Europe – Race: Alonso King of Spain

There are 23 drivers who will start this eighth Grand Prix of the season, as Timo Glock has opted to withdraw, still bothered by intestinal issues.

Some drivers, like Michael Schumacher or Mark Webber, unsurprisingly opted for conservative strategies, starting with the hardest tires for this race (medium, white tires) to finish with the softest tires (soft, yellow tires).

The temperature on the track is close to 50°C and there is obviously no risk of rain.

At the start, Vettel and Hamilton maintain their positions, but behind, it’s Grosjean who is very aggressive. He overtakes Pastor Maldonado authoritatively at the first braking point. In the pack, it’s a free-for-all between Massa and Button, Alonso is back in eighth place and putting pressure on Di Resta.

After one lap, Vettel is already nearly two seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Grosjean is on the tail of the 2008 world champion. Behind them, Kobayashi has taken advantage of a very good start to move ahead of Maldonado. Räikkönen is on the Venezuelan’s heels and tries to overtake him, but the Williams driver resists masterfully. The gap is dangerously widening between Vettel and Hamilton, as after three laps there is a four-second difference between the two men, increasing to 5.3 seconds the following lap. Rosberg is already being informed that his rear tires are at critical temperature.

Grosjean puts pressure on Hamilton: “You have to overtake Hamilton!” they urge him on the radio when the Briton announces he’s struggling to keep the Franco-Swiss at bay. But Kobayashi is also putting pressure on the Lotus. The DRS zone seems quite ineffective, as few drivers use it to overtake at the end of the straight. Vettel continues his solo run, recording the fastest laps. He has almost an eight-second lead after 5 laps. Massa, on his side, is tenth and trying everything to pass Di Resta, without success. At the back, Pic tries to overtake Karthikeyan, but the Indian holds the line. Pic, sliding, slightly hits the right rear tire and loses a piece of the front wing.

After 10 laps, Vettel has a ten-second lead over a group consisting of Hamilton, Grosjean, and Kobayashi; followed by Maldonado, Räikkönen, Hülkenberg, Alonso, Di Resta, and Massa. But Grosjean attempts an overtake at the end of the DRS zone: the Lotus approaches the corner from the outside, the McLaren resists, but Hamilton eventually gives in. Grosjean takes second place and quickly gets out of DRS range. Meanwhile, Button and Pérez have pitted, surprisingly for the Mexican. Massa arrives the following lap. The gap between Vettel and Grosjean further widens, peaking at nearly 12 seconds. A little further back, the other Lotus, driven by Räikkönen, is grappling with Maldonado, who holds his position for the time being.

Hamilton goes through the pits, rejoining the pack. Vettel continues to gain time on Grosjean, with a fourteen-second lead after 14 laps. Behind the two men, Kobayashi, Maldonado, and Räikkönen pit and return in a different order: Räikkönen ahead of Kobayashi, then Maldonado. Alonso takes advantage of this wave to position himself in third place. Hamilton overtakes Senna for seventh place and has Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes in his sights, on a different strategy. Alonso also pits and returns just ahead of Räikkönen. The leaders are now Vettel, Grosjean, and Di Resta. But Vettel stops, followed by Grosjean who was trailing by 15 seconds. The Red Bull driver returns to the front on soft tires, and Grosjean rejoins ahead of Lewis Hamilton, in fourth place. Only Di Resta and Rosberg separate the reigning world double champion from the Lotus driver.

A train formed behind Schumacher with Senna, Webber, Alonso, Räikkönen, Kobayashi, and Maldonado. All these drivers are on different strategies, and it’s a stack-up at every corner. Alonso overtakes his three predecessors and breaks away, but behind, it’s a relentless battle. Meanwhile, Grosjean outmaneuvers Di Resta and reclaims second position.

