Rate the race: 2012 Korean Grand Prix

2012 Korean Grand Prix

14th October 2012, 8:4025th March 2015, 6:02 | Written by Keith Collantine

What did you think of the Korean Grand Prix? Share your verdict on today’s race.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought were the best and worst races during a season.

Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2012 Korean Grand Prix out of ten

10 (1%)
9 (2%)
8 (6%)
7 (13%)
6 (21%)
5 (25%)
4 (16%)
3 (9%)
2 (3%)
1 (4%)

Total Voters: 577

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2012 Korean Grand Prix

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Image © Korean GP/Sutton

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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214 comments on “Rate the race: 2012 Korean Grand Prix”

Traverse Mark Senior (@)
14th October 2012, 8:42

6/10
I think Hamilton is hoping that the grass is greener at Mercedes :P
1. MahavirShah (@mahavirshah)
  14th October 2012, 9:42
  
  @tmcs88 Yeah considering that at McLaren all he’s getting is astro-turf.
  1. phmer3 (@phmer3)
    14th October 2012, 22:06
    
    Excellent!
2. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
  14th October 2012, 9:50
  
  lol – Yeah he´s having a turf time at McLaren…
3. Jayfreese (@)
  14th October 2012, 12:25
  
  Three different issues in three consecutive races for Hamilton, thank you McLaren! Hamilton made the good move.
4. Palle (@palle)
  14th October 2012, 12:41
  
  Maybe the McLaren team has been smoking too much grass lately;-)
  Only Mercedes call it Blue Efficiency: http://www5.mercedes-benz.com/de/innovation/ not green stuff.
5. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  14th October 2012, 13:17
  
  @tmcs88 Nice ;)
6. @HoHum (@hohum)
  14th October 2012, 13:27
  
  He is taking some with him.
Brace (@brace)
14th October 2012, 8:42

Well, that was a let down.
1. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
  14th October 2012, 8:51
  
  Agreed!
  It´s quite ironic that such a brilliant driver can create such boring races.
  1. nobby (@jsmith944)
    14th October 2012, 12:48
    
    Rather like Schumacher when he was at his best.
  2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    14th October 2012, 13:18
    
    @testacorse Assuming you mean Vettel, I don’t think it’s just down to him, unless you only care about P1. The rest of the field largely did nothing exciting and they had cars in front of them!
    1. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
      14th October 2012, 19:26
      
      @jsmith944 yeah, it reminds me of Schumacher hey-day too. Biggest difference for me is that I wanted Schumacher to win back then :)
      And there is just no variation in the way it´s done. Vettel takes the lead and controls the race to the finish. Drives across the line, and the team radio with Hohner goes: well done Seb, well done (with a little grin in his voice), and Vettel goes woo-hoo. It´s deja at it´s worst for me, and for the third time in a row now.
      @andrewtanner I know what you mean, but I definately prefer a fight over first place, especially when so much is on the line for the followers of f1. Today we lost the 4 way battle for the driver championship, and instead it´s turned into a two horse race. Furthermore… the guy leading has won the last too championships and has the strongest car in the field.
      I was hoping for something else for a season finale to be honest!
2. pSynrg (@psynrg)
  14th October 2012, 8:51
  
  Accurate summary.
magon4 (@magon4)
14th October 2012, 8:43

4/10
At least 3,4 good moments in a dull race.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
14th October 2012, 8:43

4/10, snoozefest. Toro Rosso were the only shine of bright light in this very dull race.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  14th October 2012, 9:23
  
  I liked the move from Hulk to get past HAM and GRO too
  1. Beto (@chebeto0)
    14th October 2012, 17:06
    
    Agreed. With both. That was good. But other than that: *snore*.
    
    Although I did find the fight of Perez from the back to the points after the pitlane disaster very interesting, but I’m a Perez fan, so I don’t want to be biased in the overall rating of the race. So 4/10
Antranik (@antranik)
14th October 2012, 8:43

The most boring race this year. Hamilton vs Raikkonen battle was the only entertaining part.

3/10
1. magon4 (@magon4)
  14th October 2012, 8:45
  
  I liked the Hulk mixing it up with HAM & timido GRO
Melchior (@)
14th October 2012, 8:46

Processional
1. magon4 (@magon4)
  14th October 2012, 8:47
  
  Good old F1 of the 90s and 2000s…
2. Melchior (@)
  14th October 2012, 8:47
  
  Not surprised by the start either
Sankalp Sharma
14th October 2012, 8:47

5/10

Brundle: “Fernando is slower than you”, about Massa!

Loved the final corner scrap between Hamilton and Perez.
1. Sviatoslav Andrushko (@)
  14th October 2012, 9:10
  
  Apparently, Fernando tried to save his tyres in order to attempt to assault Webber. At the end of the race Felipe lost some time to Alonso.
2. claudioff (@claudioff)
  14th October 2012, 9:11
  
  The actual quote by Rob Smedley “Back off” is much better.
  1. Sankalp Sharma
    14th October 2012, 9:17
    
    I’m not sure how the “saving-the-tyres” was actually working for him. An assault earlier in the final stint would have been more pragmatic.
    1. Frain stermin (@fanser)
      14th October 2012, 15:09
      
      he was 6.3 sec more than felipe in the end so yes it works…he was just saving tyres…
      1. necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem)
        14th October 2012, 16:35
        
        But that’s because Massa had to back off for the last 15-20 laps…
      2. Q85
        14th October 2012, 17:40
        
        yh they were in different phases.
        
        but remember vettel was told ‘no need to worry about mark’
        
        so red bull were clearly playing team orders too(also lap one was let seb through then get beside him so no one else can). which tho frustrating is expected at this stage of the season
      3. Frain stermin (@fanser)
        14th October 2012, 21:53
        
        @necrodethmortem
        back off 6.3 sec ?? No for sure, thats because Massa had no tyres in the end…in the back off time he was 1.5 -1.8 constantly to Alonso.
        But for sure Massa was very fast this race but no help at all to Alonso…it will be helpful if he will beat vettel in the remain races…just wait and see
      4. necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem)
        14th October 2012, 22:29
        
        @fanser The point is that if Massa would’ve been allowed to pass Alonso, he would’ve gotten several seconds ahead of him with his pace, probably more than the 6 he lost at the end, ergo saving tyres was slower.
        
        I think Alonso had Canada still in the back of his mind or something, didn’t go that way this time around.
      5. Frain stermin (@fanser)
        14th October 2012, 23:38
        
        Maybe you are right but in the situation that Ferrari is was too risky to let them fight…and i don’t think Massa would have passed Webber. But the performance of Massa was strong i hope he repeat that in the remain 4 races
Girts (@girts)
14th October 2012, 8:47

Not the best race of the year. No battle for the lead, not many non-DRS passes, Hamilton and Raikkonen practically out of the fight for the DWC and team orders at Ferrari.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  14th October 2012, 9:24
  
  sums it up nicely, didn’t get it above a 4/10 for me.
  1. Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
    14th October 2012, 20:28
    
    How could it be above that ? Aweful organisation and quite a strange venue, Toro Rosso understood the importance of straight line speed and that paid off …
Matty No 2 (@mattynotwo)
14th October 2012, 8:47

I thought it was ok, had some battles down the order. 5
David-A (@david-a)
14th October 2012, 8:47

5/10 , nothing to shout about, even though Red Bull tried to make it more nerve-wracking.
1. Q85
  14th October 2012, 17:43
  
  yh that radio stuff was slightly insulting to our intelligence. more worrying was how some of the press people on twitter actually believed it.
  
  all you had to do was look at lap times and his tyres to see all was fine.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
14th October 2012, 8:48

