:00:11. > :00:16.It was a season like no other. An unfolding story so full of twists
:00:16. > :00:21.and turns, it could have been the product of Hollywood. A Scripps
:00:21. > :00:28.that brought together flesh and metal, the greatest car chase ever.
:00:28. > :00:32.It dealt in fantasy, in impossible happenings, unpredictable at every
:00:32. > :00:38.stage. All favourites returned to show they had lost none of their
:00:38. > :00:43.lustre. Some stars dimmed, reduced to mere extras, as we embraced new
:00:43. > :00:48.heros with familiar names. We cleared for the underdog, a
:00:48. > :00:53.celebration cut short. Like an action movie, it kept you on the
:00:53. > :01:03.edge of your seat, bravery, excitement glamour. A life out of
:01:03. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:10.reach. Subplots eed, story lines changed. A love story gone sour.
:01:10. > :01:15.Heroes and villains switching in a moment. It had to be scripted. An
:01:15. > :01:21.epic tale requires the perfect backdrop and this one was altered
:01:21. > :01:27.with every episode. Some of the supporting stars greeted with a
:01:27. > :01:32.warm fanfare. Others became the focus themselves as the tension
:01:32. > :01:42.rose. Still, the old director stood firm. The greatest story ever told
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :02:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds
:02:39. > :02:48.has an ending just as captivating. # It's beginning to look a lot like
:02:48. > :02:56.Christmas # Every where you go! # Take a look in the fine and ten #
:02:56. > :03:00.Glirsening once again # With candy canes and silver lanes aglow #
:03:00. > :03:05.Happy Christmas. I've got you some beautiful Irish coffees. Just to
:03:06. > :03:11.warm the cockles of your heart. have wondered what you have got in
:03:11. > :03:16.your head what is it? Don't ask. Now let's reflect on the season.
:03:16. > :03:22.All the chats a year ago was about six world champions on the grid. We
:03:22. > :03:28.had never seen that before. We will probably never see it again. If you
:03:28. > :03:35.look at those circumstances champions, apart from Michael, they
:03:35. > :03:39.all delivered. It made a -- ate stand out year. Ferrari is the team,
:03:39. > :03:48.the classic team, they have so much resource and history, and they were
:03:48. > :03:52.so bad in pre-season, do you remember? The first day we put the
:03:52. > :03:57.remember? The first day we put the car on the track, it was a big
:03:57. > :04:02.surprise, the expectation was different. There is no reason to
:04:02. > :04:07.master. I remember very well we had the problem of speed. A lot of drag.
:04:07. > :04:14.A lot of instability and not enough traction. So a lot of things.
:04:14. > :04:20.there any unwelcome surprises? always have in a new car, it is
:04:21. > :04:28.just the beginning of a big job to have a consistent and competitive
:04:28. > :04:35.the car. We know this kind of competition is also a psychological
:04:35. > :04:40.game. If you shout outside it doesn't help. There was a moment
:04:41. > :04:48.where we had to regroup and try to solve it. Knowing you don't have
:04:48. > :04:58.any magic touch. You can't sort things one night the morning after.
:04:58. > :05:01.
:05:01. > :05:07.It was I would say the most difficult moment of the season.
:05:07. > :05:13.Fernando Alonso in the gravel. He is out. He's nuerious. There is
:05:13. > :05:19.something wrong with that car. was a bad start, 12th and 16th on
:05:19. > :05:25.the grid in Australia. That is not acceptable for Ferrari. We had a
:05:25. > :05:31.difficult qualifying and unfortunately qualifying remained
:05:31. > :05:37.the most difficult days of the season. While Ferrari were
:05:37. > :05:42.struggling, McLaren were as hot as this coffee. They had a great pre-
:05:42. > :05:46.season and first race. We came out guns blazing and showed we had the
:05:46. > :05:52.pace. We were very quick in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton has
:05:52. > :05:56.taken pole position. That was an incredible performance from Lewis
:05:56. > :06:02.Hamilton. Button goes second. looked at the front row, that is
:06:02. > :06:06.always nice in the first race. I got a good start and still won.
:06:07. > :06:12.Lights off, away we go. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the
:06:12. > :06:18.first corner. Button is ahead. is impressive stuff. It felt good
:06:18. > :06:24.in the car. The car was work well. Button wins in Australia.
:06:24. > :06:32.fantastic, what a great way to start the year, guys. A good race
:06:32. > :06:42.and we expected the rest of the season to be that easy. Look the
:06:42. > :06:43.
:06:43. > :06:49.rain at the back. It is pouring down now. The last sector is work
:06:49. > :06:55.away. Perez coming into the pits. Look at the rain falling now.
:06:55. > :07:01.Inspired decision by Perez. In any year, there is always someone who
:07:01. > :07:05.emerges as the coming man, Perez showed he has something special.
