Brazilian F1 Grand Prix 2012: Race Report - Jenson Button wins in thrilling style

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• 182nd victory for McLaren
• 78th victory for McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mobil 1 and Enkei
• 34th victory for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
• 15th victory for Jenson
• 7th victory of the season for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-27A-03
- Started: 2nd
- Finished: 1st
- Fastest lap: 1m18.108s (+0.039s, 2nd)
- Pitstops: Two: laps 23 (3.81s) and 57 (2.63s) [Opt-Pri-Int]
- Points: 188 (5th)

"Everyone who took part in today’s race deserves respect – it was crazy out there!

"The conditions were always going to trigger plenty of action, because some cars could generate the required tyre temperatures and others couldn’t. So, for most of the race, you were on a tyre that didn’t feel quite right for the conditions, but for which the lap-times looked okay compared with those of the cars on the other tyre. I spent so much time speaking on the radio to my engineer, Dave [Robson], trying to understand what was going to work and what wasn’t.

"I had a lot of fun racing with Lewis, especially for the first 10 laps. We had a really good, clean fight. It’s a pity he wasn’t still there at the end – but it was nice to have such a great dice with him in our last race as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team-mates. And I really want to say this: ‘It’s been so good working with you, Lewis. Over the past few years, we’ve driven a lot of great races together. It’s been fab.

"Going back to the subject of today’s race, the Safety Car made life more difficult for us – we lost the 40-second buffer we’d built up – but then the rain really came down, and the race became all about choosing the best time to switch to the Inters.

"Then the challenge altered, and it became all about nursing the car to the end. There was a lot of standing water about, especially where Paul [di Resta] had his accident. I’d been through there on the previous lap and had a big snap too, which was a pretty scary moment.

"Last but not least, congratulations to Sebastian [Vettel]. To win three world championships in a row is a great achievement."

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-27A-04
- Started: 1st
- Finished: Ret, 54 laps – accident damage
- Fastest lap: 1m18.069s (1st)
- Pitstops: Two: laps 10 (5.83s) and 18 (3.34s) [Opt-Int-Pri]
- Points: 190 (4th)

"Huge congratulations to Jenson – and to Sebastian too.

"It’s a shame we weren’t able to seal second position in the constuctors’ world championship together, but we did our best. Congratulations to Sebastian, too – his team kept it together and, under a lot of pressure, they pulled through today.

"Now that the 2012 season is done and dusted, I feel a bit numb. It’s been a day of mixed emotions. I’m sad that I didn’t finish the race, but I’m excited about the future. I’ll miss my friends and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, but I’m optimistic about what lies ahead for me. I feel comfortable going into this winter because I feel I did a good job this year. I gave 2012 everything I had. I couldn’t have done anything more."

As for today, I don’t remember too much about the accident with Nico [Hulkenberg], but he came to see me after the race, which was nice.

"It’s been a brilliant experience to be a part of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team over the past six years. I want to thank everyone and sincerely wish everyone the very best for the future. They’ve been fantastic, so supportive, and they continue to do an amazing job. "So, to all of you at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’ll miss each and every one of you."

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

"Jenson drove a millimetre-perfect race today, brilliantly managing the changeable and challenging weather conditions that always bring out the very best in him, and notched up his 15th grand prix victory as a result.

"Lewis was driving equally well when a coming-together with Nico cruelly ended his race. The points we thereby lost were what prevented us from overhauling Ferrari’s constructors’ world championship points total today.

"It would have been fantastic if we could have scored the one-two finish that was clearly within our reach but for that collision, not least for Lewis, whose superb record for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes warrants setting out here: 110 grands prix, 21 wins, 49 podium places, 26 pole positions, 12 fastest laps and 913 world championship points. On behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we wish him well.

"As for Jenson, the superb winner of today’s race, I speak on behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes when I say how delighted we are that he was able to win here today, thereby book-ending his 2012 season with a magnificent victory to go with his season-opening win in Melbourne. He also won in fine style at Spa, of course.

"And here’s one for the train-spotters: Jenson has now scored more podium places in the three seasons he’s driven for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes [25] than he’d scored in the 10 seasons he’d driven for his previous teams [24].

