END OF SEASON: Formula One Standings
| As of: Brazilian Grand Prix | +/- | Points | Behind | Wins |
|---|
1
|
 Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull
|
–
|
281
|
‒
|
5
|
|---|
2
|
Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
|
–
|
278
|
3
|
3
|
|---|
3
|
Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus
|
–
|
207
|
74
|
1
|
|---|
4
|
Lewis Hamilton - McLaren
|
–
|
190
|
91
|
4
|
|---|
5
|
Jenson Button - McLaren
|
+1
|
188
|
93
|
3
|
|---|
6
|
Mark Webber - Red Bull
|
-1
|
179
|
102
|
2
|
|---|
7
|
Felipe Massa - Ferrari
|
–
|
122
|
159
|
0
|
|---|
8
|
Romain Grosjean - Lotus
|
–
|
96
|
185
|
0
|
|---|
9
|
Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
|
–
|
93
|
188
|
1
|
|---|
10
|
Sergio Perez - Sauber
|
–
|
66
|
215
|
0
|
|---|
11
|
Nico Hulkenberg - Force India
|
+1
|
63
|
218
|
0
|
|---|
12
|
Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber
|
-1
|
60
|
221
|
0
|
|---|
13
|
Michael Schumacher - Mercedes
|
+2
|
49
|
232
|
0
|
|---|
14
|
Paul di Resta - Force India
|
-1
|
46
|
235
|
0
|
|---|
15
|
Pastor Maldonado - Williams
|
-1
|
45
|
236
|
1
|
|---|
16
|
Bruno Senna - Williams
|
–
|
31
|
250
|
0
|
|---|
17
|
Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso
|
–
|
16
|
265
|
0
|
|---|
18
|
Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso
|
–
|
10
|
271
|
0
|
|---|
19
|
Vitaly Petrov - Caterham
|
+2
|
0
|
281
|
0
|
|---|
20
|
Timo Glock - Marussia
|
-1
|
0
|
281
|
0
|
|---|
6.03pmThat was some way to finish what has been yet another gripping season of Formula 1. Vettel
is the champion for a third time in a row but he was pushed until the
very last lap by Alonso. The 2013 calendar begins in Australia on March
17 we will be ready and waiting! Make
sure you continue to check the site for reaction throughout the evening.
We'll see you again soon.
6.00pmVettel
is one of the all-time great race drivers but he does seem to get
awfully lucky. Alonso has done tremendously to keep pace with the Red Bull man and how Vettel got away with those two early bashes is remarkable.
5.59pmThat
win for Button moves him into the top five in the standings, nudging
ahead of Webber. Raikkonen finished third ahead of Hamilton in fourth.
5.58pmSchumacher
also needs a mention. His fine career in Formula 1 comes to an end
with an impressive seventh place finish after four pit stops.
5.57pmLet's also not forget Hamilton who, in his last race for McLaren, was cruelly taken out by Hulkenburg.
5.56pmThird-placed man Massa is in tears at his home Grand Prix as the British national anthem is played out at Interlagos to acknowledge Button's win.
5.55pmVettel's
third straight world title will grab the headlines but let's not take
anything away from Button who drove superbly in the wet to claim his
third win of the year. He also won the first race in Australia.
5.52pmVettel finishes the season on 281 points. Alonso has 278.
5.51pmAlonso
truly couldn't have done much more this afternoon. He finished on the
podium like he needed to but Vettel just about did enough.
5.51pmVettel is told by team principal Christian Horner: "You're a triple world champion!" The German responds with "Oh my god!"
5.49pmIt's a tame end to a simply remarkable season-ending race. Vettel is jubilant and the team are in hysterics.
CHEQUERED FLAGSEBASTIAN VETTEL WINS THE 2012 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP!
CHEQUERED FLAGJENSON BUTTON WINS THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX!
Lap 71Final lap.
Lap 70That means the end of the race will be a coast and Vettel is set to win a third straight world title.
Lap 70CRASH! DI RESTA IS AGAINST THE WALL! SAFETY CAR IS OUT!
Lap 70Two laps to go.
Lap 69Kobayashi spins out and that's some places lost for the Japanese driver.
Lap 69Three laps to go. Will we see any late drama?
Lap 68Vettel is once again told that he's doing enough to win the world title.
Lap 67Five laps to go.
Lap 66If Button was to make a mistake then Vettel would have to climb two places to fourth to retain his world crown.
Lap 65Vettel
now needs to lose two places or Alonso needs to take the lead for the
Spaniard to win the championship. Both of those are unlikely.
Lap 64The man in front of Vettel in sixth is fellow German Schumacher and he lets the Red Bull man through! No resistance.