How a track like this is on the calendar?
1. Lee_GH
  14th October 2012, 8:53
  
  Because its a good track which the drivers enjoy perhaps?
  1. Pamphlet (@pamphlet)
    14th October 2012, 10:35
    
    It’s not. Most drivers dislike it.
    1. ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
      14th October 2012, 12:05
      
      @pamphlet The crew dread the lack of hotels here too.
magon4 (@magon4)
14th October 2012, 8:50

First 1-2 of the season, really?
1. andae23 (@andae23)
  14th October 2012, 8:58
  
  yep
zicasso (@zicasso)
14th October 2012, 8:51

6 for me. Not terribly bad. In the race amongst teams McLaren are the poorest of all. I don’t get their philosophy if they have one.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
14th October 2012, 8:51

5/10. Quite boring. Now it’s two horse race in the championship. “I’m faster than Fernando” – loved that.
1. Mitori
  14th October 2012, 11:55
  
  ‘120 points extra and I’m competing again!’ ;-)
2. Frain stermin (@fanser)
  14th October 2012, 15:20
  
  he was faster but 6.3 sec behind in the end ???? sound strange to you or not??? suppose(buy using mathematical implications) that he was fatser then Alonso mathematical implications says that in the end he would be less then 2 sec to fernando but not he was 6. Suppose now (by the same way using mathmatical implications) that fernando was saving tyres in the end he should be more then 5 sec to felipe and yes was 6.3 seconds.
  Which is the right mathematical implications to use…one is faster or the other saving tyres? i got my personal answer
Lachie (@lachie)
14th October 2012, 8:51

Any semblance of an interesting race was lost as soon as Vettel made the it through the first corner first. That was obvious before the race, obvious in about 30 races of the last 3 years and anyone who thought otherwise was kidding themselves.
1. Pamphlet (@pamphlet)
  14th October 2012, 10:36
  
  P1 isn’t the only place that is up for grabs in a race.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
14th October 2012, 8:52

I actually really enjoyed this race, Some good fights, Some close racing & a reasonable amount of overtaking.

Wasn’t action packed but was far from been totally dull & was certainly not boring in my view.
1. F1 Fun-Attic
  14th October 2012, 9:02
  
  glad you could squeeze some fun out of viewing this race. I wish I cud say the same, but a 4 for me!
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
14th October 2012, 8:53

5. It would have rated a bit higher if Ferrari wouldn’t have held Massa down. Yes, team orders seem logical at the Scuderia now, but Massa was taking 1 sec./lap off Alonso with 15-some laps to go and he was the only one in the top ten who actually looked able to challenge the Red Bulls. I somehow feel we’ve been deprived of a good battle for 2nd at least. With Vettel’s tyre wear issues, who knows…

Koba’s kamikaze move on Button and Rosberg, the easiness of overtaking in the DRS zone, the astroturf run-off falling apart and the Gangam style dude being fronted everywhere by the organisers didn’t help the rating either. And I’m now sure Korea is a(nother) track we could very well do without.
1. Dizzy
  14th October 2012, 8:54
  
  Massa was taking 1 sec./lap off Alonso with 15-some laps to go
  
  alonso was cruising to save tyres, when he started pushing again to pressure webber in the final laps he began pulling away from massa easily.
  1. Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
    14th October 2012, 9:05
    
    when he started pushing again to pressure Webber in the final laps he began pulling away from Massa easily
    
    At about 0.5 sec./lap and I reckon Massa’s tyres were done by that point. Massa’s overall pace was better than Alonso’s in the final stint. No question about that.
  2. brny666
    14th October 2012, 9:37
    
    Why on earth would Massa be pushing after Alonso once he was told to stay put. I think he was faster but couldn’t be bothered to keep pace at the end.
2. zicasso (@zicasso)
  14th October 2012, 8:57
  
  Terrible to see Massa being held behind but it makes sense. To more points Alonso scores at this stage the better.
  1. Q85
    14th October 2012, 17:46
    
    so what about red bull? ‘no need to worry about webber’
    
    at least webber was still in for a shout for the title.
3. @HoHum (@hohum)
  14th October 2012, 13:37
  
  I like the track, watching Webber through the midsection was a joy.
  1. Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
    14th October 2012, 16:33
    
    @hohum
    
    The track itself is not necessarily awful but it’s among the worst tracks in the calendar, for sure. The mid sector along with turns 4,5,6 are relatively decent. Can’t say the same about the pit lane entrance / exit and sector 3. It’s simply a track without personality. Technical, flat, low downforce. A circuit that doesn’t really push to the limits / challenge neither the car or the driver.
    
    Still, regardless of that, I was refering more to aspects that don’t relate to the track’s design. The Korean organisers just seem to hit trouble every single year. 10 laps for the marshalls to bring a crane and remove Rosberg’s car, uninspired docking and run-off areas, astroturf shredding like an office carpet. That’s just unacceptable. Add dust and dirt all over the track, the fact that it’s set in the middle of nowhere, the poor infrastructure everyone complains about, large purposeless concrete constructions all over the place making an aesthetic bomb out of it, untrained / clueless marshalls and volunteers and general lack of enthusiasm from everyone, be it the public or those involved. It just looks bad.
    
    To me, along with Bahrain and India, Korea is one of those tracks that are on the calendar because they have to. Because of Bernie’s economical or political interests, not because they have that special something that gets the most out of the driver and the car, not because it looks great on screen, not because it has history or because it’s composed out of legendary sections and turns. Not even because it’s just a very good track, like Turkey was. It’s there just because it has to be there.
    
    That’s exactly why Korea was finished and omologated only a couple of weeks before the first GP held here, that’s why we had the flood of 2010 and that’s why the organisers are clueless year after year. They hold the GP here because they have to, not because they want to and because there’s enthusiasm regarding F1 or motorsport in general…
    
    I’m sorry but that’s just the feeling I get when I watch these GPs.
    1. @HoHum (@hohum)
      15th October 2012, 0:03
      
      Rome wasn’t built in a day, it takes time to build up a following but they still have to pay FOM tens of millions of $, on TV the locale looks fine. I would rather a decent track in the boonies to a cruddy track in the center of town.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
14th October 2012, 8:55

The turf at the exit of turn13? was rather ridiculous. They need to sort that out.
As for the racing though, there were a few good battles, some great tension towards the end of the race and soe good tactical battles in the pits. I was dissapointed that Button was eliminated because I thought it would be interesting to see how that strategy played out but judging by Hamilton’s tyre wear I doubt he could do a one stop.
I was happy with the result, but the race itself probably a 6.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 8:56
  
  The turf at the exit of turn13? was rather ridiculous. They need to sort that out.
  
  Agreed. Completely unacceptable.
  1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
    14th October 2012, 9:15
    
    I don’t think Charlie was intending for that to happen when he asked for a change to the astro turf!
xbx-117 (@xbx-117)
14th October 2012, 8:56

I thought it started very well (minus Button and Rosberg’s unfortunate exits), but it slowly started dying down until the end where it flat-lined (I was not on edge with all the Vettel radio messages, I knew he would win and it kinda got annoying although I guess there was nothing else going on). Overall, a 6/10, not great but not completely horrible. Great moves by Hamilton kept it alive.
Dizzy
14th October 2012, 8:59

i gave it 7/10 as i thought it was a fairly good race which i quite enjoyed.

the drs passes were too easy most the time but at least there wasnt a great deal of them, enjoyed some of the good racing we saw, especially through the turns 4/5/6 section where there was some really good racing.

think the only thing which hurt the race was the tyres which ended up seeing everyone cruising for most the race to try & look after them. heard a couple radio calls where teams were telling drivers not to get too close to the car infront in order to not use the tyres too much, that certainly didnt help the racing.
1. @HoHum (@hohum)
  14th October 2012, 13:40
  
  That certainly hasn’t helped the racing all year.
tkcom (@tkcom)
14th October 2012, 9:00

The last time Ferrari told Massa to slow down we rated the race @ 1. This one too?
1. bosyber (@bosyber)
  14th October 2012, 19:02
  
  but that was to let someone past for the lead. Yeah, disappointing, but not quite the same. And though Red Bull made sure WEB was just a bit slower for most of the race, so he wasn’t quite told to slow, just kept his distance (and “look after the tyres”) – still, he wasn’t clearly faster today, so might not have given us a fight anyway.
  
