Rate the race: 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

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What did you think of the Brazilian 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 Brazilian Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (64%)
  • 9 (25%)
  • 8 (8%)
  • 7 (2%)
  • 6 (0%)
  • 5 (0%)
  • 4 (0%)
  • 3 (0%)
  • 2 (0%)
  • 1 (1%)

Total Voters: 835

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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See the results for past seasons here:

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

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Image © Sahara Force India F1 Team

Author information

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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240 comments on “Rate the race: 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix”

  1. Brazil 2003 + Brazil 2008 + 1 = Brazil 2012

    The Maths says it all! ¦P

    1. I wanted to give it 10, but:
      -0.5 because Alonso didn’t win the title.
      -0.5 because of the anti-climatic safety car in the last lap.

      So my final vote is: 10 – 1 = 9 for Brazil 2012.

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

        1. Well you can’t give half votes, and in the scenario where it isn’t a 10 then you don’t give a 10.

    2. 11 for where I turned the knob, -1 for the knob breaking off.

      So… 11-1=10

    3. AAA+++

    4. 2008 was still the best Brazilian GP though

    5. Maybe the fact that there were SO MANY replays on TV during the transmision says it all. There were SO MANY things happening all the time that it was even difficult to realize what was going on, in particular in the first 25 laps. The folks were replaying a crash but at the same time there was another, and showing the second crash exactly when the championship was changing hands, and put the replay of that situation when there was another crash or a long drift or whatever.
      Maybe the only thing that I didn’t like is the fact that when Vettel was the last, he overtook like 14 cars in 10 laps, but it seemed to me that NOT ONE of them decided to put a fight. Even Schumacher opened to Vettel without putting up a fight.
      But all in all, if a race this season deserves a perfect 10, a big fat 10, it must be this one.

  2. Has to be the best race in recent years.
    10/10

    1. Perhaps best race ever on par with Austin 2012. But I think the tension of the championship battle really threw it above the rest. What a fitting ending to the 2012 season. Best F1 season EVER.

      1. How on earth was Austin on a par with this??

        A dry procession for the lead where the only change of position was due to a backmarker.

        1. Yeah, Austin was a good race. But his was one for the ages.

        2. Austin was a proper head-to-head. Clearing backmarkers has always been part of racing. It was good old fashioned F1 racing. Brazil was a tense title decider which we get once in a blue moon, they’re a treat that cannot be considered the norm.

  3. Better than Brazil 2008? Yes… 10

    What a race… what a season. FIA, do not let Interlagos GO !

    1. Not quite, it would have been had the title gone down to the last corner etc.

      But then, the rest of the race was as if from another planet.

      So yeah!

      10 from me and a 10 for the season!

      1. @psynrg the only thing that was needed from this GP was Timo Glock on slick tyres messing up Vettel’s race. But sadly, we didn’t see it :P.

        1. Watching the short highlights I realise now there was the possibility of such a moment when Di Resta hit the wall.
          JB came on the scene shortly after the incident. We all know what happened to Alonso in 2003 in a similar scenario. Had JB clipped some debris and hit the wall, Alonso would have been champ :P

          1. No, because Webber would probably have parked his car and Vettel would have been P4…

    2. Let my people… GO.

  4. I was going to rate it a 12. But the SC at the end gets a -1 from me. So only an 11 :)

    1. This race requires a different rating system!

  5. The great thing was that for much of the race it was wet enough to give excitement but not so wet as to ruin the race. The biggest negative points were that Hulkenberg wasn’t able to stay in the race for the win, and Massa slowing down to let Alonso through for second place despite it making no difference to the championship in the end. Only a moron or Alonso fan could fail to score this race highly (and I didn’t say one was the other :-p )

    For me – it’s a (nearly) perfect 10

  6. 10/10. Easy. No question. That race had everything. It was dry, then it was wet, then it was both, then it was wetter.

    There was a battle for the championship, there was a battle for the lead, there was a battle for 10th, there was a battle for last, there were battles for every place in between.

    There was a collision between the leaders, there were collisions involving title contenders, there was a collision to end the race, there were self-made spins, there were even cars using bits of the track that haven’t seen action in 30 years.

    There was action, there was suspense, there was heartbreak and joy, there was joy that turned to heartbreak, there was heartbreak that turned to joy.

    There were drivers going out on highs, there were drivers going out on lows, there were drivers going on to better things, there were drivers speeding into the mists of uncertainty.

    That was everything a Formula One race should be.

    Anyone who has given any other race this season a 10/10, you need to re-evaluate your scoring system. That kind of race happens once a year at best, once a generation more often than not. There hasn’t been a race that good for at least 30 races.

    1. @ajokay, you sir, made me feel emotional with your comment. This race is up there with Brazil 2008 as the best of my life. And, should I have kids in the future, this will be one of the races where I’ll sit down and tell them what happened and hope to see their astonished faces at such story :P

      My first 10 of the season, perfect time to give that score to a race.

    2. I was about to type a long response, but that about sums it up.

      I was thinking that the only way the race won’t be “perfect” for some is because their driver didn’t finish as they’d hoped.

      What more can a F1 fan ask for from a race? I hope Interlagos remains on the calendar as a season finale for many more seasons to come.

      1. @steevkay My guy finished 10th, but, for once, I couldn’t care less. Every driver in the top 12 or so drove their hearts out yesterday. Absolutely brilliant.

    3. @ajokaythere were even cars using bits of the track that haven’t seen action in 30 years.

      My friends and I were laughing our ******* ass off when Kimi Raïkkönen went off-piste! When I saw that I was thinking aswell the escape-road would rejoin the track! Amazed

      Nice comment mate

      1. What Raikkonen said: “I know this as I did the same thing in 2001 and the gate was open that year. Somebody closed it this time. Next year I’ll make sure it’s open again”.

    4. Great summary! The only thing that I would add is that, in the “as they run now” category, the championship points lead must have switched between Alonso and Vettel 3 or 4 times! This race really did have it all. The only disappointment for me, and it was a big one, was Hamilton being taken out.

    5. Raikonnen off looking for the ice cream van was hilarious.

    6. Agree with every word with you, & as many said it was heart pumping in all those 71 laps,only time I smiled or laughed when Kimi provided probably one of the best moment of the season.

  7. How could this race have been any better? I don’t know! What a terrific end to a terrific season! If I could have rated this higher than 10, I would have!

    Congrats to Vettel on the championship. Congrats to Button on the race win. Congrats to Alonso on such an amazing season. My opinions of Alonso have really changed this year.

    Simply phenomenal! Next season can’t come quickly enough!

  8. perfect final

    1. 10/10.

      Perfect would have been if we got the underdog win! But no race will ever be perfect. And even if it was perfect for me, it wouldn’t be for someone else. So as far as I see it, this was F1 at its absolute best. The first time F1 has toyed with my emotions in such a way since the eerily similar 2008 race. To rate it anything less than 10 would be asking too much. It’s not just what happens on track, but how it affects you and what you feel as it unfolds in front of you. I can not expect to see a race more thrilling than that for the rest of my life, though I suspect I may just be treated at least once more before I go!