Lap 63Vettel's team reassure him that he's on course to win the championship and tell him to "keep it on the track".
Lap 62As it stands, Vettel is going to win the world championship by a single point.
Lap 62Alonso passes Massa for second place.
Lap 62Button's lead to Massa is 19 seconds as the rain continues to fall. What a final 10 laps we have ahead of us.
Lap 61Alonso will soon pass Massa for second place. He'll need Vettel to finish outside the top seven if he finishes behind Button.
Lap 60Hulkenburg was penalised with a drive-through penalty for his involvement in Hamilton's exit.
Lap 60The rain is getting worse! Full wet tyres may be required!
Lap 60TOP 10 UPDATE: 1 Button 2 Massa 3 Alonso 4 Webber 5 Hulkenburg 6 Schumacher 7 Vettel 8 Kobayashi 9 Vergne 10 Di Resta
Lap 59Vettel now up to seventh and just about safe. This is tough to keep on top of!
Lap 58Alonso
is up into third and that's effectively second as he has Massa ahead.
If he finishes second then Vettel needs to finish outside of the top
seven. He's currently ninth.
Lap 58Button pits from the lead for some intermediates.
Lap 57Alonso resumes in fourth and as it stands if he goes past Massa ahead of him, he will snatch the title.
Lap 57Amazing
replay of Vettel's stop where the team weren't ready for him and had to
take the tyre covers off and everything while the German had to sit and
wait. Alonso comes into the pit for some intermediates.
Lap 56This is so tense.
Lap 56Vettel has come back into the pit again for intermediates! Alonso is struggling on slicks and is now limping around.
Lap 55Hulkenburg
had a good slipstream on the start-finish straight but slid wide as
Hamilton gave him plenty of room. Not the way Lewis wanted to finish
his time with McLaren.
Lap 55HAMILTON AND HULKENBURG COLLIDE! HAMILTON'S OUT!
Lap 54Remarkable scenes as Raikkonen
drives off the track then attempts to get back on via a side road but
it's a dead end! He somehow gets back on track, eventually.
Lap 53The German exits in 10th place. How will Ferrari respond?
Lap 53Vettel's coming in and on go a pair of the medium compound tyres.
Lap 52Interesting
move from Rosberg as he puts on a set of intermediate tyres. That's a
risky move that could pay off. It's unlikely to work though if there's
no more rain.
Lap 51This could be disastrous for Vettel's communication with the team, his radio mic is not working.
Lap 50The latest forecasts suggest that the rain will stop very soon and that no more precipitation will fall on the track.
Lap 48The German got on the white line at the end of turn six and that meant a spin that allowed Hamilton to pass.
Lap 48Hamilton passes Hulkenburg for the lead!
Lap 47The lap times are dropping slightly. When will the final stops take place? I'd say in the next ten laps or so.
Lap 46Teams are reporting conflicting weather forecasts. Will the rain come into play again?
Lap 44Small mistake from Webber and Ricciardo is right on the back of the Red Bull.
Lap 43Hulkenburg is now really struggling and Hamilton's closing up with every corner.
Lap 42The misty rain is back in and around the pit lane. Will there be enough to affect proceedings?
Lap 42Apologies, that last post may not have been added correctly. Manually refresh the page and all will be well.
Lap 41TOP 10 UPDATE: 1 Hulkenburg 2 Hamilton 3 Button 4 Alonso 5 Massa 6 Kobayashi 7 Vettel 8 Webber 9 Ricciardo 10 Schumacher
Lap 40Superb
wheel-to-wheel stuff from Raikkonen and Schumacher at turn one.
They're both fine, no contact. Fabulous control of the car.
Lap 39The top three of Hulkenburg, Hamilton and Button have pulled away slightly from the next three of Alonso, Kobayashi and Vettel.
Lap 39Just a note that there are 71 laps this afternoon.
Lap 38Button in third sets the fastest lap.
Lap 37Vettel's damage is supposed to affect his rear grip when turning. He seems to be doing just fine. Rain is reported at turn nine.
Lap 36As things stand Vettel
will win the world title by seven points. In the constructors'
championship McLaren are currently on course to snatch second place from
Ferrari by a single point.
Lap 34At the front, Hulkenburg is loving life as he sets the fastest lap of the race.
Lap 34The answer's no. The Brazilian simply sweeps past the reigning two-time world champion.
Lap 33Massa is applying plenty of Ferrari pressure to the back of Vettel. He wouldn't take him out would he?!
Lap 33Alonso
retakes fourth place on the start-finish straight. It's very slippery
off the racing line. The drivers have to stick to the drier tarmac.