:07:05. > :07:10.engineer was telling me I was pulling away from the others and I
:07:10. > :07:18.was the fast e car on the track. You're very quick. I was the
:07:18. > :07:22.fastest car on the track again and again. Is Fernando Alonso starting
:07:22. > :07:26.to struggle? Could Perez get on the back of Ferrari. This is one to
:07:26. > :07:33.watch. I was just thinking for the victory. I thipbt difor the second
:07:33. > :07:39.place. But then we had some other circumstances. Be careful, we need
:07:39. > :07:45.this position. Perez has a problem. He has ran wide. Fernando Alonso
:07:45. > :07:50.has been give an huge break by that. Who knows? I'm sure I will have
:07:50. > :07:56.give him a hard time. Ferrari are going to dig themselves out of all
:07:56. > :08:02.the trouble they have had in testing. Remarkably Fernando Alonso
:08:02. > :08:06.wins the Malaysian Grand Prix and takes the victory. It is one of the
:08:06. > :08:14.most beautiful, this is one of the most beautiful. We are so proud of
:08:14. > :08:19.you. So proud of you and of the team. Second place goes to the 21-
:08:19. > :08:25.year-old Mexican, Sergio Perez. is wet eyes at Ferrari and Sauber.
:08:25. > :08:30.You have got to love the Formula One 2012. After that difficult
:08:30. > :08:38.start, at least you were putting in a victory in a season, which is
:08:38. > :08:43.something you cannot take for granted. It was a tough time.
:08:43. > :08:47.Ferrari when things go well, everything is exaggerated, when
:08:47. > :08:51.things go bad, everything is dramatic. It is not affecting us,
:08:51. > :08:57.but any win or good result in this first part of the Championship that
:08:57. > :09:07.we're struggling, for sure make people happy, working tomorrow 8
:09:07. > :09:07.
:09:07. > :09:15.o'clock. Nico Rosberg is going to have his first ever pole position
:09:15. > :09:20.and the first pole position for Mercedes since 1955. The first two
:09:20. > :09:25.race and two different winners and in China we get our thirbgsd Nico
:09:25. > :09:29.Rosberg. That was unexpected. was the surprise of the season as
:09:29. > :09:37.far as I'm concerned. It is Nico Rosberg whether wins the Chinese
:09:37. > :09:45.Grand Prix. His first ever victory. The first win for Mercedes since
:09:45. > :09:49.19556789 he's done it! -- since 1955. There was a double DRS and at
:09:49. > :09:53.that point on that track on that day gave them this massive
:09:53. > :09:58.advantage. How does it feel? Fantastic. Thank you to everyone at
:09:58. > :10:04.home who is part of this effort today and it feels special. It has
:10:04. > :10:08.been a long time coming. I didn't see you kiss the troughy there.
:10:08. > :10:18.Wonderful well done. That was the high point for Mercedes in the
:10:18. > :10:22.
:10:22. > :10:27.Security is stepped up at the Bahrain Grand Prix as protesters
:10:27. > :10:31.call for that he days of rage. not the image that Formula One
:10:31. > :10:38.organisers will have hoped for. don't believe the Grand Prix should
:10:38. > :10:42.go ahead. I believe that this race is a course for good. Tear gas,
:10:42. > :10:49.stun grenades, petrol bombs, it is not what F1 want to be associated
:10:49. > :10:56.with is? It is nothing to do with F1. I'm here to race. That is all I
:10:56. > :11:03.have to say. Wfr we went to Bahrain, Red Bull had one podium and the
:11:03. > :11:06.newspapers said have they forgotten thousand design a fast car. We were
:11:06. > :11:12.in a luxury position and it was never expected when we got to the
:11:12. > :11:17.track that we come to the circuit and win. But we were always in a
:11:17. > :11:23.strong position. In wai, I have probably now have to admit you get
:11:23. > :11:26.not used to it, but somehow maybe in the back of your head you have
:11:26. > :11:31.the expectation to fight for the win. To be able to do that. At the
:11:31. > :11:36.start of year we were not in the position to fight for victory.
:11:36. > :11:41.Sebastian Vettel has not only had a terrible qualifying, he has now had
:11:41. > :11:45.a terrible start and he is in 15th place. He took it well. He knew it
:11:45. > :11:50.was the long game and the question of picking up the points on the
:11:50. > :11:56.days you couldn't win. In Malaysia we had an incident with Narain
:11:56. > :12:01.Karthikeyan and lost points. China, he did a strong race, but we got
:12:01. > :12:05.points from the race. Of course, we got to Bahrain, where we got our
:12:05. > :12:10.first win of the season. This is wonderful racing and Sebastian
:12:10. > :12:17.Vettel has not got it all his own way as he tries to take his first
:12:17. > :12:21.win of the season. Kimi Raikkonen has closed that gap. It is world
:12:21. > :12:26.champion against world champion. Kimi is going down the inside sm
:12:26. > :12:31.but Vettel just moves there. Sebastian Vettel wins in Bahrain,
:12:31. > :12:36.the first Red Bull win of tpwepbt 12. The first win of the season was
:12:36. > :12:43.a big relief. It was a great race with the pressure, Kimi Raikkonen
:12:43. > :12:48.was arguably quicker than us. But we still won. OK, excellent job.
