2012 Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel won in Singapore after Lewis Hamilton retired from the lead with gearbox failure. Jenson Button finished second, while Fernando Alonso limited the championship damage with another podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:46.362
Fastest lap	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India
Fastest-lap time	1:51.033 on lap 52
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Jenson Button	McLaren
Third	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
21 September 2012	Practice 1	18:00 – 19:30
21 September 2012	Practice 2	21:30 – 23:00
22 September 2012	Practice 3	19:00 – 20:00
22 September 2012	Qualifying	22:00
23 September 2012	Race	20:00

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 14 leading the 2012 F1 World Championship on 179 points, with Lewis Hamilton on 142. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 272 points.

Race entries

Romain Grosjean raced for Lotus F1, replacing Jérôme d'Ambrosio. Ma Qing Hua also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Rain earlier in the day left FP1 damp before the circuit gradually dried enough for slicks. Sebastian Vettel edged Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull looked more comfortable back on a high-downforce track. Several drivers used the run-off areas, but all recovered without damage and the session continued without interruption.

A fully dry FP2 allowed proper tyre comparisons, with supersofts delivering a substantial improvement over the harder compound. Sebastian Vettel led, while Lewis Hamilton’s longer-run pace remained encouraging despite a compromised quick lap. Bruno Senna’s barrier contact interrupted the session, and Kimi Räikkönen stopped early with a hydraulic problem.

Sebastian Vettel completed a practice clean sweep, but FP3 ended early when Vitaly Petrov damaged his suspension against the wall and blocked the pit entrance. Mark Webber had already suffered a puncture after contact and missed a representative supersoft lap. Kimi Räikkönen recovered some pace after his difficult Friday, improving Lotus’s outlook.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2012 Singapore Grand Prix FP1, 21 September 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:50.566	24
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.049s	15
3	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.893s	17
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.959s	20
5	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+1.010s	20
6	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.089s	19
7	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.092s	24
8	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.377s	21
9	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+1.709s	24
10	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.730s	19
11	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+2.063s	25
12	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+2.150s	16
13	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.273s	23
14	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+2.420s	21
15	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+2.462s	20
16	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.514s	17
17	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+2.623s	25
18	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+2.661s	26
19	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+4.342s	20
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+4.525s	16
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.769s	22
22	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+5.194s	22
23	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+6.090s	21
24	23	Ma Qing Hua	HRT	+7.487s	20

Free Practice 2 Classification

2012 Singapore Grand Prix FP2, 21 September 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:48.340	27
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.311s	24
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.556s	26
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.624s	26
5	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.746s	28
6	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+0.960s	30
7	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.999s	32
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.450s	32
9	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.699s	28
10	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+1.821s	24
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.923s	23
12	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+2.005s	24
13	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.296s	32
14	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+2.451s	26
15	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.782s	28
16	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+3.110s	21
17	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+3.112s	11
18	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+3.669s	31
19	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+3.878s	29
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+4.236s	27
21	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.523s	27
22	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+4.596s	26
23	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+6.108s	26
24	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.174s	30

Free Practice 3 Classification

2012 Singapore Grand Prix FP3, 22 September 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:47.947	15
2	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.325s	15
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.676s	11
4	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.912s	16
5	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	+0.918s	17
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.511s	13
7	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.737s	15
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.752s	16
9	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	+1.768s	14
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+2.034s	14
11	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.163s	12
12	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	+2.577s	10
13	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+2.717s	16
14	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.830s	15
15	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	+2.893s	15
16	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.065s	15
17	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+3.112s	17
18	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+3.325s	10
19	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	+4.343s	16
20	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	+5.834s	12
21	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	+6.379s	14
22	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.474s	14
23	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	+6.683s	9
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	+6.928s	14

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton headed qualifying for McLaren, with Pastor Maldonado second and Sebastian Vettel third.

Lewis Hamilton took pole ahead of an impressive Pastor Maldonado and Sebastian Vettel. The tight street circuit punished mistakes, and several drivers lost opportunities through contact with the walls or traffic.