  9. Cracking stuff.

    Three gripes – no gravel at turn one, Hulkenbergs penalty for daring to attempt to take the lead, and the first safety car. Still a 10/10! Brilliant race.

    1. @taurus – I agree that the Hulkenberg penalty was very harsh, he had already suffered from what was a fairly small mistake (albeit with unfortunate consequences for Hamilton). I think with the track the way it was today the cars were always on a knife-edge of grip on several corners.

    2. Yepp Alonso (twice), Kimi and I’m sure others have got away with the turn one run off. It should never have been changed. I also can’t help but feel that the decision to give the Hulk a drive through was influenced by Ferrari to give Alonso 2nd.

      1. I suspect it was more thoroughly influenced by the fact that he took out the race leader…

  10. It doesn’t get better than that! Plain and simple.

  11. 10. If not the best, this was one of the most complete / challenging GPs I have ever watched alongside Spa 1998, Suzuka 2000 and Brazil 2003. Absolute 10.

    There was not a dull moment at all. The start, the battle for the win between Button, Hamilton and Hulkenberg, the huge amount of pit-stops botched or not, the weather, Alonso’s campaign to 2nd, Vettel’s campaign to 6th from being dead last again, the battle between Pic and Petrov, the battle between McLaren and Ferrari, the battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen for 3rd in the WDC…can’t even remember them all. Everything happened right on track and came to a closure in a breathtaking way.

    This should be the only way to end a season in Formula 1. Every year…

    1. I’m reading your comment going, “Oh yeah, forgot about that!” There were so many story lines, I can’t even keep them all straight!

    2. @tony031r – not forgetting Räikkönen going off track, heading the wrong way and ending up down a blind alley. Cue U-turn to head back towards the track – since he already had 3rd in the championship.

      1. oops, unfinished comment….

        …since he already had 3rd in the championship sewn up I had a little chuckle at that comedy.

  12. Would have given it the perfect 10 as it had all the ingredients a perfect race has:
    Tradgedy: Hamilton, Di Resta
    Comedy: Raikkonens exploration of the track, Alonso’s post race death stare
    Inspirational Stuff: Schumachers final race dragging a bad car into an amazing 7th
    Drama: Crashes galore, weather, Caterham clinching 10th in the final race of the reason, 1 place from a points finish!
    Young talent bursting through: Hulkenberg
    Underdog despite all the odds coming out on top: ALONSO YOU FAILED ME

    9

    1. You made me laugh. Who was the underdog for you?

    2. Did I miss something? Alonso’s death scare o.O

  13. What was going on with Webber? Attacking Seb twice in dangerous situations… that was interesting!

      1. indeed, most of the time Mark seems to make life harder for Vettel… he’s no Massa.

        That’s why i think Seb’s win in the championship is even more fabulous. Great 2012 season, one of the best i’ve seen in 15 years.

        1. Fabulous? It made me sick to my stomach. And you forget Webber clearly gets the inferior car considering he has a smoother driving style and has around 3 or 4 times as many failures. You also forget Vettel only won thanks to Adrian Newey, and proved time and again he is incapable of overtaking without DRS (and even then he’s clumsy, hopeless and attacks corners expecting people to move out the way because he’s Vettel.

          1. @sgt-pepper Vettel has crashed into two drivers all season. Once it was under rain, the other time it was at the start. Otherwise his overtaking was incredibly clean and mature. I could also name a bunch of occaisions where he made passes without DRS. I could also point out that his percentage of DRS overtakes is the same as any driver. I could also point out that Alonso is the one who expects everybody to jump out of the way. I could also point out that Webber didn’t have many more failures at all (Valencia, Monza…). I could also point out that Webber was 6th in the championship, meaning that Newey isn’t the only factor.

            Look, I know your guy didn’t win. Mine didn’t either. Get over it. All champions are worthy, and Vettel did a particularly good job this year.

  14. Here it is, my first 10 rating ever – not even Canada ’11 got one! What @ajokay said… It had everything! Wasn’t going for Vettel and sad for Hamilton, but doesn’t matter – the race was just too good!

  15. 10/10 One of the best races of the last 10 years. Could not have been bether imho.

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

    Those who rated the race 1/10 probably did not read this.

  16. Button beats Hamilton on points over their 3 seasons together.

    1. Also, classic race. 10/10. Great drive from Massa, stunning from Vettel. Broken car, extra and slow pit stops and a ton of pressure, but pulled it off without help from his teammate. I’ve never been a fan but I now rate him on the same level as Alonso and Hamilton.

    2. thank you SO much for pointing that out! Jenson’s the new rain master, brilliant drive.

      1. I give the title of Regenmeister joint (for this race only) to Hulkenberg and Button…
        Or as I like to call them: The Incredible Hulk and Twinkle Toes.

    3. Eurgh, I had a feeling that would be the case. I like Button, but that is definitely not a fair representation of their time as team mates.

    4. I think this does not do any justice to how good Hamilton has been over button, this year in particular. At least 4 wins worth of points lost (he was leading here) and hence finishing only 2 points over button who has been out qualified 17-3 and outraced most of the time.

      1. But it might just be how good HAM could have been with this McLaren (and team mate?), hence him leaving.

        It is what it is, just as the WDC winner deserved it even if someone else might have been deserving too.

  17. I don’t think I have ever being this nervous all my life. 2008 was nerve wracking, but only for 10 laps or so, this one was from start to flag. I’m still shaking and the race finished 40 minutes ago… Oh mama.

  18. What else can I say? Ask any Formula One fan for his definition of a great race, and he’d probably say – battles for track position, from the lead down to the midfield, an abundance of wheel to wheel racing, drivers dancing in the rain, a healthy dose of unpredictability, and no shortage of heart stopping moments, from lights out to checkered flag.

    I’d say this race delivered all the components of this golden formula, and it did so in excess. There was so much tension coming into the race, the sporadic rain only adding to the sheer madness that we saw in the opening laps. We had plenty of moments to remember – the dueling McLarens, Vettel charging back up from P22 to P6, drivers slithering in the damp, Hulkenberg having his moment in the limelight, and who could forget Raikkonen and his hilarious rally excursion. An indisputable 10/10.

    On another note, I foresee many disgruntled fans voting a 1/10 because of Alonso’s championship defeat. Do remember:

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

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

      To all people complaining about this request being obeyed: the latter part of the sentence does not exclude the first. You must vote based on your personal opinion about the race. On some people this opinion is definitely affected by the performance(s) of their favorite driver(s).

      Now, if they didn’t vote honestly based on this opinion they would be in fact voting against Keith’s request.

      1. *not being obeyed

      2. Yeah it’s unfortunate. But it shows that there is a hefty weighting system of +Alonso +Hamilton -Vettel and concurrent performances for Rate the Race and Driver of the week.

        To be fair, I’m 99% certain there was equal hate for Alonso when he was winning WDCs back to back and there would’ve been the same for Hamilton had he won a second and third as well. It’s just that there’s more hate for the top dog. :)

  19. Τhis was thrilling. Drama until the end.