:12:48. > :12:52.Thanks everyone, I had one chance. We put ourself in a position to
:12:52. > :12:57.fight for it. For most of the reason. So then it was
:12:57. > :13:01.disappointing to lose by two seconds. He weighed up the
:13:01. > :13:06.situation and he knew he didn't have the fastest Dar and he was
:13:06. > :13:10.going for consistency. At that stage he did look cautious, but it
:13:10. > :13:14.gave him second place. And there will be a few people who didn't
:13:14. > :13:20.take a two-year break to do rallying may look at their own
:13:20. > :13:24.performance and question well, actual li, he did an amazing job in
:13:24. > :13:29.his come back. Here comes Lewis Hamilton looking for another pole
:13:30. > :13:34.position. Can he take his first ever pole in Spain? He has done it.
:13:34. > :13:39.A great lap from Lewis Hamilton. But what about Pastor Maldonado.
:13:39. > :13:44.Second place on the grid for Williams. That is a huge story.
:13:44. > :13:50.need to stop the car, we have a problem. Please turn off.
:13:50. > :13:56.problem. I will explain later. a e listen they told me then, I
:13:56. > :14:03.knew I wasn't going to do it. There was nothing I could do. It was us
:14:03. > :14:12.from freighting. I had done such a good lap. When we saw Lewis had
:14:12. > :14:17.stopped, we were 50% sure the place was for us. This is the grid.
:14:17. > :14:25.Venezuala's mald mall starts op pole. -- Pastor Maldonado starts on
:14:25. > :14:32.mole. -- pole. I was worried about the start. They had always been
:14:32. > :14:42.starting well. And we have been starting very bad. Lights out, away
:14:42. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:53.Maldonado is trying to stay with him... He can't! On the first
:14:53. > :14:58.corner, I knew that our car was the strongest. I gained a place on the
:14:58. > :15:02.second pit stop. Maldonado is going to take the lead. That a great
:15:03. > :15:09.effort by Williams. After that, he tried to put on a lot of pressure.
:15:09. > :15:15.I started to push a little bit. I made a gap and I did it. You have
:15:15. > :15:23.got to realise that I was now winning the race. Pastor Maldonado
:15:23. > :15:27.wins in Spain! The first William's victory since Brazil in 2004.
:15:27. > :15:37.when Fernando and Kimi Raikonnen, they take me on their shoulders,
:15:37. > :15:43.
:15:43. > :15:47.that was so good. You know, always I didn't think Williams still had
:15:47. > :15:51.their Mojo. I didn't think they could become winners again.
:15:51. > :15:56.Maldonado, he wasn't a big start coming into this. He was a paid
:15:56. > :16:06.driver. For paid drivers to win in Formula One, hats off to them. I
:16:06. > :16:09.
:16:09. > :16:19.I was in the car at the moment, so it was so scary for everyone. Just
:16:19. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:24.in one second, we saw everything get on fire. We saw some of our
:16:24. > :16:33.guys burned. It was a difficult time for the team, you know? After
:16:33. > :16:38.such a big victory, such a big moment. From that amazing high or
:16:38. > :16:42.victory, we heard the shock afterwards when they had this fire
:16:42. > :16:45.in the pit box. I think that showed the best of Formula One, actually.
:16:45. > :16:49.All of the teams came together with fire extinguishers and it really
:16:49. > :16:53.showed that in difficult moments like that, Formula One is a small
:16:53. > :16:59.community. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher had a moment of madness,
:16:59. > :17:03.I guess you would call it? Do we think that Bruno was moving in the
:17:04. > :17:07.braking area? I don't think so. It looks like he was caught out. It
:17:07. > :17:12.appears like I am just bitter and twisted that he used to beat me all
:17:12. > :17:16.of the time, but what did Bruno Senna do wrong there? They very
:17:16. > :17:22.frustrating. I am very much annoyed about that. The fact that he could
:17:22. > :17:27.not be magnanimous or actually understand that he was the car
:17:27. > :17:33.behind, it was a major mistake. was embarrassed, this is Michael
:17:33. > :17:39.Schumacher! But he blamed Senna! asked Michael in his first career,
:17:39. > :17:43.has he ever done anything wrong and he said, I don't remember. Michael
:17:43. > :17:46.Schumacher doesn't believe he makes mistakes. That is why, at that
:17:46. > :17:50.moment, it was all about Bruno Senna. It was not about something
:17:50. > :18:00.he'd done. That also brought a penalty for the next Grand Prix in
:18:00. > :18:09.
