Belgian GP: Zero points for Williams
Bruno at Eau Rouge
By Andrew Hooper
September 2 2012
The results of the 2012 Belgian GP would see the Williams F1 team finish outside the points with Bruno Senna only finishing twelfth and Pastor Maldonado retiring. For a race that was meant to see Williams turn their season around it did not happen.
| Belgian GP Race Review |
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Qualifying for
the forty four lap 2012 Belgian Grand Prix would see Williams F1 drivers
Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna finish in third and seventeenth. But as a
result of a three grid place penalty Pastor would start the race from sixth.
On pole was Button with Kobayashi next to him. With Pastor dropping down the
order Raikkonen was in |
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With the accident the safety Car
would come out with Button leading from Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, DI Resta,
Schumacher, Ricciardo, Vergne, Webber, Bruno, and Kovalainen. It would
appear that Grosjean had moved across on Hamilton seeing the pair make
contact. After his stop Pastor was down in seventeenth. Thankfully no one
was injured in the accident. Lap five and the race would restart with Button
leading with Webber challenging Bruno. Pastor would stop at Le Combes with
his front wing missing. On top of this the stewards were now investigating
Pastor for a possible jumped start. Schumacher had passed Di Resta for
fourth while both Massa and Vettel had passed Kovalainen. Hulkenberg was up
to second having passed Raikkonen. Raikkonen complained that he did not
having any grip as on lap eight Kobayashi would pit again. Webber could not get past Bruno on the run up to Le Combes. Vettel was closing in onto Webber while at the front Button was leading by 5.2 seconds over Hulkenberg. Ricciardo was now attacking Di Resta for fifth. Vettel would pass Webber at the chicane leading onto the start-finish straight. On the run up to Le Combes Ricciardo would use his DRS to pass Di Resta for fifth. Vettel was now attacking Bruno as on lap eleven Di Resta would pit taking on the hard tyre. Bruno was very quick on the straight with neither of the Red Bulls able to pass him using their DRS. Schumacher would use his DRS to pass Raikkonen for third. Bruno was now up to seventh as on lap twelve both Raikkonen and Webber would pit, both taking on the hard tyre. The following lap and Ricciardo and Massa would pit joined by Petrov. They would take on the hard tyre with Petrov staying on the medium. Vettel would pass Bruno at the chicane as on lap fourteen Hulkenberg would pit taking on another set of hard tyres. |
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Bruno was now sixth as Raikkonen
was challenging sixth placed Rosberg. Raikkonen would pass Rosberg at Le
Combes while Vettel would pass Vergne for third. Vergne would pit on lap
sixteen while in the pits Kovalainen would make contact with the HRT of
Karthikeyan after he was released after a pit stop. Bruno would pit from
sixth on lap seventeen taking on the hard tyre. Button was now leading Schumacher by 12.9 seconds with Vettel third. Bruno had dropped to twelfth 4.5 seconds behind Vergne. Approaching the mid point of the race and the top three had yet to pit. Massa had passed Rosberg for eighth at Le Source. Vettel would attack Schumacher going into the chicane but Schumacher would lock up and as Vettel tried to get past Schumacher would cut across Vettel taking to the pits. Schumacher would swap to the hard tyres. Button would pit on lap twenty one taking on the hard tyre. Rosberg would pit from ninth allowing Di Resta, Vergne, and Bruno past. Vergne would pass Di Resta while Massa would pass Ricciardo on the run up to Le Combes. Vettel would pit on lap twenty two taking on the hard tyre. Vettel would come out in front of Schumacher. Bruno was now running in eleventh while Pastor would admit that the start was jumped and it was a mistake by him. Lap twenty five and Button was leading Raikkonen by 10.4 seconds. Hulkenberg was third from Webber, Vettel, Massa, Schumacher, Ricciardo, Vergne, and Bruno tenth. Lap twenty seven and Di Resta would pit taking on the hard tyre. Lap twenty eight and a whole group of drivers would pit Hulkenberg, Webber, and Massa. Massa would come back out behind Bruno. Raikkonen would pit on lap twenty nine, joined by Ricciardo. Lap thirty and Vergne would pit from eighth taking on hard tyres. |
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Webber was now under
investigation for an unsafe release in his pit stop with the matter to be
finalised after the race. Massa would pass Bruno using his DRS with Massa
now seventh. Raikkonen would pass Schumacher at the chicane taking third.
Fourth placed Schumacher had Hulkenberg right behind him but Schumacher
would pass Raikkonen using his DRS to re-pass the Lotus. Raikkonen would
again run behind Schumacher with Webber challenging fifth placed Hulkenberg.
Raikkonen would pass Schumacher going into Eau Rouge. Hulkenberg would try
to pass Schumacher while Webber was attacking Hulkenberg. Schumacher would
pit on lap thirty six seeing Hulkenberg now fourth. Massa was now fifth
followed by Webber, Schumacher, Bruno, Vergne, and Ricciardo in tenth.
Rosberg would pit for a third time on lap thirty seven taking on the medium
tyre. Vergne was told to push to catch Bruno. Vergne would quickly catch Bruno with the Torro Rosso on newer tyres. Webber was right behind Massa while Vergne would pass Bruno using the DRS. Ricciardo was now attacking Bruno for ninth with Di Resta behind Ricciardo. Bruno was passed easily by Ricciardo seeing Bruno pit on lap forty. Any chance of some points disappeared with his stop. Bruno would come back out in twelfth with the reality of it that Bruno only ran near the front as a result of the first corner crash. Two laps remaining and Button continued to lead easily and he would start his final lap which he would complete to take victory in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. Vettel would come home second followed by Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Massa, Webber, Schumacher, Vergne, Ricciardo, and Di Resta tenth. For the Williams team it was meant to be a return to their points scoring ways but it did not happen. |
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