  Just like the rest of the race really. Could have been worse, but might have been better (actually entertaining) in some other circumstances.
JPQuesado (@joao-pedro-cq)
14th October 2012, 9:02

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………. Oh look, there’s Sebastian leading… ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ….
Chris (@tophercheese21)
14th October 2012, 9:05

Gave it a 7 on the sheer fact that it’s given us a great platform going into the remaining races, with the constructors and drivers championships.

Was very disappointed to see Lewis struggling yet again, and to see Button taken out on Lap 1.

Enjoyed the battle between Lewis and the two Torro Rosso’s at the end. And also enjoyed the Hulkenberg – Grosjean – Senna Battle.

And finally, good to see Grosjean have a clean race.
roger_e
14th October 2012, 9:05

all those more casual fans that need constant action who are giving this race scores of 1-2-3 should maybe just go back to watching nascar?

race was good enough for 7-8.
1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
  14th October 2012, 9:09
  
  +1
2. xivizmath (@xivizmath)
  14th October 2012, 9:59
  
  That’s like saying “Stop looking at these clouds moving on the sky, look at that drying paint instead.”
3. RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
  14th October 2012, 10:15
  
  I’ve been a F1 fanatic for 15 years and have seen highlights of every race there is media on. Read thousands of books and dedicated my life to it. On some days, you get great races hat change your view of what’s possible and, by law of averages, poor races. This was a poor race. If this race is an 8 then what was Japan 2005? Because I can tell you what most fans would rather watch. Don’t infer that some people are casual fans because they recognise this is not a great race. It makes you look like the casual fan.
  1. roger_e
    14th October 2012, 22:39
    
    If this race is an 8 then what was Japan 2005?
    
    the thing with suzuka 2005 is people remember alonso passing schumacher & kimi passing fisichella, yet forget that the rest of the race was dull.
    
    95% of the passing happened at the refueling stops, there wasn’t much close racing & statistically had less on-track overtaking than most other races that year (11).
    
    people go on about races at bahrain, singapore & korea for been dull, yet ignore the the close racing, good fights & overtaking that goes on & then simply say ‘there was no racing’.
    
    People here considered singapore boring, yet there was 62 on-track overtakes & some real good close racing fights for position. same for bahrain which featured 72 on-track passes & similar high levels of close on-track fights.
    Both those tracks produced more on-track overtaking than melbourne, montreal, silverstone, spa & Suzuka which fans often seem to believe produce more which is statistically more often than not incorrect.
    
    people moan about these modern tracks because they don’t like the fact f1 goes to there countrys, this korean track gets called dull yet all the drivers say they like it because its exciting to drive/race on & a real challenge for them & the engineer’s.
    Same with India the drivers all enjoy it & it was designed with driver/team input which is something fans often say should be done.
UTBowler0407 (@utbowler0407)
14th October 2012, 9:08

Looks like I’m in the minority here, but I thought it was a fairly entertaining race. Certainly not on par with Valencia this year, but there were quite a few good battles for position (Hulkenburg passing Hamilton and one of the Lotuses, Hamilton and Raikkonen, etc.). Only complaints would be the Red Bull domination, the Ferrari team orders, and the extended yellow flags in the DRS zone.

And of course that nonsense with the astroturf was a bit annoying, but at least it didn’t have much effect in the final finishing order.
1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
  14th October 2012, 9:26
  
  @utbowler0407
  
  that nonsense with the astroturf was a bit annoying, but at least it didn’t have much effect in the final finishing order
  
  I agree, but I think it was a bit more than annoying; it was actually pretty dangerous. Arguably you could say that Hamilton had a chance a catching the Torro Rosso’s but personally I don’t think much would come of it (judging by the earlier attempts).
  For a new circuit with safety undoubtably in mind whilst designing the track, this is a huge failure from the FIA in not managing the circuit organisers effectively.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
14th October 2012, 9:11

5/10

It wasn’t, strictly speaking, bad … it was just a shadow of what it could have been. The race was really let down by the awkward placement of Rosberg’s Mercedes and the extended yellow flag period.
1. Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
  14th October 2012, 9:42
  
  the race was really let down by the awkward placement of Rosberg’s Mercedes and the extended yellow flag period
  
  Very much agreed the only overtaking zone in the circuit was yellow falged & no one could overtake that was a disadvantages for the cars who got the top speed
2. PhilEReid (@philereid)
  14th October 2012, 11:36
  
  Pretty much killed Webber’s chances of passing Vettel, that could have lead to something brilliant.
  I gave this an 8, because whilst 75% of the race was processional, I’m a sucker for good on track battles, and there were plenty.
  1. Q85
    14th October 2012, 17:48
    
    webbers chances of passing vettel?
    
    lol that gave me a giggle at least. and people complain about ferrari…..
Chris (@aclasschris)
14th October 2012, 9:13

The racing was mediocre, the track was filthy, the astro turf was a joke, and the race organizers still don’t have a clue. I still don’t understand why this race is even on the calendar.

Highlight was Vettel getting hustled by that girl on the podium LOL!
1. Keamo
  15th October 2012, 8:53
  
  :)
  Comment of the day for me.
Arc
14th October 2012, 9:19

If you just focus all your energy on the front of the grid then yes, arguably it was processional.

But surely you can’t justify that argument for the rest of the pack! I guess if you pay close attention to a midfield runner, like I do, then you’d have more enjoyable races. :D
1. adaptalis (@adaptalis)
  14th October 2012, 9:42
  
  Difficult when they missed so many of the overtaking there. Poor coverage this week especially for the replays on the useless Driver’s Cam from T3 to T4 when the car doing the overtake has passed by then and all you see is them driving in the centre of the track instead of the racing line.
Dizzy
14th October 2012, 9:24

you know what i think the problem is, the crazy races earlier on where tyres & drs were creating 80+ passes (most of which were boringly easy to watch) have created unfair expectations of all races.

2-3 years ago this race would have been rated high, yes everyone is basing races now off those races from earlier on.

the races like valencia, montreal etc… were races the casual fans would have loved as there was constant action. i think the last few races have been great for the hardcore/long term fans amongst us who enjoy the strategy & close racing yet didnt like the artificial nature seen earlier in the season.

as one of those more hardcore, longer term fans (been watching since the early 70s) i didn’t enjoy those earlier races as i simply detest drs & think the tyres are too artificial, so the races which features 100 passes (most of those passes i felt were boring to watch) i saw as too artificial & i disliked them as a result.
the more recent races ive enjoyed a lot more as they have been more traditional, the racing has been more pure & the artificial nature seen earlier on has largely gone.

this race & the last 4-5 have reminded me more of the races we saw through the 70s/80s/early 90s & as my favorite era maybe thats why ive been enjoying them.
1. davidnotcoulthard
  14th October 2012, 10:51
  
  The greatest thing in the last few months is that DRS doesn’t do it’s job that well anymore….which is good.
2. @HoHum (@hohum)
  14th October 2012, 13:47
  
  Hamilton was very entertaining despite his problems, no joy for his fans but very entertaining for the dispassionate viewer.
Abel Archundia (@aquataz68)
14th October 2012, 9:28

6 thanks to midfield fun. Great drives by Hul and STRs and a pity to see Sauber waste a chance to close in on Merc.
Jason (@jason12)
14th October 2012, 9:30