  20. 10. I don’t care who won or how the championship turned out, that was a fantastic race. (OK, I do care, an awful lot, but I’m still giving it a 10)

  21. Was there any question about this? An easy 10, and I regret giving out that score earlier this season.

    The race had everything: drama, controversy, fantastic racing, amazing drives, humorous moments and a great result at the end of it. Races like this come very rarely, and will be remembered as absolute classics for decades to come. In short, the best race in years.

  22. Oh, and the Caterham thing…

  23. I was really hoping for a Hulkenberg win, he was driving brilliantly until he lost his car and took Hamilton out in the process. I thought the penalty was harsh, for what was a racing incident. Also gutted for Hamilton, he deserved a better finish in his last race with McLaren.

    Still, what an insane race, it had anything a championship finale should have, and much more. The past races have been spectacular, I never expected this to top those. 10/10, congratulations Vettel.

  24. 8 from me. Hulk did’nt deserve a penalty and very, very dissapointing finish under yellow. F1 really needs to look at bringing in GWC like NASCAR.

    1. It was slightly disappointing to see it finish under a safety car but actually I think it was a great way for all the drivers to finish, all in formation. This may be the last time for a long time that we will see 12 teams together on the grid – so it was fitting in a way that there was a slow train of cars across the finish line.

    2. Same thought here. I gave it an 8 because, hmm … I was hoping for a different champion (guilty :)).

    3. The fact that it finisehd ‘behind the safety car’ (not quite, since the safety car has to peel off before the chequered flag) wasn’t a big deal, since it was only one lap to go and I think events had reached equilibrium by that point anyway. It was a shame but it didn’t take away from the racing any more than if the race had happened to be one lap shorter.

      Hulk didn’t deserve a penalty (the crash was his fault but I don’t think he did anything deserving of a penalty). Overall Hulk had bad luck, given that he should have been fighting it out with Button for the win had the first safety car not been brought out – I imagine they would have lapped the vast majority of the field with the lead they had.

      1. Usually causing an avoidable collision awards you a penalty which is deserved

        1. @tmekt given the track condition, they could’ve let him go. There’s a difference between racing incident and avoidable collision.

          Perez at Abu Dhabi? Avoidable collision (returned to the track recklessly)
          Hulkenberg at Interlagos? racing incident… it was just unfortunate that it ended like that.

          1. Yeah well I don’t have the same data as stewards so I can’t really comment on this precise case (I said “usually”)

            You’re right obviously: it might very well be that Hülkenberg couldn’t have avoided the crash. I do find it likely that if this was the case he wouldn’t have been penalised.

    4. F1 really needs to look at bringing in GWC like NASCAR.

      You’re right, @mattynotwo . It’d be very good if F1 could find a way to avoid races finishing behind the Safety Car…

  25. Keith, can I adjust my votes for the last three years?
    (10/10)

    1. This race is the new benchmark for 10/10!

  26. Is there an 11?! Unbelievable race, not a boring moment! Couldn’t have asked for a better way to conclude what has been an epic season!

  27. 10/10. First of all congrats to Vettel, making up 15 places in 20 laps after pointing the wrong way is truly remarkable. After watching F1 for 12 years this is probably the first time I’ve been left so confused in the middle of the race. What a fantastic way to end the season with so much drama from start to end. Bring on 2013!

  28. FOM’s TV director needs to be fired, atrocious today

    1. +1, simply awful how many passes were missed, many cut away from as the attempt was just being started

      1. Usually I am annoyed by the replays of the start, today I was shouting. Honestly, split screen it or something, but this is getting rrrrridiculous.

    2. For once I felt forgiving- there was so much happening that at times there was nothing they could do but miss something exciting.

    3. +1

      When there’s so much happening on track, you do not need to show us a replay of the team sitting in the garage.

      1. nor a 2nd replay of an incident, now from a different camera – while missing the current one so you need another replay.

  29. Best race of the year, hands down. Suspense from start to finish,battles up and down the field and a worthy champion at the end.

    P.S. I’m a Ferrari fan!

  30. 15738123. Or failing that, 10. Amazing race/

  31. Perfect race, 10/10 for the entertainment… sadly the the championship result was a 1/10

    1. Nicely said.

  32. Best race I have seen in a loooong time, even better than Austin!

    Gutted by the drive through fot the Hulk :( For most of the race I couldn’t have cared less for the championship, I just wanted Nico to win!!!!!

    Kimi on the escape road was a highlight , haha

    1. I was rooting for the Hulk too, that would have been a rad finish.

      And I def thought Kimi was opting to retire, but nope, just got lost! Hahaha

  33. 10/10
    I’m still dizzy

  34. Excellent race! The perfect way to end a championship! An abolsute thriller with all the right ingredients : constantly changing weather, light rain (just enough to put the intermediates, but not enough for the full wet tyres), Vettel having to fight from the last position with a broken exhaust, strong races from underdogs (Hulk who should have finished on the podium, his penalty was unfair, Kobayashi, and in a certain way, Massa), constantly changing situations where the championship would go to one or the other driver, unpredictable winners (such a shame that the Hamilton-Hulk incident took place), funny situations (like Raikkonen wanting to race on the old circuit), safety cars with restarts not disrupted by drivers a lap down, and also other battles entertaining to watch (like the battle for the 2nd and 10th place in the constructor championship).

    A well deserved 10/10

  35. How can you give this thriller anything but 10/10?

  36. Move of the race = Räikkönen’s quick reactions whilst taking extreme evasive action on Lap 1 to avoid Vettel’s rear end.

    1. Entertainer of the Race = Raikkonen
      For fights against Schumacher, radio comments and, of course, taking a detour to the old circuit for the lolz of it (and still claim a point from it, too)

    2. +1 Kimi’s season be in a tutorial DVD for wheel to wheel driving F1 car. Young drivers take notes.

  37. I had to keep the disappointment of Alonso’s loss away while rating this race.

    The 1st race I’ve ever rated 10

    1. you are a true sport @todfod.. hard luck today

  38. 9. Pity Hulk missed out on a win. Hamilton takes over from Webber as “Unluckiest driver in F1” for this year.

  39. The right definition of “Season Finale”.
    10/10

  40. Could not be anything other than a 10… will go down as an absolute classic

  41. 10.

    No explanation needed I’d say.

  42. Some people have voted this race a 2: to them I ask, are you blind? It’s plain to see that this has been the greatest race of the season and quite possibly one of the greatest of all time. Fantastic driving from both of the title contenders, either of them deserved to be champion.

    I would also like to say thank you Schumacher, you are one of the greatest! A fitting drive to bow out on.

    1. Agreed. Whether or not it was a “favourite”, in terms of entertainment and results… I cannot see, by anyone’s criteria, how it’d be ranked a 2.

      1. Just someone being stupid or sour grapes, or possibly Alonso’s Mum?

        But this gets me thinking, Keith, do you keep records of who voted what? If you do maybe chuck that info somehow into our profiles so we can see what each other voted? No need for it to be secret methinks? It may stop the silly votes. I do accept that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. But anyone voting anything less than a 5 (which itself would be unwarranted) for this spectacle of a sporting event must be doing it for vindictive reasons?

