The 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally known as the 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 April 2012 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain. It was the first time Formula One had returned to Bahrain after the 2011 race was cancelled due to ongoing anti-government protests. After using the "endurance circuit" in 2010, the series reverted to using the "Grand Prix Circuit" configuration for the 2012 race.
The race was won from pole by Sebastian Vettel, followed closely by Lotus F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen with Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean in third. The result ensured that four different drivers have won the first 4 races of the season for the first time since 2003. This race also marked the first podium for a French driver since Jean Alesi's 3rd place at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.
Background[]
Following the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix last year, the race this year was in doubt from day one. Originally, the event was given a berth late in the 2012 season so as to allow extra time for the civil unrest in the country to subside. This date was later revised however, moving the race to its final spot, in mid-April. The race's future was still in doubt though, up until the Chinese Grand Prix, when an official statement was made by the FIA giving the event the go-ahead. One week later, the Friday practice sessions went ahead in spite of violent clashes in Bahrain. On Thursday, a car carrying mechanics and team personnel of Force India had been attacked, forcing a number of team members to return home.
Entry list[]
The full entry list for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix is shown below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
FP3[]
Practice results[]
| Car | Driver | Team | Friday | Saturday | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 Time | P1 Pos | P2 Time | P2 Pos | P3 Time | P3 Pos | |||
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1:33.877 | 2 | 1:33.525 | 3 | 1:33.401 | 2 |
| 2 | Mark Webber | 1:34.552 | 8 | 1:33.262 | 2 | 1:33.663 | 3 | |
| 3 | Jenson Button | McLaren Racing | 1:34.277 | 5 | 1:34.246 | 6 | 1:33.899 | 6 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.572 | 1 | 1:33.747 | 4 | 1:33.782 | 4 | |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:35.436 | 13 | 1:34.449 | 8 | 1:34.895 | 10 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | 1:35.719 | 15 | 1:34.941 | 12 | 1:35.536 | 16 | |
| 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes Grand Prix | 1:34.483 | 7 | 1:33.862 | 5 | 1:33.796 | 5 |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | 1:34.249 | 4 | 1:32.816 | 1 | 1:33.254 | 1 | |
| 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus F1 | 1:34.609 | 9 | 1:35.183 | 13 | 1:33.976 | 7 |
| 10 | Romain Grosjean | 1:34.847 | 10 | 1:34.615 | 9 | 1:34.401 | 9 | |
| 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1:34.150 | 3 | No time[1] | - | 1:35.336 | 15 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:34.344 | 6 | No time[1] | - | 1:35.773 | 19 | |
| 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:35.929 | 16 | 1:34.411 | 7 | 1:35.128 | 14 |
| 15 | Sergio Pérez | 1:35.024 | 11 | 1:34.893 | 10 | 1:35.067 | 13 | |
| 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:36.591 | 20 | 1:34.895 | 11 | 1:34.197 | 8 |
| 17 | Jean-Éric Vergne | 1:36.195 | 17 | 1:35.229 | 14 | 1:34.977 | 12 | |
| 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams F1 | 1:35.268 | 12 | 1:35.459 | 15 | 1:34.918 | 11 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:35.497 | 14 | DNP | ||||
| 19 | Bruno Senna | DNP | 1:36.169 | 18 | 1:35.623 | 17 | ||
| 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham F1 | 1:36.330 | 18 | 1:35.968 | 17 | 1:35.694 | 18 |
| 21 | Vitaly Petrov | 1:36.484 | 19 | 1:35.913 | 16 | 1:36.532 | 20 | |
| 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT F1 | 1:38.877 | 23 | 1:37.812 | 21 | 1:38.973 | 23 |
| 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | 1:39.996 | 24 | 1:39.649 | 22 | 1:39.221 | 24 | |
| 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia F1 | 1:38.006 | 22 | 1:36.587 | 19 | 1:37.654 | 22 |
| 25 | Charles Pic | 1:37.467 | 21 | 1:37.803 | 20 | 1:37.267 | 21 | |
Qualifying[]
Qualifying results[]
| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.308 | 1:33.527 | 1:32.422 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren Racing | 1:34.813 | 1:33.209 | 1:32.520 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.015 | 1:33.311 | 1:32.520 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | Jenson Button | McLaren Racing | 1:34.792 | 1:33.416 | 1:32.711 | 4 |
| 5 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes Grand Prix | 1:34.588 | 1:33.219 | 1:32.821 | 5 |
| 6 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:33.988 | 1:33.556 | 1:32.912 | 6 |
| 7 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus F1 | 1:34.041 | 1:33.246 | 1:33.008 | 7 |
| 8 | 15 | Sergio Pérez | Sauber | 1:33.814 | 1:33.660 | 1:33.394 | 8 |
| 9 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:34.760 | 1:33.403 | no time | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1:34.624 | 1:33.510 | no time | 10 |
| 11 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus F1 | 1:34.552 | 1:33.789 | 11 | |
| 12 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:34.131 | 1:33.806 | 12 | |
| 13 | 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 1:34.601 | 1:33.807 | 13 | |
| 14 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:34.372 | 1:33.912 | 14 | |
| 15 | 19 | Bruno Senna | Williams F1 | 1:34.466 | 1:34.017 | 15 | |
| 16 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham F1 | 1:34.852 | 1:36.132 | 16 | |
| 17 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams F1 | 1:34.639 | no time | 22[1] | |
| 18 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes Grand Prix | 1:34.865 | 23[1] | ||
| 19 | 17 | Jean-Éric Vergne | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:35.014 | 17 | ||
| 20 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham F1 | 1:35.823 | 18 | ||
| 21 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia F1 | 1:37.683 | 19 | ||
| 22 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT F1 | 1:37.883 | 20 | ||
| 23 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia F1 | 1:37.905 | 21 | ||
| 24 | 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT F1 | 1:38.314 | 24 |
Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | 1 | ______________ |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2 | |
| ______________ | Lewis Hamilton | |
| Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
| Mark Webber | 4 | |
| ______________ | Jenson Button | |
| Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
| Nico Rosberg | 6 | |
| ______________ | Daniel Ricciardo | |
| Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
| Romain Grosjean | 8 | |
| ______________ | Sergio Pérez | |
| Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
| Fernando Alonso | 10 | |
| ______________ | Paul di Resta | |
| Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
| Kimi Räikkönen | 12 | |
| ______________ | Kamui Kobayashi | |
| Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 14 | |
| ______________ | Felipe Massa | |
| Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
| Bruno Senna | 16 | |
| ______________ | Heikki Kovalainen | |
| Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
| Jean-Éric Vergne | 18 | |
| ______________ | Vitaly Petrov | |
| Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
| Charles Pic | 20 | |
| ______________ | Pedro de la Rosa | |
| Row 11 | 21 | ______________ |
| Timo Glock | 22 | |
| ______________ | Pastor Maldonado | |
| Row 12 | 23 | ______________ |
| Michael Schumacher | 24 | |
| ______________ | Narain Karthikeyan |
Race[]
Classification[]
- ↑ Completed more than 90% race distance before retiring with Exhaust and differential problems
Milestones[]
- Lewis Hamilton's 40th front row start.
- Romain Grosjean's first podium finish.
Standings following race[]
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| V T E |  Bahrain Grand Prix
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| Circuits | Bahrain International Circuit (2004–present) |  |
| Races | 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • |
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