:18:09. > :18:17.Here comes Michael Schumacher! The master of Monaco! Can he do it?
:18:17. > :18:25.He's done it! He's on pole! It would be his 69th career pole, but
:18:25. > :18:29.it won't be, he's got a penalty. One of my best front rows ever.
:18:29. > :18:34.It's not often that Sebastian cannot respond to what I am doing
:18:34. > :18:38.and he was struggling to match me. Webber comes out of the final
:18:38. > :18:45.corner, what a performance for Red Bull. A hat-trick of victories in
:18:45. > :18:50.Monaco. RADIO: Well done, you have won at the Monaco Grand Prix again,
:18:50. > :19:00.well done! That was a great victory. He was able to control the race,
:19:00. > :19:09.
:19:09. > :19:15.good decisions in terms of strategy Sebastian Vettel surges into the
:19:15. > :19:21.lead! Hamilton has certainly closed the gap. This is it, boys, do your
:19:21. > :19:26.best! And there is a problem. getting everything he can out of
:19:26. > :19:30.the tyres. Hamilton is really setting the time now. It's not
:19:30. > :19:35.impossible, they might try to come to the end, week the to keep
:19:35. > :19:40.pushing. Resistance is futile. A Hamilton has grab second place.
:19:40. > :19:47.Just the Ferrari ahead now. So much more cars begin the McLaren.
:19:47. > :19:57.Nothing that Alonso can do. -- carte speed. Louis Hamilton becomes
:19:57. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:16.I do remember it being nice to be at the top. It lasted for a very
:20:16. > :20:21.short period of time. That is probably the most disappointing
:20:21. > :20:26.part. It was a fantastic team victory, based on the correct
:20:26. > :20:36.strategy, despite another slow pit- stop. That is something that docked
:20:36. > :20:36.
:20:36. > :20:40.Do you get the impression that, even at the start of the season, he
:20:40. > :20:44.is wondering if it is the right team to be at? I don't know what is
:20:44. > :20:48.going on in his mind. They must have been things said. At the start
:20:49. > :20:53.of the season, look, we have the best car. We should be champions.
:20:53. > :20:57.But there were bigger problems with the team. We know what went on whip
:20:57. > :21:04.the tyre choice, running over his own tyre, too many things where the
:21:05. > :21:08.team made mistakes. Hamilton comes in. A very slow start. He's caught
:21:08. > :21:12.the rear wheel. They haven't been able to get it out of the way in
:21:12. > :21:16.time. He's lost a massive amount of time in the pits again. It was
:21:16. > :21:23.frustrating. From those positions, it should have been easier with the
:21:23. > :21:27.car that we had to have won. In my opinion, they went in for stops too
:21:27. > :21:31.quickly. As a result, too many problems occurred. We had problems
:21:31. > :21:35.with pit stops, a lot of it is that we were trying to bring in new
:21:35. > :21:42.things. We were trying to bring in a new Jacques, a new type of gun
:21:42. > :21:47.and a new type of wheel nut. There were so many things we were trying.
:21:47. > :21:51.Was it worth it? It would have been nice to do it over the winter.
:21:51. > :21:56.After six or seven races of the air, it felt like this was the point
:21:56. > :22:04.where Jenson Button's attempt to be world champion fell away. We don't
:22:04. > :22:10.have... Yeah, the pace. Button is back in the pits. Does that mean it
:22:10. > :22:12.is over? Has he thrown in the towel? Jenson Button, tenth.
:22:12. > :22:18.don't have three bad qualifying sessions and understand what is
:22:18. > :22:25.going wrong. Hamilton, he is going to be lapping Button in a moment.
:22:25. > :22:30.Where are they gaining on you? Well... Everywhere. Not much to
:22:30. > :22:40.say about that, really. As you have probably seen, Lewis has won the
:22:40. > :22:42.
:22:42. > :22:46.race. I was off the pace of the RADIO: I don't know why we are
:22:46. > :22:51.getting so much locking, it is all over the place, it's unbelievable.
:22:52. > :22:55.I just couldn't hold the car down. The conversation I would have with
:22:55. > :23:00.him would be quite colourful. I would like to know what on earth
:23:00. > :23:07.has gone wrong. Four points in four or five races. You win the first
:23:07. > :23:13.race, your team-mate has just won the first race. A really tough part
:23:13. > :23:17.of the season. When the pit lane has tyre warm-up issues, I have
:23:17. > :23:20.even bigger issues. It is something I have struggled with since 2009.