6/10.
Lewis did spice it up a little.
Ben (@benchuiii)
14th October 2012, 9:33

6. Business as usual at the front but good midfield battles throughout the race. And what’s with the astroturf? Surely grass can be planted instead.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
14th October 2012, 9:33

4/10. Apart from a few fights (like STR’s making their way up) and Hamilton’s new eco-parts, there was pretty much nothing going on; just cars circling with safe distances between each other.
Bwal87 (@bwal87)
14th October 2012, 9:36

3. I thought it was a horrible race- Webber putting up no fight at the start; Kobay-bashi taking out two potential points-scoring cars amateurishly on lap 1; Vettel taking a dominant car to the chequered flag then whooping over the radio a la 2011; Ferrari not being flexible enough to realise that Alonso could have taken Webber if they had released the faster Massa; the astroturf disintegrating mid-race. The only plus point for me was watching Hamilton produce a heroic Gilles Villeneuve-esque drive to salvage a point with a car that had a broken rear roll bar from lap 18 and also carried part of the circuit on its sidepod for about 5 laps. Also pleased for Toro Rosso. As an aside though I wonder if this kind of race satisfies the people who were whingeing that the start of the season was too unpredictable and there were too many winners?
1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
  14th October 2012, 9:40
  
  I think it’s a little silly to say that Ferrari should have released Massa. If they had done that, then Alonso would be even further behind a “whooping Vettel”.
  
  Of course they’re not going to let their prime championship candidate lose points to the out of contention team mate.
  1. Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
    14th October 2012, 9:49
    
    I think it’s a little silly to say that Ferrari should have released Massa.
    
    That depends. If Massa REALLY had the pace to challenge Vettel for the lead, then a win for Felipe with Vettel 2nd and Alonso 4th would have benefited the spaniard more as he would have lost only 6 points to Vettel compared to the 10 he did today.
    
    Surely it would have been a gamble but I wouldn’t have been that silly for Ferrari to try and take this risk, in my opinion.
  2. Bwal87 (@bwal87)
    14th October 2012, 9:52
    
    Not really. Team orders are legal now and if the Massa-releasing experiment didn’t work, they could have always dropped him back behind Alonso again. It was clear though that mid-race, Massa had more pace than Alonso and could have troubled Webber (either by overtaking him and slowing him down or forcing Webber to take too much out of his tyres). In the current situation where Red Bull have a clear car advantage, Ferrari have to do everything they can to salvage every point for Alonso, and making that aggressive choice might have done that.
    1. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
      14th October 2012, 10:09
      
      I had exactly the same thoughts. There was basis for some serious team work there, but they I think they opted for the safe route, because they were very happy with the places they had in the field at the time. In the bbc interview Alonso said, that they were very nervous, especially with the start, and that they had to finish on the podium, which they achieved.
      1. @HoHum (@hohum)
        14th October 2012, 13:56
        
        You’re all assuming that Webber was trying to catch Vettel, all he was doing was keeping ahead of Alonso. Webbers fastest lap proved he had plenty in reserve.
      2. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
        15th October 2012, 9:10
        
        @hohum I´m only talking about the Ferraris. Was your reply meant for me?
      3. @HoHum (@hohum)
        15th October 2012, 22:11
        
        @testacorsa, specifically no, I was talking to those people that believe Massa would have been able to pass Webber, when it’s clear Webber was controlling the gap to Alonso, far enough away not to be jumped, close enough to see him coming. But it is nice to talk to you.
      4. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
        16th October 2012, 19:27
        
        Thanks you too :)
        You could be right, but it´s hard to know for sure. Especially those tires make it difficult to estimate how fast one car/driver actually could be, as everyone is saving them by driving so careful. I actually think that is what made Schumacher indecisive of his future in f1. On one hand it makes for some interesting results, but I really wish Pirelly would drop the synthetic formula, and go back to natural rubber.
2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 20:33
  
  @bwal87
  
  Webber putting up no fight at the start
  
  Sure Vettel got a better start then he did, but Webber hung in there and tried to get past again at turn three, and then he was defending his position from Alonso at turn four. I don’t see how he ‘didn’t put up a fight’?
  1. Bwal87 (@bwal87)
    14th October 2012, 21:40
    
    I agree that he attempted to get back at Vettel into turn 3 but the damage was already done by then. If the leader positions themselves properly into turn 3 on lap 1 (as Vettel did) the car behind shouldn’t have a hope of getting past. Webber’s start wasn’t a shocker and was more than good enough for him to move across to try to get the inside line into turn 1 (as Vettel would doubtless have done if the roles had been reversed), but he gave his teammate acres of space which was a bit too meek and Malaysia 2010-y in my opinion. After producing a great pole lap, it was just so disappointing that Webber didn’t make it harder for his teammate into the first corner.
caci99 (@)
14th October 2012, 9:37

It is a 4 for me. Pretty boring. Yesterday looked so promising after the qualifying and with the better race pace that Ferrari, McLaren were supposed to have based on Friday Practice. But Mclaren were yet again unfortunate, Ferrari couldn’t match the Red Bull which were untouchable today. And there I am left rubbing my chin, when I noticed that I better have a shave.
Well done Red Bull and Vettel, but the race …
andae23 (@andae23)
14th October 2012, 9:37

I think this race perfectly demonstrated what’s wrong with Formula 1 anno 2012. There has been a lot of critisism about the DRS zone between turns 2 and 3: it had been elongated, and surprise surprise, overtaking there was as easy as stealing candy from a baby. For the circuit itself: though more people enjoyed the race from the stands this year, still it is unable to win over the Koreans to suddenly care about racing. I will just keep my mouth shut about the astro turf. One should really ask himself: why turn down great European circuits with loads of fans, and go racing in a swamp 3 hours away from the nearest airport?

Anyway, back to the actual racing: it was not as interesting at the front, but heck yeah it was interesting at the back! Starting the race with a great battle between Toro Rosso and Williams (I believe Vergne pulled of a great pass on Maldo). Also the Hülkenberg/Grosjean battle was very entertaining throughout the race, with climax being Hülkenberg passing both Grosjean and Hamilton at turn 4. There were some other battles down the field, that were unfortunately not shown on tv.

I rated the race 6/10, would have been 7/10 would the director have shown the midfield squabble instead of showing random replays of Red Bull tyres in slow-motion.
melkurion (@melkurion)
14th October 2012, 9:38

what a borefest :S
mixwell (@mixwell)
14th October 2012, 9:39

gave this a 7. this race wasn’t a great one by any means, but there were some great mid-field battles. .this could have been better if there were no team orders and Massa overtook/battled with Alonso. .
Andy rus
14th October 2012, 9:44

Dull. As soon as sv lead after turn 4 was rest was inevitable. (barring failures/mistakes) Mw neither being allowed to nor fast enough to challenge. Never mind the first 8 laps or so under yellows removing all chance of early drs passes to spice it up at the front.
1. andae23 (@andae23)
  14th October 2012, 9:57
  
  Good point about the yellow flags at the beginning of the race: the first 10 laps, overtaking at the most obvious point on the circuit was partnered with a risk of getting a penalty. They should have a) cleared that car faster; or b) brought out the safety car, clean up the mess and recover Rosberg’s car and then go racing again.
  1. @HoHum (@hohum)
    14th October 2012, 13:59
    
    It was unfortunate but I think they made the right choice.
2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 20:35
  
  The situation with the yellow flags was completely ridiculous. Some teams were telling their drivers the sector were marked as clear on their information screens.
  1. Stevensanph
    15th October 2012, 4:42
    
    On the live timing the sector kept going ‘green’ and then switching back to yellow. A few people pulled out to overtake then had to duck back in. Farcical really.
adaptalis (@adaptalis)
14th October 2012, 9:48

