I was hoping Vettel would win the 2012 Drivers’ Championship and when he was hit on the first lap, and spun into a backwards drive down the track, my heart was in my mouth. The other cars were racing towards him as he sat helpless in the middle of the track and in a damaged car. Once he got going again he was in last place and that could have been the death knell for his championship contention. But Vettel, known for his perseverance, just got back to work and raced his way back up the field. Alonso, the only other championship contender, went up the field as quickly as Vettel went down it.
The weather demanded more tyre changes than normal; Vettel’s communications system failed; Hamilton got smashed out of pole position, and the race, by Hulkenburg; Di Resta put his car into the barriers; and the great Michael Schumacher drove his last race. In all of this, Alonso’s progress up the field was relentless and the showdown potential was electric.
In the end Alonso’s race was superb (2nd place) and Vettel’s amazing (6th place) given the challenges he faced. Vettel did enough to seal his third championship in a row and becomes the youngest driver ever to achieve that standard.
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