:23:20. > :23:24.Which point of the season did you think that your championship
:23:25. > :23:28.chances were over? Pretty early on, when I was asked the questions. But
:23:28. > :23:32.you're never going to turn around and say, yeah, it's over for me.
:23:32. > :23:36.You have to be careful what you say and keep these guys positive. They
:23:36. > :23:42.are working flat out. If you say you're not admit any more, it's not
:23:42. > :23:52.a positive attitude. It's not the right way to be. It was always
:23:52. > :23:58.
:23:58. > :24:03.going to be difficult, even after Sebastian Vettel, two seconds a lap
:24:04. > :24:08.faster than Lewis Hamilton. Where have they found this incredible
:24:08. > :24:12.pace from? He was in a league of his own, he got the pole and then
:24:12. > :24:16.at one stage he was two seconds faster than the opposition.
:24:16. > :24:19.Arguably, it was our most competitive race. Simply had the
:24:20. > :24:26.pace, for the first time, to disappear. And then we have the
:24:26. > :24:31.problem with the alternator. Vettel in trouble! Alonso Leeds!
:24:31. > :24:36.Major drama at the European Grand Prix. Vettel has slowed to a stop.
:24:36. > :24:41.Adrian Newey cannot believe it! makes you angry. It is nothing that
:24:41. > :24:46.you have done wrong. Disappointed and angry that we didn't finish the
:24:46. > :24:51.race. Hamilton could be under pressure from Maldonado. I could
:24:51. > :24:57.feel the tyres going and I said, these are not going to last. Three
:24:57. > :25:02.seconds quicker than him, he was in big trouble with the tyres.
:25:02. > :25:06.close, they are almost touching wheels! It hindsight, I could have
:25:06. > :25:11.easily just went past. Hamilton will fight him with everything he
:25:11. > :25:15.has got. In the heat of the moment, you're thinking, I have worked so
:25:15. > :25:20.hard for this position, the team need the points, I need the points,
:25:20. > :25:25.and not going to give it up without a fight. He brakes a little early,
:25:25. > :25:30.Maldonado tries to go round the outside, they almost touch but...
:25:30. > :25:35.Hamilton is in the wall! Lewis tried to defend and put me out of
:25:35. > :25:38.the track. So I wasn't going to give anything to him. He's out of
:25:38. > :25:41.the European Grand Prix! He hits the steering wheel, he cannot
:25:41. > :25:45.believe what has happened! Sometimes you have to remember
:25:45. > :25:54.which driver you are raising with. Next time, in the same position, I
:25:54. > :26:00.would do the same. Astonishing drive from Fernando Alonso.
:26:00. > :26:04.Fernando Alonso is the first repeat winner of 2012, the first time he
:26:04. > :26:14.has won in Valencia. It very difficult feeling to describe,
:26:14. > :26:17.
:26:17. > :26:21.This moment, I will try to remember for many years. By know that it
:26:21. > :26:26.will be on my mind for many years. I tried to enjoy every single
:26:26. > :26:36.moment. I tried to feel the emotions from the fans, the team
:26:36. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:42.and everybody. I believe the best race for Fernando, yes. He won that
:26:42. > :26:52.race and really showed that Ferrari has developed that car. For me,
:26:52. > :27:03.
:27:03. > :27:07.that turned his season around. Then Then, of course, we came home to
:27:07. > :27:17.Silverstone where it rained all weekend, meaning it was only one
:27:17. > :27:27.
:27:27. > :27:37.way to rise for the British Grand Give them a wave, boys! He won't
:27:37. > :27:43.
:27:43. > :27:47.let go! I love the British Grand We had our weekend high and then it
:27:47. > :27:50.was Mark Webber's turn to have a high point. What did you think
:27:50. > :27:56.about the race? There is something about Silverstone that brings out
:27:56. > :28:00.the best in him. Good start from Alonso. He just gets in front of
:28:00. > :28:04.Webber. The race was probably boring for people to watch, but it
:28:04. > :28:09.was a good battle in every lap. With Fernando, you're not going to
:28:09. > :28:14.get any free time off from him because he is always consistent.
:28:15. > :28:19.Webber is going to try and going to the outside. Mark Webber, side by
:28:19. > :28:23.side with the Ferrari... He's done it! I had to make sure I got that
:28:23. > :28:27.moved done. I was confident we would get the job done and we did.
:28:27. > :28:32.A brave pass around the outside. Mark Webber is going to win the
:28:32. > :28:35.British Grand Prix. He needed that, it brought him back into the hunt
:28:35. > :28:40.for the championship. While Mark Webber was picking up the win,
:28:40. > :28:46.Fernando Alonso was finishing second. He won in Germany, he came
:28:46. > :28:52.through in Hungary. He was always in the hunt for the points.
:28:52. > :28:57.Fernando Alonso takes his third win of 2012. Lewis Hamilton comes
:28:57. > :29:07.through to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. Championship leader, Fernando
:29:07. > :29:07.
