European GP: Lost opportunity for Williams in race


Pastor Maldonado

By Andrew Hooper
June 24 2012

The results of the 2012 European GP could have been so different for the Williams F1 team. They would finish with just a single point from a tenth place from Pastor Maldonado but it could have been much more. Bruno would finish in eleventh but for Pastor his race would see him make contact with Hamilton seeing Hamilton go into the barrier and Pastor lose his front wing. Pastor was running in fourth at the time and would drop down the order as a result. 

 
 European GP Race Review
 
Maldonado
 

Qualifying for the 2012 European Grand Prix would see Williams F1 drivers Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna finish in third and fourteenth positions. Now it was up to the pair to turn this into a points scoring finish in the race. Pastor's chances starting from third were reasonable but the sixty seven lap race would be difficult with hot conditions during the race. On pole was Vettel from Hamilton, Pastor, Grosjean, Raikkonen, and Rosberg in sixth. Glock would not be starting the race due to illness making it a twenty three car grid. The top ten would all be starting on the option tyre while Bruno would also select this tyre. Those starting on the medium tyre were Webber, Schumacher, Perez, and Vergne. Frank Williams was in the team garage getting ready to watch the race.

The cars would move off on their parade lap and they would complete the lap and Vettel would take his spot on pole and the grid would form up. The lights would go out and it would be Vettel leading away but Pastor would get squeezed out by Grosjean going into Turn one. Pastor was running in fourth and Bruno fourteenth. Massa was attacking Rosberg while Alonso was attacking Hulkenberg for seventh. Vettel was leading by 1.9 seconds over Hamilton and Grosjean. Pastor had been passed by Kobayashi seeing him now fifth. Pastor was under pressure by Raikkonen but Pastor did not give him any room and kept his fifth place. Lap two and Vettel was leading by a massive 4.0 seconds.

 
Senna
 
Hulkenberg was now running with sixth placed Raikkonen while Kobayashi was running close behind Grosjean. Lap three and Vettel was pulling away easily with his lead 6.8 seconds after lap four. Bruno was still in fourteenth and falling away from Schumacher. Pastor had also closed the gap to Kobayashi while Raikkonen was running right behind Pastor. Vettel's early pace was remarkable as he pulled out a 7.6 second lead after lap five. Hamilton was in second and now had a group of cars following him. Grosjean was third from Kobayashi, Pastor, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Di Resta, and Massa in tenth. After having a poor first lap Rosberg was down in eleventh followed by Button. Lap seven and Vettel was now 9.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Bruno now had Perez running close behind him with Perez on the medium tyre. Hamilton's pace was certainly helping Vettel at the front with Lotus feeling that their strategy had suffered with Vettel now so far in front.

Grosjean would finally get past Hamilton in a strong move at Turns twelve and thirteen going around the outside of the McLaren then to pass him on the inside. Button would pit joined by Perez on lap eleven, Button taking the medium and Perez the soft. Grosjean would start to pull away from Hamilton as on lap twelve Massa would pit taking on the medium tyres for his second run. Pastor was now under attack from Raikkonen while at the front Grosjean was 12.5 seconds behind Vettel. Hamilton was 2.7 seconds behind the Lotus. Alonso would pass Hulkenberg for seventh while Raikkonen would pass Pastor for fifth using the DRS at Turn thirteen. Lap fourteen and Hamilton would pit seeing Kobayashi now third. Hamilton would return in twelfth. Lap fifteen and we would have Kobayashi, Raikkonen, Pastor, and Hulkenberg all pit. Ricciardo would also come in as Raikkonen moved ahead of Kobayashi.

Lap sixteen and Alonso would pit coming back out in front of Raikkonen. Pastor was running behind Kobayashi while at the front Vettel was leading Grosjean by 15.2 seconds. Di Resta was third from Rosberg, and Schumacher. Vettel would pit on lap seventeen joined by Grosjean. Vettel was still on the soft tyre and still in the lead. Di Resta was in second from Rosberg, Grosjean, Hamilton, Schumacher, Senna, Webber, Alonso, and Raikkonen in tenth. Alonso had passed both Webber and Senna to be seventh. Grosjean had passed Rosberg for third running on the soft tyre. Alonso would pass Schumacher for sixth. Pastor was now in twelfth while Hamilton would pass Rosberg for fourth. Schumacher was in sixth had eight cars behind him all running very close together. Lap twenty and Schumacher and Webber would pit seeing Bruno now with Raikkonen right behind him. Bruno would make contact with Kobayashi when the Sauber tried to pass Bruno in a place where the gap closed quickly.
 
Maldonado
 
Bruno was able to recover from his spin and in the process Pastor would pass Bruno by the smallest of margins. We nearly had both Williams cars out as Bruno made it back to the pits with a flat rear right tyre. They would change him over to mediums and a new nose and he would go back out. He was last and one lap down. Kobayashi had also pitted to get a new front wing. Pastor was now in seventh. Lap twenty two and Vettel was now leading by 20.3 seconds from Grosjean, Hamilton, Alonso, Di Resta, Raikkonen, Pastor, Massa, Hulkenberg, and Button in tenth. On lap twenty four Di Resta would finally pit seeing Pastor move up to sixth. Di Resta would return on the medium tyre while in an amazing move Bruno would be given a drive through penalty for causing the collision with Kobayashi.