      2. from the percentages etc, 3 or 4 people voted it as a 1!!
        Madness

    2. I can’t say thank you Schumacher. He apparently moved over for Vettel, which I do not appreciate. Had they both been one position further back, then that move would have unfairly gifted the championship. As it was, it made no difference thankfully.

      1. Well ifs are ifs. IF the gravel was left there on the outside of turn one the championship would have been decided by lap 9 or something when Alonso missed the turn in.

  43. 10. In the top 5 races this season, but as a championship finale nothing can ever beat 2008. Nothing, ever, will beat the Ferrari garage that time.

  44. I did enjoy the race but it wasn’t like 2008.

    1. I know what your saying but do you remember much else from the race besides what Lewis got up to? “That” last corner moment – indeed one the greatest in all of F1 – is the single defining characteristic of that race – most else is forgotten.

      This one had it all, besides that particular kind of moment and I’ll remember most of it well.

      I think to have another 2008 moment will only ever happen if Lewis is involved in some way again. Because let’s face it, there’s rarely a dull moment if Lewis Hamilton is in the mix, which he invariably is!

  45. Incredible. If anyone ever says F1 is ‘boring’, or if there is anyone out there who still doubts that in F1 anything can happen, this race is your answer. This finale stands alongside 2008 as one of the best races I’ve ever seen in my 15 or so years watching this sport. I’ll remember it fondly for as long as I live even if the guy I wanted to win didn’t. A fantastic, dramatic, unpredictable finale for a fantastic, dramatic and unpredictable season.

    1. @colossal-squid

      If anyone ever says F1 is ‘boring’, or there is anyone out there who still doubts that in F1 anything can happen, this race is your answer.

      This. Couldn’t agree more.

  46. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through the race. Absolutely amazing, Vettel drove amazingly… I watched the BBC coverage it was balanced and objective. I watched Sky F1 and I thought 95% of what they’ve report was wrong and rubbish. Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel absolutely amazing well DONE!!!.

    1. cool, I watched the Sky coverage live, but I will definitely watch it again and the source i got for my archive has BBC commentary, looking forward to watching it again!

  47. For me it was more a more absorbing race than 2008. The climax at the end of the 2008 race took my breath away, however I was breathless for nearly 2 hours during today’s race. From start to almost the last lap it was brilliant!

    1. This, pretty much.

  48. Rating: OVER 9000!

    lol, in seriousness, it was just intense from start to the near finish. Ended on a slight whimper with the Safety Car, but that aside, the action and drama was 100% flawless!

    Would’ve loved to see Hulkenberg get the win (my favourite win of the year if this was the case), and the penalty was harsh, but does go to show how well he does in this sort of situation.
    This race only justifies more why I believe Hulkenberg should’ve gone to McLaren instead of Perez… But the prospect for HULK at Ferrari in 2014 + is still very high.

    1. Agreed, Hulk was brilliant, penalty was too harsh (it was avoidable so maybe a sign of consistency from the stewards.)
      He was the class of the field in those changing conditions but he did choke (understandably) from the pressure applied by Lewis (very few wouldn’t.)
      Also agree on the Hulk to McL – Perez looking more and more like a knee jerk choice every race…

  49. Personally I don’t think it was a bad race but not a very good either. It was very chaotic with lots of mistakes, very little intense and exciting driving between drivers (for me the top spot of the season was seeing alonso chasing kimi in abu dhabi and that was 10/10 thriller). Vettel and rbr kept making mistakes but still the championship was never really at risk after the t1 collision when for a second it looked like vettel could retire or would be forced to chase alonso with broken car. In the end vettel did it but it was not very exciting to watch imho.

    I give it 8. The race lacked some of the exciting stuff that makes a race 9 or 10.

    1. Do you know just how intense it is to drive one of these on slicks in damp conditions?

    2. Watching split times of Hulk, Hamilton and Button was a thriller, that was impressive how consistent and flawlessly they drove until they come together. Button is less so. The way Hulk was handling Hamilton was amazing to watch. Sad it’s Perez in McLaren next season and not Hulkenberg.

  50. 10. I’m so lucky to be a passionate F1 fan right now. Incredible race! The best ever!

  51. Also perfect ending for Hamilton in McLaren. So much potential, all gone to waste.

  52. This was a fantastic race with everything you could want from a championship decider. Title leader recovering from the back, changeable conditions, team mates battling it out for the lead, drama throughout the field.. I couldn’t keep seated. However, 2008 had all of that as well as the last lap drama whereas Brazil 2012 ended under SC. Fantastic race but not quite the equal of 2008.

  53. Gave it a nine…. was going to give it a ten but the outcome really killed it for me… Voted with my heart, not my head…

  54. I honestly think F1 fans worldwide will talk about where they were when they saw the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. Incredible race you couldn’t write it!!! :D

  55. 10 even though Alonso didn’t get the championship and I was a little sad for Hamilton and definitely sad that it was Kamui’s last race for the foreseeable future.

  56. Fantastic race, superb, we have had four superb races this year: Valencia, Abu Dhabi, Austin and Interlagos.

    Very very sad for Alonso. His best season by far and three points from the WDC

    Congratulations to RBR and Vettel

  57. Dissapointed Alonso is not champion, gutted Hamilton went out but congrats to Vettel.

    A thrilling race despite the result so a 10/10 from me.

  58. Incredible race – 10/10. Strange though that the stewards didn’t seem to mind Vettel passing under yellows or driving into Senna on Lap 1.

  59. I’m sorry that this race will overtake Brazil 2008 but that race had some epic last few laps, whilst this one did not but had an epic race overall. I couldn’t give it less than 10 after I gave the same vote to Austin.
    This race was like Malaysia 2012 (a young driver with no wins fighting and than making a mistake), Brazil 2007 (the championship leader having trouble at the start), Brazil 2008 (unpredictable weather) and Brazil 2003 (rain and crashes, like di Resta’s) added up together. The championship fight wasn’t really exciting once Vettel got back into the points, but having Hulkenberg leading, Hamilton pushing hard behind, different strategies, Vettel recovering positions, many overtakes, many pit stops, many mistakes, crashes, and a surprise result, this must be one of the best races ever.

    1. @fixy

      I’m sorry that this race will overtake Brazil 2008

      Well, I must say that I do agree that 2008 was better in the sense that it’s pretty damn impossible to be more epic than deciding the championship in the last corner of the last lap of the last race – I still rememeber that race vividly, I still remember my reactions to the Vettel-Hamilton and Hamilton-Glock passes, for example. But we have to remember something – back then, you didn’t need an account to vote. Heck, F1F didn’t have accounts at all! :P Back then Rate the Race was much more susceptible to fans felt about the result. I’m fairly certain that Brazil 2008 would still be the highest rated race ever if only registered users could vote.

      1. @guilherme I do not remember the rest of the race, but apart from the final laps I’m pretty much sure it wasn’t as exciting as this one. When it rained, when Lewis dropped behind, when Vettel overtook him, when Massa won, when Hamilton and Vettel overtook Glock, that was when history was written in the most unbelievable manner ever.
        Today the battles were exciting but involved the race result more than the championship result. Alonso was only second in the best of circumstances but Vettel was still easily leading the hunt. Of course he could’ve crashed or spun, but he never did.

        1. I agree @fixy, it was interesting to see the Toyota’s try something with the rain in 2008, but apart from that it was a relatively easy win for Massa, main suspense was whether HAM would be able to keep, then get back, 5th spot – since that took until last corner, it was epic for the WDC, but not like this race which was a real 2012 action packed race.

  60. 8 for a great end to the season…. the first 30 laps was something out of the world.

    1 for Schumi to finally get points on the board

    1 for the iceman to invent a new layout in the tight Interlagos :-P

    10 10 10

  61. Despite being a huge Hamilton fan and wanting Alonso to win the DWC… 11/10 for the race.

  62. Epic race, my heart was rushing from start to finish!

  63. It was good, but I’m not sure all the hyperbole is justified.

  64. I gave it a 9 only because of the safety car finish. Other than that, the race was absolutely amazing for so many reasons. I haven’t been as stressed as I was watching this race for months. Words can’t even do this race justice, so I’ll stop trying now.

  65. 9, spoilt by safety car anti-climax at the end.

    I was also disappointed by the WDC result, which also contributed to the lack of a 10…. blah, blah, blah, I already gave a valid reason for knocking a point off, so clear off with your “rate the race on the race, not on the result” comments! ;-)

  66. I’d love to see an analysis of how many points rain adds to the ‘rate-the-race’ score.

    For me, the outstanding races of the last few years have been Canada 2011, and Brazil 2012. Other highlights have included Perez vs Alonso (in the rain) earlier this season. Rain adds so much intrigue – and introduces a much higher penalty for faliures.

  67. I gave it a 9 because I felt the steam had gone out of the championship battle before the end. Even if Vettel still won, I would have been happier if he had taken longer coming up through the field or if he hadn’t looked so secure towards the end of the race. But obviously there was plenty of drama and mayhem going on the whole race so a definite classic.

  68. 10/10 At last, an exciting race with a lot of genuine, non-DRS wheel-to-wheel fights!

    Also, when I saw Vettel spinning and Senna jumping his car on the first lap, I though it was all over, Alonso will win after all. But miraculously Vettel was able to continue, with a heavily damaged car (don’t underestimate the functions of the parts that were thrown off!). The race was remarkably similar to 2008, when Hamilton hit trouble on lap 1 and somehow was able to continue and clinch the title.

    It was really unfortunate that the safety car messed things up in the mid-part: else Hulkenberg would undoubtebly have finished on the podium. Real shame for Force India: they really deserved a podium this year. Then again, I was happy for my favorite team Caterham, that somehow finished 11th today!

    Also happy for Schumacher, but I was very disappointed that he handed his position to Vettel: I discussed it pre-race and said that no driver would even think about messing with the championship at this level, but of course I hadn’t thought about a man that has messed with so many championships over time (1994, 1997). That was not sportsman-like at all, though in the end it didn’t matter. Also, too bad the race finished under the safety car – it was the anti-climatic finish that I had dreaded all week long, though I was happy the anti-climax didn’t occur on lap 1.

    All credit to Seb – in my mind the true champion of 2012. Alonso gave it his best shot, but simply couldn’t match Vettel (story of the season).

    1. Good comment, except about Schumacher – everyone could see that it was only a matter of time before Vettel would pass him – he gained about 2 seconds pr lap comming up behind. No one can hold up a driver with so much delta speed for very long. So don’t try to disgrace Schumacher just because Alonso, despite a very fine drive, didn’t make it.

      1. If he didn’t simply let Vettel through, he would at least put up a fight. But that wasn’t the case: coming out of descido do lago, Schumacher didn’t take the normal racing line as he didn’t move to the outside of the corner. Therefore Vettel passed him with relative ease. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion @palle, but for me it ws clear that Schumacher let Vettel through and I thought that was disgraceful: what if all drivers would have done that? Then the entire race would have been mockery.

        1. I just rewatched the incident on youtube. German television says something like this:

          “Surely Schumacher will not let him pass” … “Oh, and Schumacher lets Vettel pass”.

        2. On the BBC Forum interview, Michael actually admitted that he let Seb past, something about handing over to the next generation !!

  69. at the moment the rating of the race is 9.48 I did expect more…

  70. It was breathtaking. Drama from the first lap, till the very end. Continuous battles and amazing drives by many drivers. Also the rain sequences were amazing. This race is a reason to begin to watch F1. A fantastic showdown. A phenomenal race. F1 at its best

  71. I gave it a nine.
    I found it disappointing that the champion wasn’t on the podium. And i don’t like safety cars.

    Apart from that, brilliant of course.
    I feel sorry for HAM and HUL. I thought JB did well and his reserve on the podium with a saddened ALO at his side was appropriate.

    KOB did well too, i wish he could get a seat next year, at FI or Lotus.

  72. Lotus has released an image of the new steering wheel for Kimi for next season:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/112289777702630048265/November252012

  73. If this race didn’t have absolutely anything, then I don’t know what did.
    Not only was there the massive tension for the WDC win between Vettel and Alonso, we also saw Caterham regain 10th in the WCC, in the last race! wow. And Ferrari sealing the deal on McLaren for 2nd in the WCC.
    Then of cause there was Kimi’s detour, Scumacher scoring points in the last race. Massa on the podium in Brazil, accidents, wet weather to a point where alternate strategies was possible, without flooding the track completely. Vettel driving a damaged car, under huge pressure, deep into the points, after a colossal blow in the first lap, and then of cause Red Bull nearly throwing it all on the floor with the stupid strategy and the malfunctioning radio. Alonso doing everything he possibly could to win. Massa giving him a helping hand. Hulkenberg doing the drive of his life until he made a slight slip and messed up things completely.
    A great scrap between the McLaren drivers, in their very last race as team mates.
    And of cause the confusion whether Vettel overtook under yellows or not only added even more tension.
    The number of highlights in this race is just incredible. 10 really doesn’t give this race justice.
    We need to expand the scale to 1/15, to give it a rating which is even remotely fair.
    Just wow. If this wasn’t the best end to this fantastic season one could have imagined (not taking into account which of the two you support), then I don’t know what would have been. I was literally shaking the whole way through. This is F1 at its best.

  74. Simply one of the best races in the past 5 years, the really amazing stat is the only 3 back to back title winners fangio, schumacher, vettel….. something that even prost and senna could not achieve because of the competition in that era, what record can this kid not smash 10/10

    on a side note did anybody see alosnos face

  75. It wasn’t perfect (too much safetycar action), but seriously cracking race nonetheless.

    Most of the thrill was provided by the title battle though. This race mid season would have been more likely named a lottery rather than a (almost) perfect race.

  76. What a great end to the season.

  77. I’m going to create another account to rate the race higher than 10. EPIC!!! My heart was jumping all over my chest during the first laps.

  78. 10/10
    We will be remembering this for years and Im sure that this race has made a lot of new F1 fans.
    Epic

  79. I’m not sure why it isn’t an option, but…

    This one goes to 11.

  80. 9/10. Brilliantly exciting, entertaining and most memorable … but I can’t bring myself to give a 10 for a race that ended behind the safety car.

  81. I’m surprised to see so many people saying the penalty for Hulkenburg was unfair or harsh. It was straightforward and fair in my opinion, he caused an avoidable collision, and the penalty for that is a drive through.

  82. Gutted that Hamilton didn’t win his final race McLaren (or more importantly, being taken out in such a manner), and also that Alonso didn’t win the title.

    But it was undoubtedly a 10. The first 10 laps had an entire grand prix worth of narrative and excitement alone. The only slight disappointment was the final 10 laps being a bit too depressing due to the near-certain, looming outcome, but overall it was so good that it couldn’t possibly detract much.

  83. My First 10/10 to any race this season. Just because I am now not in talking terms with most of my family coz I never left the TV screens once, because I was not able to.

  84. I couldn’t even watch it because my satellite hasn’t worked in two weeks, but the F1 Fanatic race feed had me on the edge of seat. From what I was following it seemed like possibly the best race in years!

    I couldn’t watch Austin the previous week either, but at least I was at the race and got to briefly meet Kamui and Checo.

    1. Really sorry you weren’t able to watch such a classic race – hope I managed to transmit some of the fever to you. It was a cracker.

      1. Keith, you absolutely did! The live feed was great. I’m afraid if I was able to watch it, my brain would have jumped out of my head.

        As always, you produce the best F1 site on the internet. Looking forward to next season when I’ll have upgraded my system at home. I’ll be following you during the silly season to get the news and signings before March. I’m also glad that NBC here in the States has nabbed most of the Speed broadcasting team for the 2013 season. It seems they’re taking F1 seriously. Let’s hope!

        No more Schumi, and sadly possibly no Kobayashi either next year, but at least we have F1 Fanatic and a solid broadcasting team for the US market. Thanks for your had work and dedication to F1, Keith!

  85. A couple of random thoughts:-

    1. It had been said in the lead up to the race that, if Caterham could regain 10th place and win the prize money which goes with it, they might be able to retain Heikki rather then replace him with a pay driver. My question is, given his apparently dis-spirited performance in the last 6 or 7 races, will they actually want to keep him?

    2. The commentators on Channel 10 (Australia) made an interesting point about Kimi’s off course venture. Had he bothered to do the track walk on Thursday, he probably would have known that the gate was closed. I like Kimi a lot, but perhaps he’s taking the laid back thing just a bit far?

    1. Doubt any driver would have looked out for that, or even bother with that road, Kimi just happen to have a similar incident back in 2001.

      His drive this season should be a studied by all rookies before they start racing in F1. The way he avoids the incidents (pre-emptively and reacting) together with his close wheel to wheel action is exceptional.

      There are plenty “wannabe” perfect drivers on the grid, we need Kimi to be Kimi!!!

      1. That off he had today was too hilarious!

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vDG3NOiqAE

        Kimi Raikkonen had a brilliant season to finish 3rd, I think he can be a real title contender next year.

    2. It looked rather like Raikkonen overshot the corner and went onto the access road rather than run over the grass. He then drove down the access road expecting to rejoin the track proper – until he realised it wasn’t going to rejoin the track. I’m not sure how a track walk would have helped him to remember every access road on the track.

  86. I never thought I would rate a race 10/10, but this race was incredible and fully deserves a 10. It’s the best race I have ever seen since I started watching F1 in 2007 thanks to Hamilton

  87. they might be able to retain Heikki rather than replace him with a pay driver

  88. Easily a 10/10 for mine. Would have been a great race anyway, but throw in the changing championship implications throughout the race, and it becomes one of the best races of all time. And just imagine if Murray Walker was commentating this one ;)

  89. Looking back at my previous comment on an earlier article, I realise that if I don’t give this race a 10, then I’m obviously missing something big… A race truly deserving of being the finale to an incredible season…

  90. 0/10

    Bitterly disappointed with the result. Sebastian Vettel did not deserve to be World Champion.

    1. This comment is sad on several levels.

    2. A true F1fanatic is able to appreciate a good F1 race, even if the favorite driver is perhaps taken out at the start of a race. But You have to live with the fact that one of the all times F1 most epic races, which we will be talking eagerly about and using as a reference to measure all future races against, You gave a 0/10. I feel sorry for You and I hope You get over it soon and that You will try to watch the race again and appreciate all the action and drama. I’m sure Alonso will be back as a formidable competitor again in 2013, but it will be a looong wait to first race in march.

      1. Actually, I would also argue that the race was bad because there was far too much going on. I spent more time looking at the timing splits at the bottom of the page, trying to figure out who was where at any given moment, than I did at the actual racing. If I need to rewind parts of the race just to figure out what is going on, then I’d say there is too much going on. It stops being “action and drama” and starts being randomness.

        1. I have formula1.com live timing running along side.

          Hulkenberg vs Hamilton vs Button was amazing. Sector by sector was intense, even more impressed by Hulkenberg now, sad it’s Perez going to McLaren and not him. I bet Lewis was going in the car: “Gee he is fast”. Too bad they collided, but hard to call, Nico saw the opportunity, maybe if Caterham was not there he would waited another lap, this was a too much of an opportunity for any driver.

        2. I disagree. There was action but it wasn’t all random. Watched the race with the live timing same as @Kimi4WDC you could see just through each sector time the changing conditions. Lap times would often be seconds apart from previous laps and it was whoever could constantly react to the weather. That’s not random, that’s thinking on your feet, adaptability and big big balls to know it’s gonna stick and not throw you into a wall.

          And with your case against Vettel, I’m not a fan and I would’ve preferred Alonso to win. But I have gained a lot more respect for him (in the cockpit at least) this year. Not a huge fan of his personality but it’s what they do on the track that matters isn’t it? Once again he had the misfortune of having the fastest car (generally) in the latter half of the season, but did exactly what was needed of him to claw back points and eventually come out on top. All his comeback drives this year were kinda lucky, but only as lucky as Alonso was for pretty much every race this season, and when he got the chance to win there was only ever going to be bad luck to take that away from him.

          In my eyes, Ferrari were less deserving of 2nd place in the WCC than Vettel was of the WDC after the pile of bolts they brought to Melbourne and barely improved through the end stages of the championship.

          But none of this should even come close to tarnishing what was a great race of this generation. Brazil ’08 was a fantastic championship decider, but while the tension was there this weekend it didn’t need it, this could’ve happened early in the season like Brazil ’03 and would still be remembered as a great.

          You’re just lacking a bit of perspective between being a racing fan and a solo driver fan/hater. Being a Hamilton and Alonso fan I was disappointed with how the race finished, but in my preferred stance as a racing fan I was immensely proud of all of them for the race they put on, everyone was fighting tooth and nail and that’s what F1 should be, not just some petty rivalry between drivers and fans.

    3. Yeah – Alonso deserved it. I mean, who else could cause two drivers 20 seconds in front of him to crash so he got gifted a second place finish.

      And he made Vettel and Grojean’s alternators blow up in Valencia – because the 35 points net points difference from that result wouldn’t have put Alonso out of the title race.

      Or, perhaps, it wasn’t just Vettel who benefited from luck today. Or all season.

    4. I think the term “butthurt” is what describes your comment the best PM

    5. Prisoner Monkeys’ reason for commenting on this site seems to be to go against popular opinion in every single instance so this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.

      1. +1
        Probably the most astute comment on here Mark.

      2. @mark-hitchcock – Comment of the season.

  91. Best race this season. If only Hulkenberg or Lewis would have won it, but still deserves a perfect 10.

  92. Kimi finished all laps this seasns bar 1 :)
    He finished 1 Lap behind the leaders.
    I am still hoping for 25s penalty for the yellow flag.
    What a race, considering I only watch the live timing and the F1F live blog.
    Congratulations to all.

  93. Sebastian Vettel did not deserve to be World Champion

    @prisoner-monkeys Who did, the guy whose team mate gives up track position and grid spots for him?

    Don’t get me wrong, Alonso has driven superbly this season, and will get my number one spot in the end of season driver rankings. Ferrari are also entitled to employ whatever tactics they choose, provided they don’t break the rules.

    However, any claim to a moral victory is lost when you employ tactics of that kind.

    If Alonso had won with a second place given up to him by Massa, THAT would have been undeserved.

    This constant belittling of Vettel is truly tiresome.

    1. @tdog

      Who did, the guy whose team mate gives up track position and grid spots for him?

      I’d rather him than the guy who had both his team mate and another team give up track position for him.

      I can understand team order. They’re legal, part of a team sport, and to be expected when one driver has a shot at a championship and the other does not.

      But for Red Bull Racing to be in a position where they can order Toro Rosso to move aside simply because the same company pays their bills is very unfair.

      1. But for Red Bull Racing to be in a position where they can order Toro Rosso to move aside simply because the same company pays their bills is very unfair

        I must have missed those team orders, no doubt you have evidence?

        In any event, I don’t want to get too far off topic. We all have our subjective views about who is the most deserving. Ultimately, we have a points system to determine who deserves the title.

        Why not just be gracious, say congratulations to Vettel, commiserations to Alonoso, and let’s all look forward to 2013, which can’t come soon enough.

        1. Why should I congratulate Vettel? He might be World Champion, but I don’t think he deserves it. I don’t think he’s deserved any of his championships. I place considerable value on a driver’s attitude, and I find Vettel to be childish and the product of an unscupulous win-at-all-costs corporate culture, and I can’t respect that. If I can’t respect a driver, how can I congratulate him?

          1. Why do you consider him to be childish, or so much more childish than the other drivers on today’s grid? And how can you justify disrespecting Vettel, but respecting any of his rivals without displaying clear double standards?

          2. I find Vettel to be childish

            So says the person who earlier said he gave the race 0/10…

    2. Tyler massa was on slicks I think when alonso passed him.

      The guy with the most points deserves it. You can have luck with yellow flags, no pen after blocking, rule interpretations etc but it doesn’t matter how you score them as long as you do. Red bull are very good at it.

  94. OMG what a race!

    9/10

    SC at the ruined it.

    Raikkonnen was awesome to avoid demolishing Vettel at the start, i guess he knew the gravity of the situation?

    Can someone breakdown Senna and Vettel accident??
    I say racing incident.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      26th November 2012, 12:22

      Senna was trying to have a look up the inside as Vettel left him a big gap and then he cut across the track to take the racing line.

      Not saying it’s Vettel’s fault but by leaving a big gap, it invited Senna to have a look.

      Racing incident for me.

  95. 10/10
    Quite simply, it had everything

  96. I still think Brazil 2008 was a better GP for tension and gutchecks. But if I compared every race to that, nothing would ever get a 10 again. This ran that 2008 race very close, though, and this race deserves every point of its 10/10.

    I liked this result much more than the 08 result, though. Less heartbreak for me. :D

  97. This season FIA have been very reasonable with their decisions.
    Credits to them.

    This season will also be remembered as one of the worst for McLaren.. what happened?
    The World Championship title should’ve been Hamiltons this year. He would’ve now had over 300 points.

    See you all next year, replacement for Jake (BBC) will be………………. CHRIS EVANS!
    You heard it here first.

  98. No matter Brazil never forgets to entertain us.

  99. Interlagos should be raced three times a year:
    1. Brazil GP
    2. South American GP
    3. South Atlantic GP

  100. If it weren’t for that final safety car, it would have been a 10. But my jaw was on the floor for the first half and my nails were in my mouth for the second half!

  101. It’s the first time I voted for a 10. Although my favorite didn’t win it had the highest entertainment value I’ve ever seen…
    At least I got to cheer for Caterham (although I feel sorry for Marussia).

  102. The first half of the race looked like highlights…such fast paced action…..Sad to see Hulkenberg not winning

  103. straight 10 from me. how vettel’s car survived that first lap incident escapes me.
    best race of the season, and mclaren’s tooned was also the best of the year ;)

  104. It’s a 10, not quite as tense as 2008 but still one of the best races ever.

    shame about the 2 saftey cars, Hulkenberg deserved 2nd after staying out with Button on slicks

  105. The only stain in a hell of a race, was Hamilton been shoved off and not ending his season in McLaren with a win and a 2nd place for Button, in order to pass Kimi in the Drivers Champ and Ferrari in the Constructors… We can’t have all. Great race!

  106. As a stand-alone race, it was fantastic, and had everything. I can’t think of anything missing.

    I still struggle a bit with the level of access we get these days. Some of the little bits of information and insight we get, like the yellow flag controversy, Hamilton’s disappointment of no immediate apology, and Vettel’s ‘dirty tricks’ comment… it all takes some of the shine away, somehow. And the different interpretations of Vettel/Senna collision from different commentators using various levels of technology, it all takes away some of the mystery of the heroics that are performed at these weekends. It humanises the drivers, I suppose, and that can mean that they sometimes seem petty and spoilt and less than the ubermensch that they used to be. Maybe its because I’m just growing up a bit myself.

    Quick thanks to @keithcollantine (and associates!) for all the hard work this (fantastic) season! And good look keeping up with all the comments over the next few days!

  107. I was there yesterday at Interlagos watching the race on grandstands A by the main straight. Gotta say, it was an amazing race, even for us who were watching at the track getting soaked by the rain. There was so much going on at the same time that we didn’t know where to look at, if we tried to look at the large screen showing the replay, we’d lose an overtake in the main straight or in the middle sector. Everyone there was just blown away after the race ended, we were privileged to have seen history being made live.

    Comparing this year’s race with 2008, for me 2008 was still better (and I am Brazilian!). This years race probably had more twists and turns, and was more action packed, but the fact that in 2008 nobody knew who was going to be champion until the very last minute made it the ultimate thriller. We’ll probably never see something like that happen again. And for me, it will always be a moment that I’ll never forget, the disappointment was so intense, I mean, we were watching a Brazilian driver about to become champion, something we have been waiting for a long time since we lost Senna, and on top of that, he would be champion in Brazil! When I saw Hamilton passing Glock on the last turn, we were just speechless. So, I guess this year’s race was more fun, but the 2008 GP was more emotional and intense.

    1. Comment of the day!!!

  108. 10 for the race and driving skills

    -1 for the fia not even investigating the obvious. No seb blame it was fia fault.

    10 for vettel and alonso for giving us a hell of a show all season

    1. why what did seb do? the speeding through yellows or did i miss somthing?

  109. petebaldwin (@)
    26th November 2012, 12:15

    I gave it a 9. Absolutely brilliant race with lots of excitement throughout.
    I couldn’t give it a 10 simply as 10 means perfect and this race wasn’t that – it was a solid 9. Hamilton and Hulk had a great battle – if that had carried on to the end instead of Hamilton being taken out, it would have been better. If the race for 10th in the constructors had gone down to the last lap Riccardio vs Petrov, it would have been better.
    Absolutely brilliant race though and better (despite the result) than 2008.

  110. It was great, and for his imperious performance over the last three races he deserves it. Still struggling a bit though with why Vettel received no penalty when he was so obviously at fault cutting across Senna……and yet, stewards were so quick to chastise HUL regarding Hamilton……

  111. as a mclaren fan i was rooting for alonso how lucky was vettle to take a whack like that twice in the same firstlap crash alonso deserved it more in y opinion i dislike him but he should not have been in the titel race with that car,but teflonso scraped through to the very end,i was kina waiting for some vettle massa tangling,but never happend:(

  112. Brazil,USA,Valencia Abu Dhabi my top 4 races! Any doubt????????

  113. Just thought I would throw something out there about Vettel’s “stunning” drives here in Interlagos and also in Abu Dhabi, obviously talking about how he manages to get from the back to the front in almost no time whatsoever.

    When Vettel is stone cold last you have to take into account the fact that all 6 of the “slower cars” put up ultimately no fight to hold him up, they know they won’t be able to keep him behind them so they almost let him threw (one of the reason the 3 new teams have been a bitter disappointed). On top of the both Toro Rosso drivers move out of the way which is very disappointing in terms of a race, and lastly if needs be Webber will move over. That’s 9 cars that Vettel essentially doesn’t have to pass when he gets pushed to the back of the grid, add to that retirements/1st lap collisions which take out 3/4 cars and vettel is amost in the points without having to make a “real overtake”.

    Looking at it from that view it’s hardly surprising that he is able to just storm back up the field with a fast car. However I don’t want to take away from the drive yesterday especially because of the fact that his car was heavily damaged. Gutted for Alonso as I feel he “deserved” the title considering how average the Ferrari was for most of the year, but the 2 first corner incidents with both Lotus’ have cost him dearly, and Vettel was able to pounce at the end of the season.

    10/10 for the race truely edge of the seat stuff, and it just goes to show, never listen to the weather forecasts!

  114. Great race and great battles till the end. Alonso and Vettel clearly drove their hearts out and eventually the man who deserved the title won it. Sad to see Hamilton’s plight in his last race for McLaren. I wish him good luck for the next season. Even if he is not able to fight for the title in the W04 (which remains to be seen considering how slow the W03 has been) let him at least have enough luck throughout the season to finish in points. Button again proved he is the master of wet by driving superbly in tricky wet conditions. Congrats to him for the race win. Cliff-hanging wheel to wheel action between Raikkonen and Schumy spiced up the on-track battles. Last but not the least the race did provide some laughter amid all those epic battles when Raikkonen followed a different path to rejoin the track. Sadly the gate was closed and funnily enough in his interview he said he knew where he was going and will make sure the gate is open next year. Fantastic end to the 2012 season. I’m already looking forward to 2013!!!

  115. Such a phenomenally exciting race – just a shame it ended under the safety car. Although at least that gave me a chance to get my breath back!

  116. I have a fun theory that sadly was not played out – perhaps because of the safety car. If Alonso had realised that he wasn’t going to win the championship, I think he would have let Massa through to repay him for all of his good work through the year. I have absolutely no evidence of this, but it’s the start of the silly season….

  117. the Safety car was joke!!

    1. @dev It was necessary. Did you not see the puncture?

  118. If I could I would give it a 9.4, meaning it rounds down to 9 for me. What a finish to the season. It almost had it all and that’s why it wasn’t a perfect 10 for me. I’m so glad I’m not a Vettel or Alonso fan because I would have had my heart on the floor for most of it. The wet weather really did throw up a stir and the changing of the lead between the McLaren drivers was reminiscent of Hungary last year in similar conditions.

    Fantastic to see Hulkenberg up there on merit and such a shame to see Hamilton end his McLaren career like that.

    The only part of the race that lacked excitement was the 3rd quarter where nothing much happened and the track was drying. This race will keep me going until March next year for sure.

  119. I voted the race a 10, the fact that the producer actually missed Jenson re-taking second place from Massa, and one of the leader changes, just about says it all . . . so much action that even they did not know where to look !!

  120. If that’s not a 10, I don’t know what is. I would vote it a Spinal Tap 11 if it let me!

  121. Nothing short of a 10/10. Best race I’ve ever seen. It had everything and more and while the start couldn’t have been worse for Vettel, it couldn’t have been better for the (non-Vettel/unbiased) fans.

  122. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? A definite 10 – in fact the last quarter of the season has thrown up 3 abosulte corkers – can anyone else remember such a fantastic end to a season? I am disappointed that Alonso didn’t win the WDC – I thought he deserved to win, afterall with that car he was driving he shouldn’t have even been in contention. But an epic race & season finale regardless.

  123. Interlagos=Perfect track to end the championship.
    Mayor Haddad, come on let’s do the new pits to not let Interlag go!!!

  124. Austin was good, Brasil had to be epic, and it was !

  125. What a race and what a way to finish the season. The on track action in the race itself, coupled with the fact it was the title decider probably made it the race of the season for me.

    I was tempted to give it a 10 but that would mean I thought it to be a perfect race and could not be improved in anyway, so I gave it a 9 instead.

  126. Yesterday I finally found time to rewatch the race. Of course, rewatching it I know how it would end. Still, I was surprised by how badly I was kept up to date by the FOM broadcast, I don’t think there was any lead change we got to see the first time as a replay of a minute before when they were showing another replay, usually needed because of too much focus on what Vettel or Alonso was doing right at that moment. Except at the start, where neither Alonso nor Vettel were directly followed, which would have been very useful.

    With that out of the way, I really, really enjoyed the race, it was great to see. Upon rewatching I was also struck again, as I was when watching it the first time, by the only real tense fight in the WDC: that for tenth, which was closely fought on track between Marussia and Caterham. Since the tenseness of that fight meant that quite a few of the front runners had trouble passing them, and since it indirectly lead to Button inheriting the lead again after HAM got stuck behind that fight, than clipped out by Hulkenberg who got a drive-through, it was also of vital importance to the race. If I were making a review of this race I would try to show it from those cars, as they did get to see most of the action in the race.

    That said, I have to value the Austin race higher, because that race did not get spiced up by rain induced mistakes. But the added extra of it being a season finale puts it up there again. Great end to a great season for me.

  127. When you have Brazil 2008 with

    You get Brazil 2013

    Like Brazil 2008..I give this one A Big 1000000000000000 inch pizza 10/10

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