:29:07. > :29:15.This consistency, picking up point after point, it left him ahead in
:29:15. > :29:21.the battle. Was he driving like a man under pressure? There was their
:29:21. > :29:26.overtaking of Jenson Button, four wheels clearly off the circuit.
:29:26. > :29:36.Sebastian Vettel is trying to out- brake the McLaren. Racing for
:29:36. > :29:37.
:29:37. > :29:41.A lot of what happens is reactive. He tried to go around the outside
:29:41. > :29:46.and Jenson Button gave him as much space as he needed. The message was
:29:46. > :29:49.clear to Sebastian Vettel - if you want to be the third ever hat trick
:29:49. > :29:53.world champion, you're not going to have it all your own way. You have
:29:53. > :29:57.to fight for it. I think we were pleasantly surprised from the start
:29:57. > :30:01.of the season how many real contenders there were. We know we
:30:01. > :30:05.had seven different winners in seven race. This time, it had
:30:05. > :30:09.changed. He had to get a grip of this thing and get this
:30:09. > :30:19.Championship by the scruff of the neck if he was going to feature in
:30:19. > :30:21.
:30:21. > :30:27.the outcome. We are getting ready for the Belgian Grand Prix. Lights
:30:27. > :30:35.out. Away we go. Pastor Maldonado shooting through. Was that a jump
:30:35. > :30:41.start? Lewis Hamilton's hit the Lotus. Alonso is out, Hamilton is
:30:41. > :30:45.out. Real drama at the start of the race and this has a massive impact
:30:45. > :30:49.in terms of the Championship. was the turning point in Spa. We
:30:49. > :30:55.struggled in qualifying. But his race was remarkable and his
:30:56. > :31:03.progress through the field, you know, it was truly impressive.
:31:03. > :31:08.Getting up the inside of Massa. Sebastian Vettel goes around the
:31:08. > :31:18.outside of Senna. Sebastian Vettel has gone through. He is trying to
:31:18. > :31:18.
:31:19. > :31:22.get past Michael Schumacher. Jenson Button takes is victory at Spa.
:31:23. > :31:28.When Fernando looks back, there will be a couple of moments, where
:31:28. > :31:33.he thinks, that was a big moment for me. One was right at the start
:31:33. > :31:39.of the Grand Prix in Spa. For the wrong reasons. He almost lost his
:31:39. > :31:45.head. It was horrific. Anything could have happened. At worse we
:31:45. > :31:51.could have had fatality. This wasn't the first time we had seen
:31:51. > :31:57.Romain Grosjean causing programme. Some are good drivers and some are
:31:57. > :32:01.fast drivers. It was clear he was quick, but he wasn't good at close
:32:01. > :32:05.quarter racing. Pastor Maldonado trying to get past Romain Grosjean.
:32:05. > :32:10.Romain Grosjean moves in front of Michael. There is nowhere for him
:32:10. > :32:13.to go. Romain Grosjean touching the back of Paul di Resta. Lewis
:32:13. > :32:19.Hamilton left that weekend having been knocked out in the first lap.
:32:19. > :32:22.The talking point for Lewis Hamilton was this tweeting of the
:32:22. > :32:26.telemetry; he was frustrated. He and Jenson Button had gone a
:32:26. > :32:31.different way and he decided to share confidential McLaren
:32:31. > :32:36.information with a million Twitter followers. When Lewis looks back on
:32:36. > :32:41.this season that, should be his lowest point. I don't care how good
:32:41. > :32:46.he is, he needed to be reprimanded. I don't hi he was and I do feel
:32:46. > :32:51.that was the start, if anyone wanted to look back and say, where
:32:52. > :32:58.did the thing of Hamilton leaving McLaren start from? That is the
:32:58. > :33:06.start. Fernando Alonso trying to go around the outside of Sebastian
:33:06. > :33:12.Vettel. Lens lon is on the grass. OK that is enough. We saw that it
:33:12. > :33:18.is clear what happened. That has a big impact in terms of World
:33:19. > :33:23.Championship. Stop the car, we need to save the engine. Stop the car.
:33:24. > :33:29.Hasm on the has the controlled this race from the -- - Lewis Hamilton
:33:29. > :33:34.has controlled this race from the front. He wins the Italian Grier.
:33:34. > :33:38.Well done guys, great job. think back to what he had achieved
:33:38. > :33:45.if he had been in a content and happy place with McLaren.
:33:45. > :33:49.season was not about whether Lewis was in a happy place, it was finger
:33:49. > :33:55.troubles. Jenson Button was parking the car with the reliability issue.
:33:55. > :33:58.It was the beak week you anoupbtsed to the -- it was the week you
:33:58. > :34:03.announced to the world that Lewis was Leighing. Do you think his mind
:34:03. > :34:09.was made up about leaving the team? I think the decision had been made.
