Spanish Surprise: Maldonado and Williams Conquer Catalunya

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

The Spanish Grand Prix was the first race on the European continent for what was been an unpredictable 2012 Formula 1 season. In four races opening the tour, four different drivers with four different teams owned a victory. Entering competition at the 4.655-kilometer Circuit de Catalunya, there stood a very good chance that the 2012 season could see a fifth unique driver/car combination racing the event. Since 2006, there is no driver with more than a single Spanish Grand Prix win. Secondly, the qualifying exclusion of the time posted by Lewis Hamilton's McLaren-Mercedes, the young Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado was promoted to pole in his Williams-Renault race car.

Contrary to weather forecasts yesterday calling for rain, the Spanish Grand Prix transpired under dry conditions. Starting alongside the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, the sophomore Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado front row start went according to the best case scenario. In the second row, the Lotus Racing F1 cars swapped positions as the experienced pilot Kimi Raikkonen flew past teammate Romain Grosjean in a tight battle through the first corner.

Dropped to the back of the racing grid because the inability for McLaren to provide a fuel sample after qualifying Saturday from an empty fuel tank, the Spanish Grand Prix's would-be polesitter Lewis Hamilton had to make up considerable ground through the 66-lap event. In the first lap, the McLaren-Mercedes of Hamilton had climbed to 19th place. Passing car-after-car through the course of the grand prix, Hamilton would take the 8th spot in the final results besting McLaren teammate Jenson Button.

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

In the 12th lap, a battle between Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna would result the DNF for both drivers. Through the Circuit de Cataunya's DRS zone through the frontstretch, Schumacher's Mercedes GP car rammed the back of Senna's Williams-Renault. After the German driver's retirement, Schumacher responded to the incident saying, "It is not easy to see from the TV replays but what happened from my viewpoint was that he went to the right to defend the inside line, and then suddenly, shortly before the braking point, went to the left. When you are so tight together in the braking zone, you have no other choice than to try to react and avoid hitting but it was too late." Formula 1 stewards taking a look at collision concluded that the Mercedes GP car was at fault and will be assessing a five-grid position penalty to Michael Schumacher for the next race in Monaco. "It has been a disappointing weekend for me on the whole. It was difficult to overtake at the beginning of the race and then Schumacher got a big DRS boost coming down the straight and went into the back of me." said Senna who would sit out of a race where his Williams F1 teammate was taking advantage of a career-making moment.

Throughout the Spanish Grand Prix, Pastor Maldonado drove a near flawless event. Early on, the Williams-Renault fended off the two-time Spaniard Alonso who one was racing with spirit of a home crowd behind him. Though Maldonado would not run away from the determined Ferrari, the combined efforts of the 18 car driver and the Williams F1 Team pit crew held Fernando Alonso and the rest of the Formula 1 competitors at bay. At the checkered flag, it is Pastor Maldonado who brought his Williams-Renault to a fantastic victory.

The first Formula 1 victory for the 27-year old Maldonado, the Williams F1 Team pilot becomes Venezuela's first grand prix winner. It’s an unbelievable feeling winning my first race. The car felt really consistent, was fantastic to drive and our pace was strong throughout. Alonso was chasing me hard but we looked after our tyres well and I managed to open the gap towards the end." said Pastor Maldonado becoming the second first-time grand prix victor in addition to Nico Rosberg this season.

For the Williams team, the win in Spain ends a dry spout resulting after the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix where Juan Pablo Montoya wheeled a BMW-powered machine across the line first. As team owner Frank Williams reestablished their relationship with Renault in this season, the grand prix win in Spain also becomes the first time the constructor and engine combination went to victory since Jacques Villeneuve's Luxembourg Grand Prix win in 1997. While the streak continues into the 2012 Formula 1 season for different drivers and construction prevailing in grand prix races, Renault ties Mercedes-Benz with two wins as an powerplant provider so far this season. 

Photo Credit: Charles Coates/LAT Photographic

In second, Fernando Alonso scored some valuable runner-up points that allows him to tie Sebastian Vettel at the top of the driver's championship leaderboard after five races. Vettel brought his Red Bull-Renault across the line 6th after starting 7th in the Spanish Grand Prix event.

Leaving the Bahrain Grand Prix with a double-podium finish, Lotus F1 Racing followed up the effort at the Circuit de Catalunya. Chasing Fernando Alonso closely in the closing laps, Kimi Kaikkonen settled into third place. Romain Grosjean steered his Lotus-Renault machine around the course for a fourth place spot at the end of 66 laps. Behind the Lotus F1 Racing pair was the Sauber-Ferrari of Kamui Kobayashi rounding out the top-5 for the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.

