2012 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel completed a Suzuka grand slam as Fernando Alonso retired at the first corner. Felipe Massa returned to the podium in second, while Kamui Kobayashi delighted the home crowd with his first Formula 1 podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:30.839
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:35.774 on lap 52
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Third	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 October 2012	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
5 October 2012	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
6 October 2012	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
6 October 2012	Qualifying	14:00
7 October 2012	Race	15:00

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 15 leading the 2012 F1 World Championship on 194 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 165. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 297 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Japanese Grand Prix. Giedo van der Garde, Valtteri Bottas also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Jenson Button led FP1 while Lotus evaluated its double-DRS development and reserve drivers Valtteri Bottas and Giedo van der Garde gained mileage. Nico Rosberg stopped late in the Esses, losing the final part of his running. Several drivers explored the gravel or run-off areas, but there was no major accident damage.

Mark Webber led FP2 as tyre blistering and longer-run performance became important themes. Di Resta and Michael Schumacher separately crashed at Spoon, while Vitaly Petrov lost his rear wing on the straight near the finish. The incidents disrupted preparation at a circuit placing unusually high loads through both car and tyres.

Sebastian Vettel led Red Bull’s FP3 effort, while traffic spoiled the McLarens’ quick runs and obscured their true pace. Kimi Räikkönen spent much of the session in the garage investigating an unusual feeling at the rear. Nico Hulkenberg then crashed at Degner, leaving Force India with repairs immediately before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2012 Japanese Grand Prix FP1, 5 October 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:34.507	20
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.233s	26
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.349s	24
4	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.552s	18
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.615s	20
6	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+0.692s	27
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.776s	24
8	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+0.792s	18
9	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.967s	22
10	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+0.971s	24
11	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.977s	26
12	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.077s	24
13	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+1.184s	22
14	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.217s	21
15	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.616s	19
16	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+1.715s	25
17	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.859s	23
18	19	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.882s	24
19	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+3.209s	17
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+3.788s	23
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.109s	25
22	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+4.536s	25
23	20	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham	+4.867s	22
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+5.181s	19

Free Practice 2 Classification

2012 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 5 October 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:32.493	34
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.214s	32
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.343s	37
4	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.494s	30
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.600s	28
6	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+0.614s	35
7	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.856s	22
8	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+1.006s	35
9	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.121s	32
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.257s	13
11	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.373s	19
12	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.410s	36
13	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.490s	33
14	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+1.798s	12
15	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+1.807s	33
16	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+2.370s	32
17	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+2.587s	34
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+3.218s	41
19	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+3.377s	37
20	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+3.701s	32
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.143s	28
22	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+4.849s	30
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+5.208s	35
24	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2012 Japanese Grand Prix FP3, 6 October 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:32.136	17
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.235s	20
3	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.688s	13
4	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.782s	23
5	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+0.784s	19
6	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+0.788s	15
7	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+0.872s	21
8	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.889s	16
9	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+0.958s	17
10	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+1.024s	16
11	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.048s	14
12	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+1.088s	15
13	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.433s	14
14	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+1.586s	18
15	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.763s	23
16	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+1.848s	19
17	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.887s	19
18	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.233s	11
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+3.432s	19
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+4.219s	18
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+4.253s	11
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.381s	18
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+4.513s	12
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+4.739s	16

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed qualifying for Red Bull Racing, with Mark Webber second and Jenson Button third.

Sebastian Vettel took pole ahead of Mark Webber. Jenson Button‘s gearbox penalty promoted Kobayashi to third on the grid, while Schumacher and Vergne also carried penalties into the race.

Qualifying Classification

2012 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 6 October 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:32.608	1:31.501	1:30.839	11
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:32.951	1:31.950	1:31.090	15
3	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:33.077	1:31.772	1:31.290	14
4	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:32.042	1:31.886	1:31.700	16
5	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:32.029	1:31.988	1:31.898	20
6	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:32.147	1:32.169	1:32.022	20
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:32.459	1:31.833	1:32.114	17
8	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	1:32.221	1:31.826	1:32.208	18
9	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:33.061	1:32.121	1:32.327	17
10	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:32.828	1:32.272	no time	12
11	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:32.946	1:32.293	—	12
12	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:32.898	1:32.327	—	14
13	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:33.349	1:32.469	—	10
14	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:32.834	1:32.512	—	11
15	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:33.015	1:32.625	—	16
16	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:33.059	1:32.954	—	14
17	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:33.370	1:33.368	—	14
18	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	1:33.405	—	—	8
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:34.657	—	—	6
20	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:35.213	—	—	8
21	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:35.385	—	—	6
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:35.429	—	—	8
23	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:35.432	—	—	8
24	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:36.734	—	—	6

Jenson Button and Nico Hülkenberg each received a five-place grid penalty for unscheduled gearbox changes.

