
16	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	50	1:37.422	217.687
17	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	34	1:37.515	217.480
18	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	50	1:38.008	216.386
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	37	1:38.050	216.293
20	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	50	1:38.339	215.658
21	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	44	1:39.618	212.889
22	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	3	1:39.781	212.541

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 British Grand Prix.

2012 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	129
2	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	116
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	100
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	92
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Lotus F1	83
6	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	75
7	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	61
8	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	50
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	39
10	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	29
11	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	27
12	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	23
13	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	23
14	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	21
15	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Williams	18
16	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	17
17	Jean-Éric Vergne	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Toro Rosso	2
19	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Caterham	0
20	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Caterham	0
21	Timo Glock	German	Marussia	0
22	Charles Pic	French	Marussia	0
23	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
24	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	HRT	0

2012 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	216
2	Ferrari	152
3	Lotus F1	144
4	McLaren	142
5	Mercedes	98
6	Sauber	60
7	Williams	47
8	Force India	44
9	Toro Rosso	6
10	Caterham	0
11	Marussia	0
12	HRT	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