Personally i thought the effectiveness of the DRS zone was ambiguous. There were times when cars went by too simply, while there were those who struggled to get alongside (Lotuses vs Ham, Ham on Vergne) while there were those that got it just nice side by side through T3. (Gro vs Hulk after last pit). Think the straight was simply too long such that the limiter was more of a factor here than the slipstream.
1. Andy rus
  14th October 2012, 9:54
  
  i agree, but also think during the early laps withs cars heavy on fuel and slow to accelerate and not hitting limiter and running close together, i think drs would have helped shuffle the pack and I was disappointed that the yellows lasted as long as they did
Howard (@howard)
14th October 2012, 9:55

Not bad race,
Racing and overtakes a plenty.
Monaco was clearly the most boring this year by far, even though it’s a “Historic Track”.
1. andae23 (@andae23)
  14th October 2012, 10:02
  
  I remember rating the Monaco race 8/10: it might have been as spectacular as for instance Valencia, but the racing skills the top 5 or 6 drivers displayed were very, very impressive.
  1. andae23 (@andae23)
    14th October 2012, 10:03
    
    *it might not
Michael Naumann
14th October 2012, 9:59

Driver of the race: Hamilton.

Brilliant how he managed to simulate his next years car [*******] with the astroturf.
Howard (@howard)
14th October 2012, 10:08

Monaco was a complete bore fest.
No racing, no overtakes no nothing.
Kimi and Lewis showed great skill today.
1. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
  14th October 2012, 11:28
  
  Overtaking doesn’t instantly mean a great race; last years dice with hamilton and Webber was mesmorising.
MahavirShah (@mahavirshah)
14th October 2012, 10:12

Vettel can thank Webber for letting him past at turn 1 on lap 1. Team orders – Definitely. The race was quite processional there on. I am beginning to rate Nico Hulkenberg higher than Paul Di Resta. He drove very well and very controlled. His passing was clean and fair and intelligent. Average race, 6 at best.
1. Yoshisune (@yobo01)
  14th October 2012, 10:42
  
  @mahavirshah
  Yeah, Webber challenging Vettel on turn 2 was a team order as well, I assume.
  1. MahavirShah (@mahavirshah)
    14th October 2012, 11:10
    
    @yobo01 Before the race people were discussing how Vettel was on the dirty side and how the track would be too dusty. It looked like Webber gave Vettel the space to take the lead. And practically why shouldn’t they. Webber wont have a chance to win WDC. Massa was explicitly told to stay “2-3” seconds behind Alonso as he was catching up as the fight is between Alonso and Vettel. I am not condemning team orders. I wouldv’e issued them as well if Webber was ahead. And furthermore, they have done it in the past, maybe not explictly but they have.
    1. Yoshisune (@yobo01)
      14th October 2012, 11:26
      
      @mahavirshah Webber left a little bit of space because he didn’t want an accident with his team mate. But it was clear that he didn’t want 2nd place, he tried to overtake Seb in turn three (I wrote turn 2 before, but it was 3) and it didn’t work out. I don’t think there were team orders, there was extra caution. If they had wanted Seb to be ahed of Mark they would have used a team order later in the lap, it’s too risky at the start.
      Besides Alonso gained the place on Hamilton. And Lewis left some space as well.
    2. Mads (@mads)
      14th October 2012, 12:32
      
      @mahavirshah
      If you look at the all the races held on this track it is quite clear that the dirty side is actually not that dirty. Nor is the run to the first corner very long and the guy on the dirty side starts on the inside which, in case he can get a good start, is very useful.
      It would be WAY too risky to order Webber to start slow to let Vettel past. He could quickly find him self fighting for 10th place, and if Vettel messed his start up as well, then it would be game over for RB to control the outcome of the race in any way.
      With such a long straight directly after T1 and 2, the thing they would do, would be to wait until both cars are through the first corner with all parts attached and then shuffle the positions around into T3 or maybe even T4 if things are tight at T3.
      Yes Webber did make it somewhat easy for Vettel, but I don’t think his slow speed was because he was ordered to let Vettel through.
      I think it was the other way around. Webber knew that he mocked up the start slightly, so he made sure to block Hamilton on the outside, then Vettel made sure that Alonso couldn’t split the RB’s, and then Webber just let him go. He couldn’t have done much from his position into T1 to defend his position, as Vettel was very quickly alongside him.
      1. @HoHum (@hohum)
        14th October 2012, 14:07
        
        I am pretty sure that whenever it came Webber was not going to defend against Vettel, I think the race went exactly as they hoped it would and Webber did the job they pay him to.
  2. Q85
    14th October 2012, 17:53
    
    yes it was. to stop anyone else having a stab at him.
    
    like someone else said its what webber is paid to do.
    
    not bad for a no.2
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
14th October 2012, 10:12

4/10. pretty boring race. The second half of the season has been dull with Monza and to some extent Spa being the exception. With Lewis leaving Mclaren, somehow again all sorts of problem are appearing in his car. RedBull again going to win both championships, its Vettel’s championship to loose now. Fernando really needs to win in India otherwise he can say goodbye to his dream of getting first championship with ferrari and hope ferrari produces a better car in 2013 to again bid for championship.
As for Mercedes, they are touching more low with each weekend. In middle of season they were fighting places with Saubers and Force Indias and now even Torro Rosso are better in race trim. I wonder by season finale even Caterhams can outpace them.
Howard (@howard)
14th October 2012, 10:15

It’s very close with the tires though.
James (@goodyear92)
14th October 2012, 10:31

It’s hard to separate my emotions over Hamilton’s frustrating third mechanical calamity (is it me, or is this becoming a little suspect now? Suspension failiures are an extremely rare occurence, usually an isolated instance, yet Lewis has had two in a row — of exactly the same nature), and the actual quality of the race. I think special attention needs to be payed to Hamilton’s fortunes in India — should something similar hamper his efforts again, then I think it will become undeniable that there is something fishy going on behind the scenes. It’s at least made me more assured of his decision to depart to Mercedes being the right call. It’s no less likely that McLaren’s self-destruct tactics would hurt his chances next year, just as much as an uncompetitive car from Mercedes could. But this was the most painful race to endure as a supporter as his, but he didn’t give up and still, even suffering as he was, provided almost all of the excitement in what was an otherwise dull procession — fighting with Kimi (I love these two going up against eachother) and ‘The Hulk’. It was also a shame about Button’s misfortune, although the irony of his first assault being at the hands of Sergio — his future team mate — was slightly amusing. However, what the hell was Kobayashi playing at? Hero to zero seems to be a common theme this year (Pastor Maldanado – Spain to Monaco, Sergio Perez – Monza to Singapore and Kamui – Japan to Korea). He claims he was boxed in by both Button and Rosberg, leaving him nowhere to go, but before he entered the braking zone, he was firmly behind both, and only came sailing between them, taking both out, about halfway through it. His mistake was no less idiotic than Grosjean’s misdemeanours in Belgium and Japan. It seems ever more likely that he will lose his seat, and that the result in Japan, as hinted by Monisha, has made no difference to that.

It’s a shame what’s happening now — I appreciate and respect what Red Bull and Vettel are able to achieve together, but there’s no doubting it’s making the season less interesting as we head in to the final run. This is also down to McLaren’s inabiliy to make the most of their dominance early season, and upon the return from the summer break. It’s Martin Whitmarsh’s irritating way of waving off their constant mistakes as ‘just one of those things’ and something that will ‘hopefully’ be rectified in the next races. It took the team far too long to sort out their problems in the pits, it took them far too long to find the pace they lost during the summer and it’s taking them too long to sort out their string of car failiures — which stretches all the way back to Monza for christ’s sake. It’s just not enough for a team that likes to class themselves as the most professional on the grid (Ferrari and Red Bull doing far more to warrant that title), that have been as successful as they have and have two supreme drivers (well, two for these last four races). I used to be a McLaren supporter, but I’m following Lewis nex year and Brawn’s team will be who I’m rooting for — hoping McLaren develop the poor car they deserve next year after squandering so much this year.