Lap 32Kobayashi gets past Alonso! The Spaniard is down to fifth.
Lap 31Hamilton passes teammate Button for second place. Hulkenburg is doing a fine job at the front.
Lap 30Vettel knew that he didn't need to get in a tussle with Alonso but Kobayashi was just far too alert.
Lap 30Kobayashi passes Vettel! Webber was also looking to get past his teammate but went wide and dropped down the field.
Lap 30Racing begins again and Hulkenburg blitzes away from the two McLarens.
Lap 29Safety car in this lap.
Lap 29Surely the safety car will come in soon? Let's get racing again!
Lap 28The top nine cars, apart from Alonso, are on the harder compound of tyre. Fernando is on the mediums.
Lap 28Hulkenburg is our surprise leader. The German has never had a podium finish in F1.
Lap 27Remember, Alonso
can snatch the crown from Vettel if he wins and Vettel is lower than
fourth, is second and Vettel is lower than seventh or is third and
Vettel is lower than ninth.
Lap 27The four cars to have been knocked out are Grosjean, Perez, Maldonado and Senna.
Lap 26The safety car is still out as debris is removed from the tarmac. Rosberg was the man who suffered most with that puncture to his right rear.
Lap 25Vettel
had a sluggish start and dropped to seventh as Alonso moved up around
the outside. The German was then bashed twice but somehow suffered no
damage and soldiered on at the back of the field. He has since blitzed
his way through the field and now sits just behind Alonso in fifth. In
and around all of this there has been tyre changes galore because of the
changing conditions. At the front, Hamilton lost his lead to Button in
the first few laps but since then, Hulkenburg has surprisingly shot to
the front.
Lap 25This safety-car intermission gives us a chance to recap what happened on that crazy first lap.
Lap 24TOP 10 UPDATE: 1 Hulkenburg 2 Button 3 Hamilton 4 Alonso 5 Vettel 6 Kobayashi 7 Webber 8 Di Resta 9 Ricciardo 10 Raikkonen
Lap 24It seems that Button and Hulkenburg will finally pit but they'll surrender a 47-second lead!
Lap 23The safety car is out because debris needs to be cleared from the track.
Lap 22Slow-mo replays show that Vettel's car has suffered a hefty hit but he's able to soldier on. Hamilton sets the fastest lap.
Lap 21Rosberg's right rear tyre has suffered a puncture and he'll try to limp back to the pit.
Lap 20Vettel pits and comes out just behind Alonso!
Lap 19That's a pretty average stop from Alonso. Can Vettel get out ahead of his rival when he pits?
Lap 19Hamilton pits for a set of slicks and so does Alonso. Your move, Seb.
Lap 19Hulkenburg passes Button for the lead!
Lap 18Hamilton
in third is a good chunk behind Button and Hulkenburg. The Englishman
is told that the rain should stay at this level for 30 minutes but
Hamilton says his tyres are nearly out already!
Lap 18Vettel
is told that he is the fastest car on intermediate tyres as Button and
Hulkenburg go two seconds quicker than the rest. It's so topsy-turvy at
Interlagos!
Lap 17Both
Hulkenburg and Button are the only two frontrunners not to have stopped
and they're fighting it out for the lead. Hulkenburg looks far more
confident, mind.
Lap 17Hulkenburg is all over the back of Button at the front of the race.
Lap 16Massa comes in and on go a pair of intermediates. Maybe they are still required?
Lap 16Vettel up to fifth and now just a place behind Alonso.
Lap 16Remember, Alonso and Vettel are both on the intermediate tyres. Will they have to change again soon?
Lap 15Hamilton reports back that the intermediates are going off. There's still so much that could happen!
Lap 15That top 10 is very jumbled because of the difference in tyres between all the drivers.
Lap 14Hamilton goes much quicker than Button and that means that the track is coming to the intermediate tyres.
Lap 13TOP 10 UPDATE: 1 Button 2 Hulkenburg 3 Hamilton 4 Massa 5 Vergne 6 Alonso 7 Kovalainen 8 Glock 9 Petrov 10 Pic
Lap 12Vettel and Alonso have dropped down the field because of their stops. Vettel is 17th, Alonso 12th.
Lap 11Button was due to come in as well but he tells his team "It's stopped raining". He stays out on his slick tyres.
Lap 11Championship rivals Alonso and Vettel also enter for a set of intermediates.
Lap 11Hamilton comes into the pits for a set of intermediates.
Lap 10Button is now pulling away from Hamilton at the front as Webber comes in to the pit. He's now down in 19th.
Lap 9The rain is falling heavier now than it was at the start. Surely there'll be some tyre changes soon?
