Brazil – Race: Button wins, Vettel world champion

At the end of this 20th race of the championship, the title will be awarded either to Fernando Alonso or to Sebastian Vettel, who is in the most favorable position as they approach this final event of the season. At the start, the track is dry, but a few raindrops appear on the Interlagos circuit. Despite this, the tire choice remains those for dry tracks. Schumacher, Grosjean, and Kobayashi will start with Pirelli’s hard compound tires.

At the start, Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole position, gets a good launch, as do the two Ferraris, with Massa slipping into second place. Fernando Alonso is already fifth while Vettel spins at the end of the first sector after being hit by Bruno Senna behind him; the German is now last and takes on the role of hunter. The championship leader has damage to his RB8, and his pit wall informs him that it cannot be repaired before telling him that everything is fine. A boosted Alonso takes third place as the track seems particularly treacherous in some spots. After two laps, the McLarens are in front, with Hamilton leading Button, and Alonso is third. Senna and Pérez are already forced to retire following the first lap incident. Vettel sets the fastest lap with a time of 1:21.316 and ranks 18th.

Fernando Alonso makes a mistake in the S de Senna on the fifth lap and finds himself with Webber in his exhaust. But the Australian also has to deal with Massa putting pressure behind him. The Brazilian plays his role perfectly by getting the better of the Red Bull driver as some drivers pit to switch to wet-weather tires. Romain Grosjean won’t have the time to do so: he abandons his Lotus in the third sector after going off track massively. Mark Webber makes an error in the S de Senna while the two McLarens battle for the first position in this completely crazy Grand Prix. By the 8th lap, Vettel has already moved up to 8th position. Up front, Button gets the better of his teammate while Nico Hülkenberg occupies third place on the circuit that allowed him to claim pole in 2010 in similar conditions. The German is only 3 seconds behind the leader. At the back, Heikki Kovalainen is in 11th position, which would allow his team to reclaim 10th place in the constructors’ championship.

At Red Bull, they opt for intermediate tires on Mark Webber’s car in the 10th lap while Vettel is sixth behind Massa, who is acting as a blocker. At Ferrari and McLaren, they replicate the Austrian team’s strategy, preparing to welcome Vettel. Hamilton and Alonso also go through the pit lane and find themselves one behind the other. The hunt for the world title is just beginning, with 60 laps remaining. Jenson Button stays on track and informs his pit crew that the rain has stopped. At this moment in the Grand Prix, Button leads ahead of Hülkenberg and Massa, who are still on slicks. But Hamilton gets the better of the local favorite. Alonso is 8th and Vettel 14th as it starts raining clearly again on the Interlagos track. This causes some issues in the pack. Slicks clearly don’t seem to be the best option, as Felipe Massa gets literally overtaken by Kobayashi and Vettel while Button appears unfazed in the lead. On the next lap, Vettel passes Kobayashi and finds himself less than 5 seconds behind his rival for the world title.

The times keep changing, as the intermediate tires were two seconds faster compared to the slicks, now Button, who sees Hülkenberg in his mirrors, is lapping in 1:25.966 against Hamilton’s 1:29.322, third in the 18th lap. Nico Hülkenberg continues his love affair with the Brazilian track by getting the better of Button. At McLaren, they bring Hamilton back through the pits to put him on medium tires. The same goes for Alonso, Kobayashi, and Schumacher. At Red Bull, they do the same with Vettel on the next lap.

While 20 laps have been completed, Hülkenberg leads ahead of Button, Hamilton, Alonso, and Vettel. The first two have a 45-second lead over the third, and Hülkenberg sets the fastest time at 1:21.175. Further down the order, Nico Rosberg suffers a puncture after running over debris. Alonso also complains over the radio about the presence of these carbon pieces on the track, leading to the safety car being deployed. The dice are thus rolled again. The leaders logically take the opportunity to pit. Meanwhile, the drivers forced to retire head back to the paddock. At Red Bull, Adrian Newey examines a photo of the damage to the rear of Sebastian Vettel’s RB8 following the first lap incident. The issue of reliability is indeed present within the reigning world champion team.

