COOPER: Indian GP - Team By Team Report

Formula 1

COOPER: Indian GP - Team By Team Report

Sebastian Vettel made it look ominously easy at the head of the field...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted October 28, 2012 New Delhi (IND)

Race winner Sebastian Vettel (Left) is seen on the podium with third placed team mate Mark Webber (Right)following the Indian Formula One Grand Prix at Buddh International Circuit. (Photo: Getty Images)

A fourth straight win for Sebastian Vettel might have made the championship battle even more clear cut than it was before, but fortunately the Indian GP was not without its moments. There was some good racing down the field – especially between Fernando Alonso and the McLarens on the first lap – and there was enough intrigue to keep us interested until the end. But there’s no escaping the fact that Vettel made it look ominously easy at the head of the field . Here’s what happened to all the drivers on the grid:

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel was in dominant form throughout practice, the German topping all three sessions. He made a mistake on his first run in Q3 but got it right on the second to claim pole from team mate Mark Webber by just 0.044s – the first time the team had swept the front row for three consecutive races. Vettel managed to stay ahead of his team mate at the start and a storming first few laps saw him steadily build up an advantage. He pitted after everyone else on lap 32 and remained 9.4s ahead of Alonso at the flag. Webber had KERS problems from lap 20 and that ultimately caused him to lose a spot to the Ferrari on lap 48, but he managed to hold off Hamilton to secure third.

McLaren
McLaren had a low key Friday but the team found some performance on Saturday as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button took third and fourth spots, although the latter in particular was struggling to get his tires up to temperature. Hamilton had a bad first lap and dropped to fifth behind Button and Alonso, but tire problems and an early first stop then dropped Jenson back behind both his rivals. Hamilton had a relatively smooth run to fourth and was pushing Webber hard at the end, while Jenson was 12s behind in fifth. As a consolation he claimed fastest lap right at the end.

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso was an encouraging third on Friday but slipped to his customary fifth when it mattered in qualifying. Massa struggled on Friday with what turned out to be a set-up error. With that resolved he found some form in qualifying, taking sixth place. Alonso was involved in a spectacular fight with the McLarens on the first lap, and got ahead of Hamilton. He passed Button on the fourth lap and then relieved Webber of second on lap 48 to keep his title hopes alive. Massa had a solid run to sixth, holding off Kimi Raikkonen for most of the race – Kimi briefly got ahead during the stops but the Brazilian quickly re-passed him

Mercedes-AMG driver Michael Schumacher of Germany powers his car during The Formula One Indian Grand Prix 2012 at The Buddh International circuit. (Photo: Getty Images)

Mercedes
Nico Rosberg was fourth on Friday and duly made Q3. However the team took a strategic decision not to run to ensure that he had new tires for the start, so he settled for 10th. Michael Schumacher struggled to get his tires into their working window in qualifying and was a lowly 14th. Schumacher had a nightmare race, suffering a right rear puncture after contact with Vergne’s Toro Rosso at the start. After a stop he ran at the back until the team retired him after 55 laps, saying officially that there were gearbox concerns. Struggling for pace Rosberg looked set to finish 10th but was demoted a place by Senna on lap 51.

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