"So there are many reasons for us to be cheerful today. We’ve won the season’s last two grands prix, both wins the result of our car’s sheer pace, and that achievement gives us an extremely solid platform from which to develop our 2013 car over the next few months in readiness for the new season.

"Finally, congratulations to Sebastian and commiserations to Fernando [Alonso]. Either of them would have been a worthy world champion. But, after a grand prix as thrilling and as suspenseful as the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, it’s fair to say that the ultimate winner today was Formula 1."

~ Official photos and report courtesy of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ~

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Brazilian F1 Grand Prix 2012: Race Report - Michael Schumacher finishes his final race on P7

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A thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos this afternoon saw Michael Schumacher end his Formula One career with a battling seventh place finish, whilst Nico Rosberg came home in 15th position after a dramatic and rain-affected race.

• Both drivers suffered a puncture from debris in the early stages of the race which compromised their afternoons
• Michael stopped four times on laps 5, 8, 17 and 54, with a prime/prime/inter/prime/inter tyre usage
• Nico also came into the pits four times on laps 9, 18, 20 and 50, using option/inter/prime/prime/inter tyres

Michael Schumacher
“What an exciting and eventful Grand Prix! Strangely enough, my last ever Formula One race began with a puncture which pushed me down the running order. But it’s always been my philosophy to never give up - there’s always a chance, you just have to keep going and seize it when it comes. It’s a strange sort of coincidence that I’ve ended my Formula One career now in P7, which was my first ever qualifying result at Spa-Francorchamps 308 races ago. It also occurs to me that I was driving with the number seven on my car today and that I have seven world championship trophies in my cabinet. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel on claiming his third world title in a row. I’m very proud of Sebastian and really thrilled for him. As early as the first lap, I suddenly found him blocking the track facing the wrong way, but then the two of us both staged great comebacks in the race. His performance also showed that you just have to keep plugging away. Even under these difficult conditions, my final Formula One race was tremendous fun, and I would once again like to thank the team and all my fans for their support over the past years. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together very much indeed.”

Nico Rosberg
“That was definitely the longest race of my life today! The start was pretty good, and I was running in the top eight. After the puncture however, there was damage to the floor and I lost a lot of performance. So unfortunately I had no chance to fight back from there. It must have been a fantastic race for the fans here in Interlagos and watching on the TV and I hope they enjoyed the show. Congratulations to Sebastian on the world title which is very well deserved. For myself, I am now looking forward to next year and the chance to attack again. Many thanks to the team for all of their efforts this year which saw our first win together, and we can look forward to making further progress and a better 2013.”

Ross Brawn
“We saw a very dramatic race today and a fitting finale to a great season for Formula One. From our perspective, the two punctures early on put us in a difficult position with both cars. Nico’s car suffered a lot of damage and that made his race very difficult. Michael’s puncture wasn’t as severe and the team did a good job to recover, with some help from the safety car. Michael showed all of the skills that we know he has today to salvage his race; considered overtaking, good decisions on tyre strategy, and he kept the car on the road to bring us home some points. It was a nice way to finish the season and his career with us. In terms of results, his second spell in Formula One hasn’t been as special but it has been so for all of us who have had the privilege of working with him. It has been a real honour for all of the boys and girls at our team, and working alongside Michael gives you a real understanding of why he is so special and has achieved seven world championships. He will be missed and we all wish him the very best for the future. Congratulations to Sebastian on achieving his third world title today, a very impressive achievement.”

Norbert Haug
“What an incredibly dramatic way to round off a long championship season! Michael and Nico had to make unplanned stops for punctures caused by debris on the track, losing a lot of time in the process. Both cars sustained damage to their underbody as a result, which affected downforce and pushed up lap times, with Nico’s car suffering more than Michael’s. In his final race, Michael mastered the difficult, damp conditions on the track in impressive style, battling his way through to seventh place. It was great to see Michael overcoming all these problems to finish among the points in his last ever Formula One race. We thank Michael not only for his tremendous dedication and his racing achievements for our team, but also for those great personal qualities that he manifested at all times. The three seasons he spent with us will always serve as a model of team play at its best. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing on wrapping up the world championship hat-trick. To become world champion three years in succession is a remarkable feat that has been achieved by only two previous drivers - Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS ~

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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