Following the race, celebration in the Williams F1 Team was marred by a fire. Within the garage stall where Bruno Senna's race car sat, a sizable fire believed to be started around the fuel area resulted in several crew members from the Williams as well as the neighbouring Caterham garage to be put in harm's way. While the flames were bought under control quickly, numerous team personnel from both teams required medical care. Details on injuries and the cause of the fire is still sketchy. More details should come out on the incident when an investigation will be concluded.

The May 27th Monaco Grand Prix will be the next race on the 2012 Formula 1 schedule.


2012 Formula 1
Spanish Grand Prix
Race Results

1	18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault
2	5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari
3	9 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault
4	10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault
5	14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari
6	1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
7	8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
8	4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
9	3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
10	12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
11	2 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
12	17 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
13	16 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
14	11 Paul di Resta Force India
15	6 Felipe Massa Ferrari
16	20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault
17	21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault
18	24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth
19	22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth
20	15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari
21	25 Charlie Pic Marussia-Cosworth
22	23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth
23	19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault
24	7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP

Lotus Renault GP Signs 2007 F1 Champ Kimi Raikkonen

Photo Credit: Lotus Renault GP

Ahead of the final grand prix for the 2011 Formula 1 tour, talk filled that paddock area on the possible return of the 2007 Formula 1 Driver Champion to the series. Sitting out of Formula 1 for two seasons, Kimi Raikkonen was the subject of the most interesting rumours in the premier auto racing series. Just two days after the Brazilian Grand Prix closed out the 2011 Formula 1 season, the speculation of the Finland native Raikkonen concludes with the announcement that the 18-time grand prix winner will pilot a Lotus Renault GP race car in 2012.

A two-year deal to drive for the team that will be officially known as Lotus Renault GP on the 2012 Formula 1 starting grid, Kimi Raikkonen commented “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity." Before this announcement, the strongest speculation had Raikkonen teaming with Williams F1. Through the 2010 off-season, Mercedes GP and the now-defunct Toyota Formula 1 team were also been linked to Kimi Raikkonen.

Debuting in Formula 1 in 2001, Kimi Raikkonen's entrance into the series was one of some controversy when the young Finnish driver was granted a Super License despite limited car racing experience. Driving for Sauber, Kimi Raikkonen scored a point in his first event and would go on to run successfully for McLaren and later Ferrari. It was Raikkonen's first year with Ferrari in 2007 that he won the World Driver's Championship by merely one point over the young rookie Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen won 6 races in 2007 but would win just 3 grand prix in the following two seasons. As the Ferrari Formula 1 team had lost its competitive edge and with the arrival of Fernando Alonso to the team for 2010, Kimi Raikkonen left the Formula 1 world championship altogether.

Raikkonen racing activities for the past two years focused around running the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Winning a non-WRC event (the Rallye Vosgien 2010), a fifth-place finish at the Rally of Turkey was Raikkonen's best result. Raikkonen displays no regret for following his race passions away from grand prix racing saying "My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming."

This past year also saw Raikkonen making a driving appearance in NASCAR during the May Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driving a Kyle Busch Motorsport Toyota Tundra, Raikkonen showed some impressive rough talent for oval track racing finishing 15th in the truck race. While more races were planned, funding was believed that have limited Raikkonen to this single NASCAR experience at Charlotte.

Kimi Raikkonen's positioning inside the Lotus Renault GP team is set to demonstrate a stronger and more assured 2012 driver line-up. Entering this past Formula 1 season, the Lotus Renault GP team was thought to have had a stable line-up with sophomore pilot Vitaly Petrov driving alongside the seasoned grand prix winning wheel handling of Robert Kubica. Due a severe rally car crash early in February of 2011, Kubica was sidelined for the entire Formula 1 season leaving the newly-aligned force of Lotus and Renault to search for another veteran. Calling in Nick Heidfeld, the replacement driver for Robert Kubica finished in the points 6 times in 9 races including a 3rd place at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Despite some good runs, Heidfeld and the Lotus Renault GP time didn't finish the 2011 season together.

Hired as a test driver before Robert Kubica's injury, Brazil's Bruno Senna would take over the second Lotus Renault GP ride teaming with Petrov. Senna finished 9th in the Italian Grand Prix serving as the only points he would record in 2011. This recent acquisition of a past Formula 1 world champion to the Lotus Renault GP team will come as a change to their less experienced driver line-up the team ended the 2011 season with at the Brazilian Grand Prix Sunday.

Speaking for the Lotus Renault GP team, Chairman of equality owner Genii Capital Gerard Lopez spoke about 2007 Formula 1 champ Kimi Raikkonen's appearance with the team in 2012 as an important building block. “All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level." said Lopez.

Signing Kimi Raikkonen, it is speculated that Vitaly Petrov will retain his ride alongside the Finnish driver but nothing has been confirmed by Lotus Renault GP. As the 2012 Formula 1 season nears, the build-up for what the Finnish driver can do after a two-year absence should keep many fans eager leading up to the Australian Grand Prix.