Vettel deserved the win to day, and all credit to him (does he have to keep developing signiature winning actions, though? Seriously, the stroking of his car is as irritating as that finger and just another example of his showmanship that I just don’t like. Celebrate by all means, but stop doing so much for the cameras and almost rubbing it in the faces of those watching who might not support you.). However, it was an easy win in a car that’s showing similar dominance now to that of his 2011-spec machine, and is making the Championship’s run-in look like an easy task in the end. I’m still holding on to hope for Alonso (Hamilton’s now out of it through no fault of his own), because it would seem a shame to me if Vettel becomes a three-time title holder before Alonso — who I firmly believe has done more to earn it this year. It just doesn’t look likely, though, given the cars’ relative pace. Still, anything can happen I suppose.

As for the race, overall. Not much action surrounding the more interesting positions, no fight for the lead and a generally boring race as a result.

3/10
1. Jason (@jason12)
  14th October 2012, 12:42
  
  @howard
  I can certainly understand your frustration. It suddenly looks like McLaren are incapable of providing a reliable car (at least to Lewis).
  Their dominance at the beginning of the season is however, exaggerated!
  They’ve never had the gap/advantage in performance that RedBull now enjoys (and have enjoyed for the past two seasons).
2. Bwal87 (@bwal87)
  14th October 2012, 12:45
  
  +1. I agree with pretty much all of this.
3. Keamo
  15th October 2012, 9:03
  
  Great post.
adri005 (@adri005)
14th October 2012, 10:45

The most boring race of the season, please get that track out of the calendar… Korean people doesn’t even know what an F1 is!
Karthikeyan (@ridiculous)
14th October 2012, 10:47

Leaning 7. Best opening lap seeing almost 4 cars abreast on turn 4. Solid mid field action, especially the Torro Rosso’s and Hulkenberg. Another tactical mistake by Ferrari by not including Massa in the mix with the Bulls, like Mika Salo helping Irvine. Though Alonso finished on the podium it was quite visible that he wasn’t truly among the top 3 drivers. Don’t think Alonso or Ferrari have it in them to challenge the Bulls.
And good job by the Maranello squad to move ahead of McLaren. How to make a mess of a good car? Call McLaren.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 20:37
  
  @ridiculous Korea does seem to produce great action for the first four corners of the race… and that’s it.
Yoshisune (@yobo01)
14th October 2012, 10:53

It wasn’t that bad, I gave it a 7.

The top 5 was pretty much decided after the first few corners, but there were a lot of interesting battles. Hulkenberg defending from Grosjean, the two Toro Rosso climbing up, Hamilton going down…

The last few laps were quite interesting, Vettel’s race engineer was very worried, and I expected something to happen.

I didn’t like the DRS zone. Sometimes overtaking was far too easy. I think that they should’ve chosen a different straight.
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
14th October 2012, 11:03

4/10. A mark added for Hulkenburg’s amazing overtake on Hamilton and Raikkonen, which helped keep me up. Awful track, and the astroturf disintegrating at the end was a farce.
Fixy (@)
14th October 2012, 11:09

4/10
There could have been many entertaining battles, but in 99% of them drivers got through halfway-through the DRS zone, making it far too easy. Even the moves at turn 4 were a direct consequence of this.
Hulkenberg, Hamilton and the Toro Rossos were the only positive note of the race, but not enough to give it at least 6.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
14th October 2012, 11:11

5/10 You know a race is dull when the most exciting thing was the grass being mowed, and it wasn’t even real grass.
1. phmer3 (@phmer3)
  14th October 2012, 23:47
  
  Well said, thank you
2. Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
  15th October 2012, 9:28
  
  Good one! :D
James Hosford (@hosford90)
14th October 2012, 11:15

Wasn’t special, I gave it 5.

I do feel like we’re all a bit pampered these days, due to the generally golden era we’re in, and how amazing some of the early races this year were.

Yeah we’re not getting the surprise results or crazy fluctuations right at the end as tyres die anymore, but I found that race a captivating watch.

I remember, now just in early 2000s, but still up through to 07-08 which were largely great seasons, that there were often races that were absolutely monotonous processions, and Martin would, despite obviously needing to sell the product for his employer, admit as much afterwards.

But I felt that race was always captivating. If some of the threatened things had happened (like a last lap Vettel failure and Massa being let by Alonso and challenging Webber) we’d all have loved it far more. But it’s not about the end result. The threat of things happening is what it’s about, whether they end up happening or not.

Not a classic race and no genuine battles in the top 5, but not too dreary. There was a good amount of quality racing in the mid-field, and always a solid tension and captivation as the race slowly ‘deteriorated’ (in the sense that cars and track alike were all slowly dying, it creates tension with an ending).

It was almost definitely a better race than Suzuka actually. At least Vettel wasn’t half a minute clear and there was some nerves at the end, and there was so much more passing and good racing.

I gave Suzuka a 6 for the epic podium result and the pleasure it is to watch the track. But I also think Korea gets a slightly bad wrap. It’s not THAT awful a track. I mean it’s a boring Tilkedrome, but the problem with Korea is more the concept. Why are we there? The location is awful, the maintenance (or lack thereof) between each year’s race is awful, the crowd is awful. The track is not that bad though, Martin said so too. It’s nowhere near as bad as Fuji or 2010 Bahrain. It’d beat Abu Dhabi and Valencia too certainly.
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
14th October 2012, 11:18

8 – I found it incredibly exciting to watch, particurlarly when Webber and Alonso were charging hard, and their tyres were on the edge.
That was awesome, and I also loved massa reportedly telling the team he is faster than Fernando.
The battle between Hülkenberg and Grosjean was ace, espescially when Hamilton got involved,a nd seeing the Mclaren wobble about was quite tense as well.

As I’ve always said, there can be processional F1 races, but they are never boring.
Juan Pablo Heidfeld (@juan-pablo-heidfeld-1)
14th October 2012, 11:20

Vettel always succeeds in making F1 boring
1. Mads (@mads)
  14th October 2012, 12:42
  
  @juan-pablo-heidfeld-1
  Blame the others for not putting up a proper fight. Vettel just does his best. You can’t blame him for wanting to take advantage of the situation.
Rodrrico (@rodrrico)
14th October 2012, 11:39

6/10. If Ferrari didn’t use team orders it could have been a much more eventful race and a better outcome.
PhilEReid (@philereid)
14th October 2012, 11:41

I gave this an 8, because whilst 75% of the race was processional, I’m a sucker for good on track battles, and there were plenty. There were obviously things that let this down, such as the Vettel dominance, and then Rosberg’s car not getting removed quick enough (I think that actually hampered Webber, who I believe could have DRS’s Vettel, which could have lead to a spectacular race). The on track battles however were fantastic, and there were plenty of them, and they were mostly good. The ones that involved Hamilton were brilliant, especially him V Raikonnen. And then there was the Ham, Gro, Hulk, fight, which was a brilliant little scrap, and I think possibly one of the best overtakes of the season from Hulk, maybe even a contender for the top.
1. PhilEReid (@philereid)
  14th October 2012, 11:44
  
  Also, to add to this, there was the problem with the astro-turf, which stopped what could have been a three way fight for 8th place (maybe even a 4 way fight, if the battling slowed to allow Perez up).
  I think the biggest disapointment was the FOM coverage. They were showing the cameras on a lot of the wrong places, and missed quite a lot of fighting.
  1. @HoHum (@hohum)
    14th October 2012, 14:18
    
    There was no way Webber was going to pass Vettel unless it was to give him a tow, the race went exactly to plan for redbull.
Howard (@howard)
14th October 2012, 12:11

There were plenty of battles,
This track has a pre programmed biased view on it to start with,
With comments about grass ***!
Geez.
davey (@djdaveyp87)
14th October 2012, 12:23

That was, quite honestly, the most boring race in the history of F1!
1. James Hosford (@hosford90)
  14th October 2012, 12:58
  
  No. It really wasn’t.
2. Guilherme (@guilherme)
  14th October 2012, 22:12
  
  What an exaggeration. Seems like we all forgot about Bahrain 2010.
  1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    14th October 2012, 22:24
    
    @guilherme @djdaveyp87 And that’s not even the lowest-rated race we’ve had since 2008.
    