:34:09. > :34:17.That is why we announced that I felt sure that Lewis was leering.
:34:17. > :34:23.We didn't announce anything. You announced. You started it! Ham --
:34:23. > :34:28.Hamilton has been in a class of his own all weekend. Hamilton's in
:34:28. > :34:32.trouble. He has lost drive. Another failure to finish for Lewis
:34:32. > :34:36.Hamilton. His World Championship hopes are disapeering. We have had
:34:36. > :34:43.a great car to compete with a World Championship, the fact that we're
:34:43. > :34:47.not is very tough for all of us to deal with. Because we could easily
:34:47. > :34:56.without reliability issues be competing for a win. And the
:34:56. > :35:02.Championship. Both constructors and drivers. What Dow yoi you say, what
:35:02. > :35:09.does he say to them. With the loss of Lewis Hamilton, it has been
:35:09. > :35:14.straight forward for Sebastian Vettel. Yes, we did it! I think he
:35:14. > :35:19.made his mind up. Things turned away from him and he said, I'm out
:35:19. > :35:24.of here. It was clear I wanted to try something new. I called Martin.
:35:24. > :35:33.Which was the hardest... Most difficult call that I have ever had
:35:33. > :35:38.to make. Lewis Hamilton has left the British racing team McLaren and
:35:38. > :35:41.signed for their rivals Mercedes, ending the former world
:35:41. > :35:47.champion's... It leaves a question mark over the future of Michael
:35:47. > :35:51.Schumacher. At some point, it is good to say goodbye. And it might
:35:51. > :35:55.be forever. We hadn't consider what had else that would create. But we
:35:55. > :35:59.had Michael Schumacher having to leave Mercedes and Perez getting
:36:00. > :36:06.the seat at McLaren. There was a rush, which there always is, it is
:36:06. > :36:12.a domino effect, one person makes the move and it filters down to the
:36:12. > :36:22.bottom. That is what happened. Perez the young Mexican driver has
:36:22. > :36:24.
:36:24. > :36:28.starred here today. Yes! Fantastic. Great! You have the first contact
:36:29. > :36:33.pr McLaren, but I didn't pay much attention. I never thought Lewis
:36:33. > :36:40.was going to leave the team. I didn't want to make too much
:36:40. > :36:47.expectation on that. We were surprised to see Perez, I thought
:36:47. > :36:52.Paul di Resta had a decent shot at that seat. My path may cross in a
:36:52. > :36:57.year or ten years time. It is what it is. You have got to deal with
:36:58. > :37:07.what you're dealt with in life. Will keep pushing and do my job and
:37:07. > :37:15.hopefully that will do the talking for me. In Spa and in Japan we
:37:15. > :37:20.didn't do any even a corner. Somebody's off already. This a
:37:20. > :37:28.Fernando Alonso? Contact with Lotus. Snie Zero point in two races, that
:37:28. > :37:31.was a massive heat on the Championship. Oh Roman. What are
:37:31. > :37:37.you doing! Maybe we have two separate starts, one for him and
:37:37. > :37:42.one for us. He just rear-ended Mark Webber. I didn't see the speed with
:37:42. > :37:49.Mark Webber in front and touched him. So I'm... At which point did
:37:49. > :37:53.you think your chabss -- chances had come to an end. Suzuka was
:37:53. > :38:01.tough. There was a good chance for a result there. That was a lot of
:38:01. > :38:08.points that was missed. Fernando didn't finish and Seb won. This is
:38:08. > :38:11.an amazing car. He was on fire that weekend. He got the pole and he was
:38:11. > :38:19.dominant. Our biggest problem in the race was slowing him down.
:38:19. > :38:23.Sebastian Vettel with a hat trick of victories. Yeah! Compared to the
:38:23. > :38:28.car at the beginning of the season, I could play more and manipulate
:38:28. > :38:38.the car to the way I like. Sebastian Vettel will win all four
:38:38. > :38:39.
:38:39. > :38:45.races in aishya. -- Asia. Four wins, four races, 100 points that is
:38:45. > :38:51.amazing. It was, Red Bull had hit form. The developments had released
:38:51. > :39:00.performance in the car. It was like 20 lever again. And that run of
:39:00. > :39:06.four victories brought him back in again. -- 2011 again. Abu Dhabi has
:39:06. > :39:10.been a good place for us in the past, on that day it wasn't.
