Qualifying for the fifty five lap 2012 Korean Grand Prix was a difficult time for the Williams F1 team with drivers Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna finishing in fifteenth and eighteenth. Bruno would start the race from seventeenth due to grid penalties for other drivers. The prospects for the pair in the race would come down to strategy and their fair share of luck. The drivers had the soft and super soft tyres to choose from but the top ten would all start on the super soft tyre. Two drivers to receive grid penalties were Ricciardo for a gearbox change and Pic for using a ninth engine. On pole was Webber from Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa, Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Rosberg, and Schumacher in tenth. The grid would move away on their parade lap and Webber would return to the grid taking his spot. The grid would form and after small delay the lights would go out and it would be Vettel taking the lead from Webber going into Turn one.

Alonso was able to pass Hamilton while team-mate Button would be hit by Kobayashi at Turn three damaging his front suspension. Kobayashi was way too late on his brakes making contact with Button's right front. Kobayashi would pit while Rosberg would pull off seeing his race come to an end. Both Williams drivers had made great starts and after two lap Bruno was twelfth and Pastor thirteenth. Replays had shown that Rosberg had also been involved in the Button Kobayashi accident. Both Williams cars were on the super soft tyre as Bruno was passed by Di Resta on lap five for eleventh place. Pastor was now under attacking by Vergne with Ricciardo right behind his team-mate. As the drivers completed lap five Vettel was leading by 1.2 seconds over Webber. Alonso was third followed by Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Perez, and Schumacher tenth.

Both Vergne and Ricciardo would eventually get past Pastor seeing him drop to fifteenth. Kobayashi would receive a drive through penalty for causing a collision. He would take this on lap nine while for Williams Bruno would be passed by Vergne at Turn three. Rosberg's car would finally be removed allowing DRS to be enabled. Ricciardo would pass Bruno using his DRS. So now Bruno and Pastor were in fourteenth and fifteenth. Bruno had told his team that he had debris on his front wing. With eleven laps completed the field had separated with small groups of cars fighting for places while at the front Vettel was now leading by 2.6 seconds over Webber. Vergne was now attacking eleventh placed Di Resta while Di Resta was looking to get past tenth placed Schumacher. The first to pit would be Hamilton joined by Hulkenberg and Grosjean. Schumacher and Vergne would also come in joined by Kovalainen.

Data had shown that the debris on Bruno's front wing had cleared itself while on lap fifteen we had Webber, Massa, and Raikkonen pit. Ricciardo and Bruno would also pit joined by Petrov and Glock. Bruno has swapped to the soft tyre as on lap sixteen Vettel would pit followed by Alonso from second. Alonso was lucky not to get stick behind Perez as Di Resta also pitted. Hamilton would pass Perez to be behind Alonso. After the first stops Vettel was still leading from Webber with Alonso third from Hamilton, Perez, Massa, Raikkonen, Pastor, Hulkenberg, and Grosjean. Neither Perez or Pastor had pitted but Perez would pit on lap nineteen. Perez would swap from the soft to the super soft tyre. Pastor was still out running in seventh with Grosjean trying to get past the Williams.

Grosjean would pass Pastor using his DRS moving into eighth. Pastor was now ninth and Bruno fifteenth. Massa in fifth had closed right up to Hamilton and was looking to pass. Vettel's lead was now 6.3 seconds over Webber as Massa passed Hamilton using his DRS going into Turn three. Ricciardo had passed Schumacher for tenth as on lap twenty two Pastor would finally pit. Pastor would swap to the soft tyre possibly looking for a one stop strategy. Raikkonen was now right behind fifth placed Hamilton and looking to pass. After his stop Pastor would run in fifteenth 9.4 seconds behind fourteenth placed Bruno. Raikkonen would pass Hamilton for fifth but Hamilton would fight back retaking this spot at Turn four. Lap twenty four and the order was Vettel from Webber, Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ricciardo, and Schumacher.

Vergne would pass Schumacher for tenth seeing both Torro Rosso cars in the top ten. Hamilton would pit again on lap twenty seven in what was an early stop. He would take on a set of soft's in his stop but was delayed by a slow front front change. Hamilton would tell his engineer that his car was very nervous. Hamilton was now eighth as on lap twenty nine Di Resta would pit taking on soft tyres. Grosjean was now fighting with sixth placed Hulkenberg but the Force India driver would not let him past. Bruno and Pastor had both moved up one place with Bruno now thirteenth and Pastor fourteenth. Grosjean would pit on lap thirty two. Di Resta was able to get past Pastor for fourteenth as on lap thirty three Webber would pit taking on soft tyres. Hulkenberg would also come in followed by Schumacher.

Bruno would also come in staying on soft tyres. After their stops Grosjean and Hulkenberg would continue their fight with Grosjean eventually passing the Force India. Perez would pit on lap thirty five as Alonso also pitted. Alonso would come back out behind Glock but would quickly get past the Marussia. Ricciardo would pit from eighth as on lap thirty six Vettel would pit again taking on soft tyres. Massa and Raikkonen would also come in from second and fourth. Perez would pass Pastor using his DRS at Turn three taking thirteenth. Pastor was now fourteenth and Bruno fifteenth but Pastor had yet to pit for the second time. At the front Webber had closed the gap to Vettel to be 5.3 seconds after thirty six laps. Hamilton would come under attack from Grosjean and Hulkenberg but it would be Hulkenberg who would get past both Hamilton and Grosjean to take sixth. Lap forty three and Hamilton would pit again as Perez passed Schumacher for twelfth. Hamilton would come back out in tenth running on the super soft tyre.

Lap forty three and Vettel was leading by 9.5 seconds over Webber with Alonso third followed by Massa, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ricciardo, Vergne, and Hamilton tenth. Pastor and Bruno were still in fourteenth and fifteenth running close together. After an encouraging start to the race the Williams pair had fallen away and were now down the order again looking at another race where they struggled. Lap forty eight and the only real battle was between Vergne and Hamilton in ninth and tenth. Vettel had been told to look after his tyres with Webber also having issues. With five laps remaining Ricciardo and Vergne were eighth and ninth but Vergne had closed the gap to Ricciardo after Ricciardo had run wide after a braking mistake. Vergne would pass Ricciardo using his DRS with Hamilton also looking to get past. Hamilton had picked up some astro turf that had come adrift with it flapping down the side of his car. This would slow Hamilton's pace allowing Ricciardo to maintain his ninth place.

The Red Bull team would keep telling Vettel that they had major concerns over his right front tyre as the Williams pair fought over fourteenth. Vettel would start his last lap with Webber 6.8 seconds behind. But Vettel was able to complete his last lap taking victory in the 2012 Korean Grand Prix. This would also see Vettel take the lead in the drivers championship. Webber was second from Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Vergne, Ricciardo, and Hamilton would take tenth. For Williams Pastor would finish fourteenth with Bruno one place behind. Again another disappointing result for the Williams team with the team seeming to be going backwards compared to their rivals with even both Torro Rosso cars finishing well ahead. Based on their recent results the rest of the season is going to be a difficult time for the Williams team.