    (That’s still the 2010 German Grand Prix, in case you’re wondering)
    1. Guilherme (@guilherme)
      14th October 2012, 22:45
      
      @keithcollantine Ah, quite naturally! :P
    2. James Hosford (@hosford90)
      15th October 2012, 10:31
      
      Keith. You should actually write a feature (with poll) pondering what the worst race of all time is?
      
      There’s obviously so many different criterias. The ‘worst’ of all time is very possibly Imola 94 (or Spa 60 even, looking back).
      
      By a different criteria again you could say Indianapolis 05.
      
      But the focus would be on what is the most BORING race of all time. I honestly can’t think what it might be. In modern times I’d put money on something from 02 winning. Luckily, I had the pleasure of not really watching every race religiously until 03.
Bob (@bobthevulcan)
14th October 2012, 12:38

Not sure why, but the whole race seemed awfully lackluster. Vettel slid into the lead and was never really under threat for the remainder of the race. There were some interesting battles up and down the midfield, of course, especially Raikkonen and Hamilton, and the performances of Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India. The closing stages were awful – all I saw was a pack of cars circulating around, coasting to the finish to conserve tires. Overall, a solid 4/10.
Bendanarama (@bendana)
14th October 2012, 12:49

I voted a six. It was an intriguing, but not necessarily exciting race, and I liked seeing it set up a mini-championship for the last few rounds.
Hairs (@hairs)
14th October 2012, 12:54

The most exciting thing about the whole race was the oblivious podium lady who stuck around to ask Vettel questions while Herbert had the mike. Funny, and the first bit of enthusiasm from anyone all weekend. Also another advantage for having the post race interviews on the podium rather than a sterile room full of bored journos.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 13:57
  
  @hairs Also, where did Alonso disappear off to at one point?
  1. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
    14th October 2012, 13:59
    
    Maybe he forgot about the podium interview?
  2. Hairs (@hairs)
    14th October 2012, 14:44
    
    @keithcollantine Maybe he was herding podium girls?
    
    There’s a tasteless joke available re: Alonso having to fight for Vettel’s leftovers in the championship but I’m too classy to make it, obviously.
Ciaran (@ciaran)
14th October 2012, 12:56

Some good on-track battles, just a pity all of them were meaningless. 6/10, would have been much better if there were battles at the front.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
14th October 2012, 13:26

5/10 from me. My lowest of the season. Very little happened! Still, good that The Hulk managed to improve on his qualifying (just) and somehow Petrov kept Kovalainen behind him.
taurus (@taurus)
14th October 2012, 13:29

Absolute garbage. Everything thats wrong with F1 in one dull race. 3/10.
Howard (@howard)
14th October 2012, 13:42

If this was in a Euro country people would be raving about.
Monaco had 0 NIL racing or overtaking and people still rate it.
Massive LOL.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 13:56
  
  @howard I find the idea that races held in European countries automatically get higher ratings a bit bizarre. Particularly given that the European Grand Prix has (this year aside) usually been one of the lowest-rated races.
2. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
  14th October 2012, 14:00
  
  I rate Monaco, because it was extremely tense; I believe that overtaking doesn’t necessarily mean an awesome race.
  Instead, I try to look beyond the obvious, and to see the skill involved in driving at Monaco, in light drizzle, on slicks.
  That was awesome.
  1. Howard (@howard)
    14th October 2012, 14:10
    
    There was plenty of skills today.
    1. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
      14th October 2012, 14:23
      
      so i gave it an 8
      1. ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
        14th October 2012, 15:27
        
        What do you rate the actual good races, out of interest? Honestly?
      2. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
        14th October 2012, 15:39
        
        I rate the really brilliant ones either 9 or 10; korea was actually quite good, espescially in comparison to races in years gone past.
        And for me, overtaking isnt the only factor for a good race, and neither is a good battle for the lead; i think that a race is good when it’s either:
        Eventful
        There’s a lot of scrapping for positions
        A situation like Monaco, where one slip-up will mean a lot of dropped positions
        
        Basically, I love to view the drivers massive skills behind the wheel, which is why wet races are so endearing to me.
        Is that clear enough, as I tend to waffle on?
      3. xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
        14th October 2012, 15:42
        
        This sums it up:
        There are never boring F1 races. You get processional races, but they’re never boring @ecwdanselby
      4. John H (@john-h)
        14th October 2012, 21:11
        
        When presented with a scale of 1-10, I think it’s safe to assume a relative judgement.
        
        For instance, comparing this race to mowing my lawn I’d give it a 10. Comparing it to other F1 races however, I give it a 4.
3. gwenouille (@gwenouille)
  14th October 2012, 15:02
  
  Very true. But i remember having voted something like 4 to this year’s Monaco GP, so at least i am consistent here.
4. ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
  14th October 2012, 15:29
  
  There’s not another Monaco, mate. It’s the history, prestige, and the fact the track is 100% illegal (it does not comply with today’s rulebook, that’s for sure).
  
  F1 cars should not be getting that close to barriers going that fast. It’s the spectacle. I saw it in person in 2009 and it’s incredible. It just doesn’t look real.
  
  That’s why there’s a bit of an allowance for Monaco.
zippyone (@zippyone)
14th October 2012, 14:29

Really quite boring – I voted 5. Nothing much happened.
Estesark (@estesark)
14th October 2012, 14:32

This was as boring as Singapore, if not worse. I was watching with my girlfriend and said to her, after Vettel had taken the lead at the first corner, “that’s the race over”. And it was. Predictable races are seldom exciting, and this was as predictable as they come. I can only rate it 3/10.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  14th October 2012, 20:40
  
  @estesark Are you trying to get her interested in F1?
  1. Estesark (@estesark)
    14th October 2012, 21:45
    
    @keithcollantine – I have been trying, and I think I’ve succeeded! Last year she was with me as I watched quite a few races, but without much interest. This year I invited her to make some predictions with me ahead of each race, and because of that, she’s been keen to watch them. In fact, she’s disappointed that there isn’t a race next weekend, whereas I don’t mind a break after back-to-back races. More of a fanatic than me, then – I’m very impressed!
    1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      14th October 2012, 22:25
      
      @estesark Wow, good work!
2. John H (@john-h)
  14th October 2012, 21:13
  
  I tried explaining DRS to my wife a few months back. Safe to say her fleeting interest in F1 is now very much over.
gwenouille (@gwenouille)
14th October 2012, 15:07

That’s a 5 for me. I enjoyed the 1st quarter of the race, although my 2 favourite drivers were gone by turn 3 (KK, JB).

I can’t find any real quality to that track: 3 straights in a row, and then a collection of tedious turns, nothing more. I quite like the last turn, that’s all.

India left me a better taste last year. I am curious to see it again. I already miss Turkey !
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
14th October 2012, 15:25

5 from me.

Anyone giving it an 8+ is crazy. Sorry that isn’t constructive, but you need to watch more races if you think that’s the case.

Struggled to stay awake. Vettel leading out of turn 1 is a race killer.

I know people are saying ‘but what about the rest of the field?’. We’ve kinda been spoilt. I want battles (or at LEAST a challenger) for 1st place!

As PrisonerMonkey said, the yellow effectively killed the race. Why it took about 10 laps to remove a stricken car is beyond me. It meant Vettel got his usual comfortable lead and would not be touched.

Have to laugh at the fake tension created at the end. Like the Vet was ever going to bust a tyre on the final lap lol Maybe Bernie had a word in Rocky’s (sp?) ear…
1. Dizzy
  14th October 2012, 22:26
  
  Anyone giving it an 8+ is crazy. Sorry that isn’t constructive, but you need to watch more races if you think that’s the case.
  
  Been watching F1 since the early 70s, Been watching some lower category races even longer.
  
  Going by todays standards 90% of races through the 70s/80s would be getting scores of 1 or 2 as they wer every similar to today but with a lot more dnf’s.
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
14th October 2012, 16:00

3/10 for me
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid)
14th October 2012, 16:13

I gave it a 7.

It wasn’t the most exciting, and by around lap 30 I knew barring disaster the top 4 were locked in place. However I found myself really enjoying several battles throughout the field, and Hamilton was as entertaining as ever even though he was going backwards. His fights with Kimi and Grosjean/Hulkenberg were particular highlights for me.
Michael Brown (@)
14th October 2012, 16:58

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooring
Broom (@)
14th October 2012, 17:03

5/10 – great battles bar the front. Great drives by Massa, Hulk, Lewis all things considering, and Vergne. The anticipation of action keep me intrigued.
budchekov (@budchekov)
14th October 2012, 17:14

5: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Watching the Space Shuttle crawl through LA’s more exciting…..at least we didn’t have to get up at 5am.
robbiepblake (@driftin)
14th October 2012, 18:14

Red Bull cruising to victory, McLaren being forced to retire one driver while the other has to deal with mechanical issues, Ferrari issuing team orders (yes it’s for the championship points but it doesn’t provide entertainment) while virtually everything else was a procession, and on top of that Gangnam Style being squeezed out everywhere.

Yep, this was the worst GP of the year I think.
Jorge Lardone (@jorgelardone)
14th October 2012, 18:19

8/10. Great driving from many drivers. Great victory of Vettel, again!
1. budchekov (@budchekov)
  14th October 2012, 18:26
  
  “Great victory of Vettel, again!”
  Agreed, but it’s meant to be a race…
DC (@dujedcv)
14th October 2012, 19:09

Interesting start and then 2 hrs of borefest presented by Seb, and also suck for the championship
Obi-Spa Kenobi (@obi-spa-kenobi)
14th October 2012, 19:52

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..

2/10

Hamilton pushing Kimi around needlessly in the first few corners was interesting. I’m glad he drifted back. I find his aggressive style abhorrent at times.
Pete (@repete86)
14th October 2012, 20:47

Let’s see…. McLaren dropping the ball, Grosjean too afraid to overtake anyone, Perez knocked out of the points by a strategy error from his team, Massa told to slow down in spite of his improved form for sake of Fernando’s ego, and the first ten laps run under yellows in one of the only overtaking points because the marshals couldn’t figure out how to get Nico’s car out of the way. Yep, pretty terrible all around. 3/10 just for Kimi vs Lewis, but this was otherwise probably the least interesting race of the year.
John H (@john-h)
14th October 2012, 21:04

What a mundane Gaussian distribution!
electrolite (@electrolite)
14th October 2012, 21:09

I’m not normally one of these that complains after every race – but i think that was the least exciting yet. Only points I was excited (mildly at that) was when someone was un-DRSing themselves down the third straight…
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
14th October 2012, 21:21

i thought the 1st lap was among the best i’ve ever seen. after that……..
glenj (@glenj)
14th October 2012, 21:21

Crap race. 3/10 getting bored now of these processions. Feel stupid for getting up at 6.45, been yawning all day for nothing. There will be more highlights in an episode of antiques roadshow than of this race
1. Paul A (@paul-a)
  14th October 2012, 23:27
  
  Try getting up at 1.45, with a dog who expects his walk at 5.30 – really ruins your sleep cycle.
  
  But Pup sat next to me on the couch and only showed interest in the last couple of laps. Big brown eyes watching for Vettel’s front right to disintegrate. That was about all that kept me awake …
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
15th October 2012, 5:05

Thank you Mr Tilke you have produced an utterly forgettable track ….again.
Where are we racing next?? Oh god think I’ll go fishing instead, more action.
Pedro Costa (@pnunocosta)
15th October 2012, 11:39

I rated it 6. Quite dull concerning the top 5 but very entertaining behind that place. Good fights with the Hulk, Grosjean, Hamilton and specially the STR´s.
We´ve seen better this year but also much worst.
SundarF1 (@sundarf1)
15th October 2012, 13:55

The track wasn’t a problem, it was the relative performance of the cars – and of course, McLaren shooting themselves in the foot. If Vettel and Webber or Vettel and Alonso had been nose-to-tail in the last 5-6 laps and lead had changed a couple of times, the ratings would’ve gone up massively. But Red Bull were dominant, and that’s that, can’t expect excitement at the front when Vettel has the quickest car in the field.

Anyone else thinks pole position in Korea should be on the inside line? The cars starting 2, 4, 6, all moved up one place by turn 4. Vettel started last year in second and took the lead from Lewis on the long straight. Coincidence?
Nimba (@nimba)
15th October 2012, 19:03

Thanks to Hulkenberg and Grosjean I was able to stay awake during the race… and the STRs of course
Nimba (@nimba)
15th October 2012, 19:07

These 9% rating it 8-10 must be kidding really ..
sbl on tour (@sbl-on-tour)
16th October 2012, 8:31

thats it , remind me not to watch this race next year
turned the telly off before the finish
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
16th October 2012, 21:04

I’ve never liked this Korean track and it won’t improve because it is basically built in the middle of nowhere. Why in god’s name did they built this monster in the middle of a swamp? If you take a good look at the layout, then it looks like a nice and fast track. You have the first sector with those straits and the other two twisty sections, but it just doesn’t work.

If vettel’s engine had stayed intact in ’10 we would have seen the same parade 3 times, that is what these Tillkedromes are all about (except Malaysia). So far none of them have been able to provide a thrilling race for me personal. Austin seems promising, let us hope for the best!

I wonder if this is the future of F1, dusty tracks, empty grand-stands, massive constructions that might be dumped after three years. All of that just makes me very sad.

I’d give the Korean GP 2012 a 3/10. I mean a race were the most spectacular moment is when a piece of astro-turf gets caught onto a car is not what I want to get up early for.
ben (@dubaemon)
18th October 2012, 11:55

Does anyone knows if Kamui has a penalty after the incident. I know stewards are not fully reliable on taking action but when they are they seem fair.(as they ve got more data than us, simple mortals)
I say this because from the camera angle in the race it s hard to see the cars movements and positions.
Yes Rosberg was in front of Kamui when he swerved to get close to the racing line but he knew that there was the sauber’s front not far on his left and i dont think Kamui was to slow down while being overtaken and going in a straight line.
But as i said the camera angle was rubbish so maybe Kobi did move towards Rosberg as well.
Anyone got some insight? opinions? (based on evidence)
1. ben (@dubaemon)
  18th October 2012, 12:09
  
  OF course drive through for kobayashi but still my question holds as i do not know why that decision was taken exactly.
PJA (@pja)
18th October 2012, 18:20

I found it to be a dull race overall so only gave it a 5.

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2012 Korean Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine

214 comments on “Rate the race: 2012 Korean Grand Prix”