Michael Schumacher received a ten-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable accident at the previous race.

Jean-Éric Vergne was given a three-place grid penalty for blocking Bruno Senna during the first part of qualifying.

What happened in the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix?

Alonso suffered a puncture after contact with Räikkönen and spun out at the first corner. Grosjean hit Webber, while separate contact eliminated Rosberg, prompting an early safety car behind Vettel’s leading Red Bull.

Vettel controlled the restart and pulled steadily clear. Massa gained ground with strong pace and an extended first stint, moving ahead of Kobayashi and Button during the pit-stop sequence.

Kobayashi had to withstand Button’s pressure through the closing laps. The Sauber driver kept his composure to secure third, while Vettel remained far ahead and added the fastest lap to pole and every lap led.

Hamilton finished fifth behind Button, followed by Räikkönen and Hülkenberg. Vettel’s victory reduced Alonso’s championship advantage to only four points, turning the title contest sharply in Red Bull‘s favour.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Pastor Maldonado, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo completed the scoring positions. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2012 rules.

After the race, Fernando Alonso headed the drivers’ standings with 194 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 190. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 324, with McLaren on 283.

2012 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2012 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 7 October 2012, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	53	1:28:56.242	25
2	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	53	+20.632	18
3	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	53	+24.538	15
4	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	53	+25.098	12
5	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	53	+46.490	10
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	53	+50.424	8
7	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	53	+51.159	6
8	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	53	+52.364	4
9	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	53	+54.675	2
10	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	53	+1:06.919	1
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	53	+1:07.769	0
12	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	53	+1:23.460	0
13	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	53	+1:28.645	0
14	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	53	+1:28.709	0
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	52	+1 Lap	0
16	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	52	+1 Lap	0
17	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	52	+1 Lap	0
18	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	52	+1 Lap	0
19	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	51	Gearbox	0
Ret	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	37	Engine	0
Ret	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	32	Vibrations	0
Ret	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	18	Spun off	0
Ret	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	0	Collision	0
Ret	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	0	Collision	0

Romain Grosjean was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2012 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	52	1:35.774	218.276
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	51	1:36.606	216.396
3	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	52	1:36.679	216.233
4	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	44	1:36.819	215.920
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	50	1:36.894	215.753
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	43	1:36.942	215.646
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	49	1:37.128	215.233
8	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	50	1:37.455	214.511
9	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	39	1:37.533	214.339
10	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	48	1:37.535	214.335
11	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	45	1:37.760	213.842
12	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	45	1:37.771	213.818
13	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	49	1:37.886	213.566
14	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	46	1:37.938	213.453
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	52	1:38.043	213.224
16	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	32	1:38.277	212.717
17	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	47	1:38.344	212.572
18	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	48	1:38.756	211.685
19	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	17	1:38.983	211.199
20	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	50	1:39.351	210.417
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	34	1:40.493	208.026
22	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	21	1:41.388	206.190

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

2012 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	194
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	190
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Lotus F1	157
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	152
5	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	134
6	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	131
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	93
8	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	82
9	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	69
10	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	66
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	50
12	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	44
13	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	43
14	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	37
15	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	33
16	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Williams	25
17	Jean-Éric Vergne	French	Toro Rosso	8
18	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Toro Rosso	7
19	Timo Glock	German	Marussia	0
20	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Caterham	0
21	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Caterham	0
22	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Lotus F1	0
23	Charles Pic	French	Marussia	0
24	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
25	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	HRT	0

2012 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	324
2	McLaren	283
3	Ferrari	263
4	Lotus F1	239
5	Mercedes	136
6	Sauber	116
7	Force India	81
8	Williams	58
9	Toro Rosso	15
10	Marussia	0
11	Caterham	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