Lap 8The German is told on the radio: "It's a long race, just keep the car on the black stuff."
Lap 8Unbelievably, Vettel has worked his way up to seventh place.
Lap 8Button passes Hamilton for the lead.
Lap 8The drives are beginning to struggle to with the wetter conditions and they may need to come in for intermediates soon.
Lap 7Grosjean
crashes out as Button challenges Hamilton for the lead and Webber spins
out to move to the back of the field. Unbelievable action.
Lap 6I
still find it amazing that Vettel has not sustained damage after those
hits on the opening lap. He's continuing to move up places at the back.
Lap 5Alonso has gone wide and that allows Hulkenburg to take the third place Alonso so badly needs.
Lap 4TOP 10 UPDATE: 1 Hamilton 2 Button 3 Hulkenburg 4 Alonso 5 Webber 6 Massa 7 Di Resta 8 Raikkonen 9 Kobayashi 10 Rosberg
Lap 3Replays show that Vettel took two hits on the opening lap and seemingly has no damage. The boy is lucky.
Lap 2However, he seems to not have picked up damage and sets the fastest lap of the race. He's way down in 20th place though.
Lap 2Vettel is told over the radio that if it is physical damage aside from the front wing then he'll have to retire.
Lap 2Home favourite Bruno Senna is also out.
Lap 2At the start of the second lap Alonso passes Webber and Massa to move up to third.
Lap 1I REPEAT! SEBASTIAN VETTEL HAS CRASHED!
Lap 1Vettel's down in seventh! He's crashed!
Lap 1Great start for Alonso, Hamilton's away!
LIGHTS OUTWe're underway in Brazil!
4.02pmHamilton is ready and waiting for the rest, we're ready. Here we go.
4.01pmThe track does look quite slick but as mentioned there's not expected to be enough to trouble these seasoned pros.
4.00pmThis is a crucial period when the drivers warm up the tyres and get in the zone for the decisive start. Not long now.
PARADE LAPHamilton sets off on a single circuit of the track before we get underway.
3.59pmIt is expected to dry up and the wet tyres are being taken back to the garage.
3.58pmA quick reminder of the top 10: 1 Hamilton 2 Button 3 Webber 4 Vettel 5 Massa 6 Hulkenburg 7 Alonso 8 Raikkonen 9 Rosberg 10 Di Resta
3.57pmThere's
a slight mist on the grid but it's believed that there's not enough
moisture to seriously affect proceedings. However, a slightly wet visor
could mean impaired vision.
3.54pmIt's
a short rundown to the first corner at Interlagos. Can Alonso move up
and get in amongst the Red Bulls? Will the McLarens blitz away from the
field at the front? I can't wait!
3.50pmThe veteran tells reporters that he expects a "beautiful" end to the season. The rain continues to spit.
3.50pmAn emotional Schumacher did a lap of the circuit flying a flag out of his car. Today sees the end of a quite marvellous motor-racing career.
3.48pmThe
Spaniard does need to be wary not to crash out, however, as if he was
to do so then Vettel would automatically be awarded the title.
3.47pmMcLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh tells BBC Sport that "anything can happen" as Alonso has nothing to lose.
3.46pmTime for the Brazilian national anthem. It's always a fantastic place to end the F1 calendar in Sao Paulo.
3.45pm15 minutes until lights out.
3.44pmThere's
so many stories surrounding today's race with the championship battle,
Hamilton's last race for McLaren and also legend Michael Schumacher's
final race in the sport.
3.43pmBBC Sport's David Coulthard tries to walk alongside and interview Vettel but the German is fully in the zone.
3.42pmButton tells Sky Sports F1 that he can win the race and doesn't care about the championship battle around him.
3.41pmIt is spitting with rain on the grid! Whether that will affect the start is not yet known.
3.41pmHamilton is racing for the last time for McLaren and he has just sent his well wishes to all the team.
3.40pmExpect Webber to let Vettel through if he remains ahead of the German.
3.38pmAt the front of the grid it's a McLaren lockout while Red Bull dominate the second row, with Mark Webber ahead of teammate Vettel.
3.35pmIf he fails to do so, Alonso
can snatch the crown if he wins and Vettel is lower than fourth, is
second and Vettel is lower than seventh or is third and Vettel is lower
than ninth. Make sense? I hope so.
3.34pmVettel will win a third straight title if he finishes anywhere inside the top four.
3.33pmLet's have a look at this afternoon's permutations for the championship...
3.31pmAfternoon
folks. So we've arrived at the 20th Grand Prix of the season. In a
little over two hours we'll know the F1 world champion.