Qualifying Classification

2012 Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying, 22 September 2012

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:48.285	1:46.665	1:46.362	14
2	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:49.494	1:47.602	1:46.804	17
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:48.240	1:46.791	1:46.905	14
4	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:49.381	1:47.661	1:46.939	15
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:49.391	1:47.567	1:47.216	14
6	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:48.028	1:47.667	1:47.241	18
7	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:48.717	1:47.513	1:47.475	17
8	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	1:47.688	1:47.529	1:47.788	16
9	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:49.546	1:47.823	no time	14
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:49.463	1:47.943	no time	13
11	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:49.547	1:47.975	—	12
12	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	1:48.169	1:48.261	—	14
13	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:49.767	1:48.344	—	12
14	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:49.055	1:48.505	—	14
15	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:49.023	1:48.774	—	13
16	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:49.564	1:48.849	—	14
17	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	1:49.809	no time	—	10
18	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:49.933	—	—	8
19	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:50.846	—	—	6
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:51.137	—	—	6
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:51.370	—	—	8
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:51.762	—	—	8
23	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:52.372	—	—	7
24	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:53.355	—	—	7

Bruno Senna and Pedro de la Rosa received five-place grid penalties for unscheduled gearbox changes.

What happened in the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix?

Hamilton led away as Vettel and Button passed Maldonado. The McLaren retained the advantage through the first stops, but Hamilton’s gearbox failed on lap 23, handing Vettel the lead.

Narain Karthikeyan‘s crash brought out the safety car, while Maldonado retired with hydraulic trouble. A later collision in which Schumacher hit Jean-Éric Vergne caused a second safety-car period and eliminated both cars.

Vettel managed the restarts and kept Button behind him. The interruptions pushed the race to its two-hour limit, so it finished after 59 laps rather than the scheduled 61.

Alonso took third, ahead of Paul di Resta‘s career-best fourth place. Rosberg finished fifth and Räikkönen sixth. Vettel’s win moved him to second in the championship, 29 points behind Alonso.

Further down the points places, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Pérez completed the scoring positions. Nico Hulkenberg 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 165. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 297, with McLaren on 261.

2012 Singapore Grand Prix race results

The 2012 Singapore Grand Prix was held on 23 September 2012, with a scheduled start of 20:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	59	2:00:26.144	25
2	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	59	+8.959	18
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	59	+15.227	15
4	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	59	+19.063	12
5	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	59	+34.784	10
6	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	59	+35.759	8
7	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	59	+36.698	6
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	59	+42.829	4
9	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	59	+45.820	2
10	15	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	59	+50.619	1
11	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	59	+1:07.175	0
12	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	59	+1:31.918	0
13	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	59	+1:37.141	0
14	12	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	59	+1:39.413	0
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	59	+1:47.467	0
16	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	59	+2:12.925	0
17	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	58	+1 Lap	0
18	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	57	Engine	0
19	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	57	+2 Laps	0
Ret	17	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso	38	Collision	0
Ret	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	38	Collision	0
Ret	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	36	Hydraulics	0
Ret	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	30	Accident	0
Ret	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	22	Gearbox	0

Mark Webber originally finished in tenth place, but had twenty seconds added to his time after he cut a corner in order to pass Kamui Kobayashi.

Charles Pic had twenty seconds added to his race time after he was spotted overtaking another car while red flags were being shown in the final free practice session.

2012 Singapore Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	52	1:51.033	164.480
2	14	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	52	1:51.690	163.513
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	50	1:52.134	162.865
4	3	Jenson Button	McLaren	47	1:52.625	162.155
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	53	1:52.709	162.034
6	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	51	1:52.778	161.935
7	11	Paul di Resta	Force India	54	1:52.931	161.716
8	17	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	28	1:53.510	160.891
9	19	Bruno Senna	Williams	27	1:53.610	160.749
10	15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	53	1:53.726	160.585
11	9	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus F1	53	1:53.785	160.502
12	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	1:53.897	160.344
13	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	47	1:53.997	160.204
14	10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus F1	56	1:54.123	160.027
15	16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	53	1:54.267	159.825
16	18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	27	1:55.120	158.641
17	21	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	44	1:55.140	158.613
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	48	1:55.233	158.485
19	4	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	14	1:55.541	158.063
20	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	26	1:56.047	157.374
21	24	Timo Glock	Marussia	30	1:56.057	157.360
22	25	Charles Pic	Marussia	37	1:56.486	156.781
23	22	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	48	1:57.671	155.202
24	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	26	1:58.507	154.107

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 Singapore 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	165
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Lotus F1	149
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	142
5	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	132
6	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	119
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	93
8	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus F1	82
9	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	66
10	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	51
11	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	44
12	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	43
13	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	35
14	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	31
15	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	29
16	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Williams	25
17	Jean-Éric Vergne	French	Toro Rosso	8
18	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Toro Rosso	6
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	297
2	McLaren	261
3	Ferrari	245
4	Lotus F1	231
5	Mercedes	136
6	Sauber	101
7	Force India	75
8	Williams	54
9	Toro Rosso	14
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