Ricciardo would pass Perez for tenth while Bruno would take his penalty on lap twenty six. Perez would pit dropping to sixteenth. Lap twenty seven Button would pit staying on the medium tyre coming back out in thirteenth. Vergne would make unnecessary contact with Kovalainen as the Torro Rosso passed the Caterham. Both cars would have to pit with damage. The Safety Car would be deployed seeing a rush of drivers pitting. There was debris from both Kovalainen and Vergne's cars on the track. Grosjean, Alonso, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Pastor, and Hulkenberg would all come in. Hamilton would have a poor stop with his car dropped off the jack with out the front tyres correctly fitted. Lap thirty and Vettel would pit from the lead but would return still in the lead. Grosjean was second from Alonso, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Rosberg, Schumacher, Webber, and Pastor now in tenth.
 
Maldonado
 
Ricciardo would have to stop again as he had yet to use the medium tyre. Lapped cars were allowed to pass the Safety Car seeing Grosjean now right behind Vettel. With the restart Alonso would pass Grosjean for second and for Vettel it would go wrong when the Red Bull would slow seeing him stop at the Turn seventeen hairpin. Alonso was now leading from Grosjean while Ricciardo in third would lose the place to Hamilton. Massa had previously had to pit after Kobayashi crashed into him. Massa would pit taking a long time to come back out after his front right tyre was changed. At the front Alonso had Grosjean 0.7 seconds behind him with Hamilton close behind the Lotus. Raikkonen was fourth with Schumacher passed by Schumacher to see Mercedes in fifth. Hamilton was under investigation by the stewards for ignoring yellow flags.

Ricciardo pitted on lap thirty eight as Pastor passed Webber at the final corner followed by Hulkenberg. Webber would pit on lap thirty nine seeing Di Resta move up to eighth. Bruno was now in fifteenth and Pastor sixth. Button was in ninth followed by Perez. At the front Alonso had extended his lead to 1.4 seconds after lap forty. Another driver to have a major problem was Grosjean who would stop out on the track on lap forty two with an alternator failure. Schumacher would also pit from fifth seeing him drop down the order. Lap forty two and the order was Alonso from Hamilton, Raikkonen, Pastor, Hulkenberg, Di Resta, Perez, Button, Rosberg, and Petrov in tenth. Webber would be attacking eleventh placed Schumacher. Raikkonen was now catching Hamilton with fifteen laps to go.
 
Maldonado
 
Schumacher would pass Petrov for tenth, with Webber also coming past the Caterham. Rosberg would pit on lap forty seven seeing him drop to thirteenth from ninth. Pastor was now 6.1 seconds behind Raikkonen with Hulkenberg 2.2 seconds behind the Williams. It was confirmed that the Hamilton investigation would go no further but Kobayashi would get a five grid place penalty in the next race for his part in the accident with Massa. Both Schumacher and Webber would pass Button with Schumacher now eighth. Rosberg would pass Bruno for eleventh with Bruno now twelfth. Pastor was now starting to lap faster than the Lotus of Raikkonen. Raikkonen was dropping back from Hamilton as they completed lap fifty. Lap fifty one and Pastor was now 4.2 seconds behind Raikkonen but he may not have enough laps to close and pass Raikkonen. With five laps remaining Pastor was now 4.0 seconds behind Raikkonen. Perez was passed by Schumacher seeing Schumacher in seventh. Webber would also pass the Sauber.

Sixth placed Di Resta was now under attack from both Schumacher and Webber. Both would pass the Force India while Pastor was now 2.2 seconds behind Raikkonen. Raikkonen had closed right up behind and using his DRS the Finn would try to pass but could not get it. Raikkonen would finally pass Hamilton with Pastor right next to him. Pastor could not get past on the run past the pits. But in a move that would see Pastor try to pass on the outside only to be forced wide by Hamilton Pastor would come back onto the track and the McLaren and Williams would make contact with Pastor losing his front wing and Hamilton going into the barrier. As a result Schumacher would move up to third with Webber fourth. The final laps would be completed with Alonso taking victory from Raikkonen and Schumacher. Webber was fourth from Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Di Resta, Button, Perez, and Pastor coming home tenth. Bruno would finish in eleventh.

Pastor was now under investigation for his crash with Hamilton. It will be hard for Pastor to explain what was going through his mind when he came back on the track and collided with Hamilton. For the Williams team it was the loss of some very valuable points. Hamilton may have been struggling and was defending his place but Pastor should have been told to be patient and be careful as to when he tried to pass. No doubt there will be much discussion in regard to who was right and wrong but at the end of it it was valuable points lost for the Williams team.
 
Senna
 

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European GP: Lost opportunity for Williams in race
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