Vettel only won once in the opening 13 races and with Alonso, despite a clear car disadvantage, brilliantly wrestling his Ferrari to three wins to hold a 42-point advantage over his Red Bull rival by mid-season. Race Report: Vettel champion on day of drama
While Vettel and Alonso emerged as the season's chief protagonists, their tense duel took its time to take shape.Ī record seven different winners in the opening seven races (Jenson Button, Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Vettel, Pastor Maldonado, Mark Webber, Hamilton) was remarkable at the time and all the more astounding in retrospect considering just 10 drivers have shared the subsequent 109 grands prix. Writing in his post-race column, Sky F1's Martin Brundle declared: "The first 20 laps of the race were the most exciting I have ever had the privilege to commentate on."įive years on, what made Brazil 2012 so special?
The 2012 season finale served up F1's ultimate race within a race - and both were nailbiters.