The safety car exits at the 29th lap and everything needs to be redone for everyone, especially as the rain reappears in certain areas according to Fernando Alonso, who informs his team. Vettel is attacked by Kobayashi and Webber at the end of the pit straight. The Australian goes straight while Vettel is overtaken by the Japanese driver. No problems at the front for Hülkenberg, who manages a very good second start. As at the very beginning of the race, there’s action on every level. Kobayashi temporarily takes the lead over Alonso while Di Resta is under threat from Massa and Räikkönen. The Finn makes a mistake in the first braking. Massa does his job by passing Vettel, who now has two cars between him and Alonso. But it’s not enough for the Spaniard to be world champion under the current circumstances. However, there are still 35 laps to go.

Nico Hülkenberg is maintaining the pace well ahead of the two McLarens that are lapping within the same tenth. In the pack, the race is not at all restful for Räikkönen and Schumacher, who approach the Senna S side by side, with the Finnish driver gaining the advantage at the exit and rejoining the Top 10.

The track remains tricky, and Mark Webber goes into a slide by touching a white line a bit too much. It’s a close call for the Australian driver, who lets his teammate pass, who sensibly stays behind Kobayashi. Nico Hülkenberg also makes a mistake a few minutes later, and Lewis Hamilton takes advantage to take the lead, even though the Force India driver can continue in the race. The rain returns over Sao Paulo. Sebastian Vettel is slipping, staying on the track with hard tires while Alonso is equipped with medium tires. Nico Rosberg, who has almost nothing to lose in this Grand Prix, goes through the pits to switch to intermediates. He is mimicked by Daniel Ricciardo, who keeps the slicks. At the 53rd lap, Vettel also opts for the mediums. At Ferrari, they’re pondering the right strategy.

Kimi Räikkönen, on the other hand, seems nostalgic for his past rally years. The Finn misses the turn before the climb and finds himself on the old bank before having to make a U-turn and return to the track by going through the grass. Ahead, Nico Hülkenberg and Hamilton are battling while they engage in passing maneuvers. The Force India driver loses control in the first corner and hits the McLaren, which retires. Button is in the lead and Alonso is second. A bad move for Vettel who switches to intermediate tires. Unless… his rival is in trouble and skating on thin ice. The Spaniard swaps his tires at the next pass as the race direction decides to penalize Nico Hülkenberg for causing a collision.

There are 11 laps remaining and the standings are as follows: Button, Massa, Alonso, Hülkenberg, Webber, Schumacher, and Vettel in seventh, who is currently the world champion, but there’s no doubt that Massa will step aside for his teammate to let him take the second spot on the podium.

Lewis Hamilton returns to his garage under the applause of his team, to whom he says goodbye on a disappointing note.

The rain intensifies and small rivers cross the track. Alonso takes second place but is still beaten in the championship by a single point, hanging by a thread and everything can turn one way or the other. The German is faster than his opponent, but the weather conditions are increasingly precarious. Red Bull informs its driver that his current position is sufficient to secure a third title. There are 7 laps remaining. Schumacher is just ahead of Vettel and steps aside for his compatriot. The RB8 quickly speeds away.

Alonso finds himself in the middle of a duel between Pic and Petrov for the 12th place, synonymous with the 10th place in the constructors’ championship and a significant financial bonus. The advantage is with Caterham, who takes back this position from Marussia.

4 laps to go, Alonso is second, and Vettel sixth, 16 seconds behind the car in front and there’s nothing more he can do. The tension is at its peak, both at Ferrari and Red Bull.

The safety car shortened the suspense following Paul di Resta’s exit on the last lap. Sebastian Vettel is therefore crowned for the third consecutive time. Jenson Button wins the Grand Prix ahead of Alonso, who did everything possible to beat Sebastian Vettel. Massa is third. It’s worth noting that thanks to Vitaly Petrov’s 12th place finish, the Caterham team regains 10th place in the constructors’ championship at the expense of Marussia.

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix Ranking: