Many posts ago I wrote about my love affair with Formula One. It was a timeline post about formula one. I spoke about formula one seasons that I followed . This previous post pleasantly surprised an acquaintance. Many people watch American Football, baseball or soccer. I love Formula one. I see formula one as a ballet of speed. However, the last few seasons have been processional as of lately. One teams dominates and runs away with the titles. It definitely turns off fans. There are few seasons though that refreshed my love with formula one. I am going to talk about one season that thrilled me.

The 2012 season was quite exciting for me. Through seven grand prix, there was seven different winners. The 2012 showcased the drivers’ skills rather than the power of the cars. The 2012 season had five former world champions in addition to the reigning champion. Kimi Raikkonen (’07 World Champion) made his return to formula after a two year hiatus. It was also Michael Shumacher (7x World Champion) final season. This season started in Melbourne, Australia as usual. The race winner was Jenson Button (2009 World Champion). Fernando Alonso (’05 and ’06 World Champion) won the following race in Sepang, Malaysia. Fernando Alonso is the only driver to have won the Malaysian grand prix with three different machinery (Renault, McLaren , Ferrari). The formula one carnival then made it to Shanghai, China. In Shanghai, Nico Rosberg clinched his maiden victory. It was mostly a procession to be honest. The Bahrain grand prix surprised me. Kimi Raikkonen started the race at eleventh place, but sliced his way up to second place. Sebastian Vettel (’10, ’11, ’12, ’13 World Champion) was the eventual winner starting from pole position. The carnival landed in Europe after the race in Bahrain. The first race in Europe was at the circuit of Catalonia in Barcelona Spain. Pastor Maldonado was another one-hit wonder in formula one. He won the race in Spain and never won again. The carnival then went to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Mark Webber was the winner there. He somersaulted into a pool after his victory. The carnival took a detour to North America in Canada; Lewis Hamilton (’08, ’14, ’15, ’17, ’18, ’19 World Champion) won the race handily. The carnival returned to Europe where Fernando Alonso became the first repeat winner of 2012. He won the the race in Valencia, Spain. The next race in Silverstone, England, Mark Webber won the race and Fernando won in Hockenheim, Germany. The final race before the mandated break was in Budapest, Hungary. Lewis Hamilton won the race, albeit increasing pressure from the Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. The return race from the mandated break was in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The race started with a major pile due to Romain Grosjean’s aggressive driving. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton retired from the race with Romain Grosjean. Romain Grosjean also incurred a race ban for dangerous driving in Italy. The carnival made its final European stop in Monza, Italy (home of Ferrari). The Tifosi were in full force to support Ferrari, but Lewis Hamilton won the race. Then the flyaway races started. The night race in Singapore was won by Sebastian Vettel, and it started his small streak of victories. He won in Suzuka, Japan after Fernando Alonso retired with a flat tire. Vettel won in South Korea and India and took over the championship lead in the process. Vettel’s winning streak ended in Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton started on pole but had to retire while leading due to an engine failure. Kimi Raikkonen inherited the lead and never looked back. This race was amusing to watch because of Raikkonen’s responses to his race engineer. After the race in Abu Dhabi, the carnival came back to North America in Austin, Texas. Lewis Hamilton won the race with ease. The Carnival made its final stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the Inter Lagos race track. This race was Michael Schumacher’s final as a formula driver. It was Lewis Hamilton’s last race as a McLaren driver. The following season, I began his career as a Mercedes driver. Jenson Button won the race. Sebastian Vettel clinched his third championship.

Anyway, the 2012 season was unique in the fact that it was competitive for many months. There was not a run away champion. It delivered on many fronts. I hope this coming season is not processional as many have been.