Back in the pack of mad racers: Senna, in great difficulty, resists but Räikkönen eventually passes. Kobayashi tries his luck, but the two men collide. Senna suffers a rear puncture while the Sauber’s wing is slightly damaged. Both men get off rather well in this fast zone. The stewards will take a look at this incident, and Senna receives a drive-through penalty.

**After 22 laps**, the gap between Vettel and Grosjean is growing, now at twenty seconds. Alonso, behind, overtakes Di Resta to claim fourth position. The Scottish driver is slowly dropping in the rankings, being easily overtaken by Räikkönen and then Maldonado, before finally heading to the pits himself. Another driver in trouble is Sergio Pérez, overtaken by Ricciardo for tenth place.

Grosjean finally gains time on Vettel by chaining the fastest laps. At the back, Vergne, while overtaking Kovalainen, makes contact and both drivers have a puncture. Debris flies from the Toro Rosso and the safety car is deployed. Grosjean, Hamilton, and Alonso head to the pits. No issues for Grosjean and Alonso, but chaos erupts at McLaren with multiple problems during the stop. The Briton is overtaken by Alonso, Ricciardo, and Räikkönen. The drivers are mostly on medium tires for what will likely be the final stint of the Grand Prix. As the rule states, cars that are between the leaders can overtake the safety car to catch up with the back of the pack. The leading drivers will restart wheel to wheel once the field is grouped together.

At the restart, Vettel maintains the lead, but it is Alonso who gains the advantage over Grosjean during braking. In the pack, Massa is hit by a Sauber and suffers a puncture on the front right. But above all, Vettel encounters a mechanical problem and slows down! Alonso takes the lead to the cheers of the Valencian crowd! Behind the two front-runners, Hamilton manages to overtake Räikkönen and Ricciardo. Behind the Australian, Schumacher, Webber, Maldonado, and the two Force Indias form a train.

After 37 laps, Hamilton is facing a penalty for ignoring the yellow flags. Grosjean is still less than a second behind Alonso. Behind, Hamilton is two seconds away from the Lotus driver. Webber goes through the pits once more. The gap between Alonso and Grosjean is widening, and for good reason! The Lotus driver suffers a mechanical failure in turn! He has to retire, leaving the field open for Fernando Alonso. Hamilton, in second position, is four seconds behind the Spaniard but seems to be catching up while Räikkönen is on the Briton’s heels.

Translate: After 46 laps, Alonso leads ahead of Hamilton and Räikkönen, with Maldonado, Hülkenberg, Di Resta, and Pérez following. Schumacher and Webber have gotten past Petrov, who was in tenth position. Alonso still maintains a lead of around four seconds over Hamilton and Räikkönen, tire degradation does not yet seem to have taken effect. The stewards announce that the Briton will not be penalized, so he hasn’t made any mistakes. However, in the pack, Petrov made contact with Ricciardo as he was overtaking. The Russian lost his front wing. The stewards will have some more work to do.

In the pack, Schumacher and then Webber take the eighth and ninth place from Button, who is struggling. Pérez, on his side, is attacking Di Resta with fresher tires. The gap slightly decreases between Alonso and Hamilton, with a 3.5-second lead for the Spaniard. Schumacher and Webber are making a joint comeback and are already on Di Resta’s Force India after passing Pérez. The Scotsman can offer no resistance to the two men.

With two laps to go before the finish, Hamilton is struggling with his tires. He holds off Räikkönen for a few corners but is eventually overtaken by the Finn. Maldonado tries his luck on the straight but Hamilton resists fiercely. The Williams driver gives way, but the Venezuelan will try again. He attempts to overtake on the outside, but Hamilton holds his ground and there’s a collision! Maldonado continues without a front wing, but Hamilton is in the tire wall! Schumacher passes the floundering Maldonado, and the battle for third place is between the German and Webber! It’s Schumacher who clinches the podium! His first since his return!

Fernando Alonso takes the win here in Valencia, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher! It’s the 29th victory of the Spaniard’s career!

2012 European Grand Prix Formula 1 Standings