2012 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2012 Chinese Grand Prix (formally the 2012 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 15 April 2012 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. It was the ninth running of the Chinese Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship. The 56-lap race was the third round of the 2012 Formula One season.
| 2012 Chinese Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 3 of 20 in the 2012 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 15 April 2012 | ||||
| Official name | 2012 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix | ||||
| Location |
Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai, People's Republic of China | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.451 km (3.387 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 56 laps, 305.066 km (189.559 miles) | ||||
| Weather |
Overcast but Dry Air Temp 22 °C (72 °F) Track Temp 23 °C (73 °F) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:35.121 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:39.960 on lap 40 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Mercedes | ||||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third |
| McLaren-Mercedes | |||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The race was won by German driver Nico Rosberg driving a Mercedes, after he dominated the race to claim his debut Formula One victory and his first race win since leaving GP2 Series six years previously. Rosberg became the first German driver to win a Grand Prix driving a German car in Formula 1 history. The win was also the first win for an official Mercedes-Benz team since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, after which Mercedes departed from Formula One for 55 seasons. Rosberg led home the McLaren pair of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton by over twenty seconds. The race itself was characterised by intense battling throughout the field and by high reliability with 23 of 24 starters finishing the race. This race was also HRT's thirty-ninth race start, setting the record for most Grand Prix starts without scoring a single point.
This was the first race since the 2009 Italian Grand Prix that was not won by Red Bull, McLaren or Ferrari.