Race 5 of 20 in the 2012 Formula One World Championship
← Previous race
Next race →
Circuit de Catalunya
Race details[1][2][3]
Date
13 May 2012
Official name
Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2012
Location
Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain[4]
Course
Permanent racing facility
Course length
4.655 km (2.892 miles)
Distance
66 laps, 307.104 km (190.826[a][4] miles)
Weather
Partially cloudy, dry: Air 23 °C (73 °F), Track 36 °C (97 °F)
Attendance
82,000
Pole position
Driver
Pastor Maldonado
Williams-Renault
Time
1:22.285
Fastest lap
Driver
Romain Grosjean
Lotus-Renault
Time
1:26.250 on lap 53
Podium
First
Pastor Maldonado
Williams-Renault
Second
Fernando Alonso
Ferrari
Third
Kimi Räikkönen
Lotus-Renault
Lap leaders
Motor car race
The 2012 Spanish Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2012) was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 2012, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain, attended by 82,000 people. It was the fifth round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship and the 22nd Spanish Grand Prix at the track. Williams's Pastor Maldonado won the 66-lap event from pole position, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso second and Lotus's Kimi Räikkönen third.
Sebastian Vettel entered the race as the World Drivers' Championship leader while his team Red Bull were top of the World Constructors' Championship. Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren was fastest in qualifying; he was excluded from the qualifying results for breaking the technical regulations on fuel, forcing him to begin the race from the back of the grid. Maldonado thus inherited pole position but was overtaken by Alonso at the start of the Grand Prix. After the first two cycles of pit stops for fresh tyres, Maldonado undercut Alonso, who remained out for two more laps and was delayed by a slower driver during the second pit stop cycle. On lap 41, Maldonado's third pit stop was slow due to a tyre fitting fault and he lost his lead, but he retook it again by passing Räikkönen on lap 47. Alonso overtook Räikkönen on the following lap as well, and drew close to Maldonado; he could not pass Maldonado who maintained the lead for the rest of the race and achieved his maiden and only Formula One win. Alonso finished 3.1 seconds behind in second place and Räikkönen took third after being put on an alternate strategy intended to give him victory.
The race was Williams's first victory since Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, and is their last one as of 2024[update]. Maldonado was the fifth race winner in the season's first five races. As of 2024, he is the only Venezuelan driver to have won a Formula One race. Following the race, Vettel and Alonso shared the World Drivers' Championship lead with 61 points each. Hamilton finished eighth, dropping from second to third, while Räikkönen advanced from seventh to fourth. With 15 races remaining in the season, Red Bull maintained its World Constructors' Championship lead over McLaren and Lotus with 109 points.
^Hughes, Mark (17 May 2012). "Report: Spanish GP: Maldonado Rips Up The Form Book" (PDF). Autosport. 208 (7): 28–41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
^"2012 Spanish Grand Prix results". ESPN. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference RRFinish was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcCite error: The named reference FIAPreview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
and 29 Related for: 2012 Spanish Grand Prix information
The 2012SpanishGrandPrix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2012) was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 2012, at the Circuit...
The SpanishGrandPrix (Spanish: Gran Premio de España, Catalan: Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit...
The 2013 SpanishGrandPrix (officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España 2013) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 12 May 2013 at the Circuit...
The 2011 SpanishGrandPrix, formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2011, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 22 May 2011 at...
The 2012Spanish motorcycle GrandPrix was the second round of the 2012GrandPrix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 27–29 April...
The 2012 European GrandPrix (formally, the 2012 Formula 1 GrandPrix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race that was held at the Valencia Street Circuit...
2024 SpanishGrandPrix, out of the 776 drivers who started a GrandPrix, there have been 114 Formula One GrandPrix winners. The first GrandPrix winner...
7.421333°E / 43.7346500; 7.421333 The 2012 Monaco GrandPrix (formally the Formula 1 GrandPrix de Monaco 2012) was a Formula One motor race that took...
The 2016 SpanishGrandPrix (formally known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2016) was a Formula One motor race held on 15 May 2016 at the...
The Spanish motorcycle GrandPrix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM GrandPrix motorcycle racing season that takes place at Circuito de Jerez...
The Mexican GrandPrix (Spanish: Gran Premio de México), currently held under the name Mexico City GrandPrix (Spanish: Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México)...
Canadian GrandPrix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024. "2024 SpanishGrandPrix – Entry...
States Grand Prix, the SpanishGrandPrix and the Russian GrandPrix), having been held since 1921. Since 2013, it has been the GrandPrix held the most...
The 2005 SpanishGrandPrix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2005) was a Formula One motor race, held on 8 May 2005 at Circuit de...
The 2004 SpanishGrandPrix (officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2004) was a Formula One motor race held on 9 May 2004 at the Circuit...
The 1981 SpanishGrandPrix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 June 1981 at the Circuito Permanente del Jarama, Jarama, Spain. It was the seventh...
The 2019 SpanishGrandPrix (formally known as the Formula 1 Emirates Gran Premio de España 2019) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 12 May...
Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain. It was the fifth round of the 2002 Formula One season and the forty-fourth SpanishGrandPrix. The 65-lap race was won...
standings. "1971 SpanishGrandPrix Entry list". Pritchard, Anthony (1972). The Motor Racing Year No3. ISBN 0393085023. "1971 SpanishGrandPrix". formula1...
The 2017 SpanishGrandPrix (formally known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2017) was a Formula One motor race held on 14 May 2017 at the...
2012 Monaco GrandPrix; he did not start the race from pole position due to a 5-place grid penalty incurred from the previous race, the 2012Spanish Grand...
The 2015 SpanishGrandPrix, formally titled the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2015, was a Formula One motor race held on 10 May 2015 at the...
The 2012 Japanese GrandPrix (formally known as the 2012 Formula 1 Japanese GrandPrix) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Suzuka Circuit...
The 2018 SpanishGrandPrix (formally known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Emirates 2018) is a Formula One motor race that was held on 13 May 2018...
The 1951 SpanishGrandPrix was a Formula One motor race held on 28 October 1951 at Pedralbes Circuit. It was the eighth and final race of the 1951 World...
The 2008 SpanishGrandPrix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Telefónica 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 April 2008 at the Circuit...
Oxfordshire, on a 60-acre (24 ha) site. The team's first race was the 1977 SpanishGrandPrix, where the new team ran a March chassis for Patrick Nève. Williams...
The 2012 Bahrain GrandPrix (formally known as the 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain GrandPrix) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 April 2012 at the...
March and ended in Brazil on 25 November. The 2012 season saw the return of the United States GrandPrix, which was held at the Circuit of the Americas...