:39:10. > :39:16.Sebastian Vettel comes out of last corner. He is third. It was a good
:39:16. > :39:22.session for us. Fernando Alonso is not going fastest. It was six cars
:39:22. > :39:29.faster than us today. Stop the car, stop the car. That night we were
:39:29. > :39:34.waiting to see what was going on. It was long to understand there was
:39:34. > :39:38.no fuel in the car. You understand what I mean? Sebastian Vettel's
:39:38. > :39:44.been demoted to the back of the grid. Sebastian Vettel starting
:39:44. > :39:50.from the pit lane. It was a big hit. The Championship is closing in and
:39:50. > :39:56.there is less and less races to... You know maybe make up for things
:39:56. > :40:00.like that happening. It was tough, but we took a decision to say we're
:40:00. > :40:04.starting from back. Let's withdraw the car from the grid and make a
:40:04. > :40:08.few changes. If we are going to overtake, we are going to need to
:40:08. > :40:14.take some wing off the car. At the end of the day, the it was a strong
:40:14. > :40:22.point for us to see the opportunity. We had rather than thinking what
:40:22. > :40:27.would be if... Get on with it and focus on the race. A track lay out
:40:27. > :40:32.which hasn't seen much overtaking. Before the race he said I will see
:40:32. > :40:37.you on the podium. I thought, well that's confident. Lights out away
:40:38. > :40:43.with do go. This is about scrapping for a few points. Fernando Alonso
:40:43. > :40:47.will take the place. What a move. Sebastian Vettel on the attack.
:40:47. > :40:54.There is damage on your right hand side. A difficult afternoon looking
:40:54. > :40:59.like it is going to get even worse. Rosberg is out. Rosberg has crashed
:40:59. > :41:06.out of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The safety car has been deployed.
:41:06. > :41:10.What is he doing? He is stopping all the time. That has damaged his
:41:10. > :41:17.front wing. He is at the back of the grid for the restart and starts
:41:17. > :41:22.to come through field. Can he challenge on the restart? Sebastian
:41:22. > :41:25.Vettel gets it. Lewis Hamilton's in trouble. What is going on? Kimi
:41:25. > :41:33.Raikkonen leads the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso into second
:41:33. > :41:38.place. He has gone past Pastor Maldonado. Oh that is Webber as
:41:38. > :41:43.well. It's all gone wrong. We have the safety car. This closes it up
:41:43. > :41:48.together and Sebastian Vettel will be with the race leaders in a fast
:41:48. > :41:54.Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel tries to find a way past Jenson Button. This
:41:54. > :41:58.is for a podium position remember. And there is Sebastian Vettel. He
:41:58. > :42:03.may have done it this time. Beautifully done. Fernando Alonso
:42:03. > :42:07.is charging here. He is looking for victory. Tell me when he gets to
:42:07. > :42:13.the end, I'm covering my eyes with the excitement. Fernando Alonso is
:42:13. > :42:19.running out of time. He has done it. Kimi Raikkonen wins, Fernando
:42:19. > :42:26.Alonso is second. Sebastian Vettel a brilliant third place. To retain
:42:26. > :42:32.the Championship lead. That was such a tenacious drive. We had
:42:32. > :42:36.limited the damage, he only scored three more points. That was a
:42:36. > :42:45.crucial moment. We could have easily left Abu Dhabi with having
:42:45. > :42:52.lost the lead in the Championship. Thank you boys. I told you. Never
:42:52. > :42:57.stop believing. Fernando Alonso was delighted to be on the podium, but
:42:57. > :43:01.seeing his main rival took the wind out of his sails. It was not easy
:43:01. > :43:08.from an emotional point of view to handle, because you felt that we
:43:08. > :43:12.didn't take the opportunity that he was given. Because of external
:43:12. > :43:16.things that we were not able to control. Sebastian Vettel was lucky.
:43:16. > :43:21.He had luck with the safety car and positions that he was able to make
:43:21. > :43:25.up. Pit stops, the whole lot. It resulted in him being on the podium.
:43:25. > :43:29.Ferrari would have been distraubgt. That was the sign if they had, the
:43:29. > :43:35.first sign that hey, this Championship could be going away.
:43:36. > :43:39.How surprised were you in his come back year, Kimi Raikkonen pick up a
:43:39. > :43:44.win unlike Michael Schumacher? had good speed and it shows what we
:43:44. > :43:52.have been saying, if we can put ours in the clear air and use our
:43:52. > :43:59.lap time speed, we can challenge for wins. A lot of emotions. A lot
:43:59. > :44:04.of great feedback from everyone and maybe the most important is the
:44:04. > :44:12.main competitors in the paddock said congratulationings, that shows
:44:12. > :44:20.how we have respect and our people was happy for us to win. Four years,
:44:20. > :44:24.so this was something that was missing. He is a winning driver and
:44:24. > :44:28.gave us all the radio moments of the season when they were trying to
:44:28. > :44:34.give him advice from the pit. Het he is like, yes, yes, I know what
:44:34. > :44:44.I'm doing. We need to keep working all four tyres. Yes, yes, I'm doing
:44:44. > :44:44.
:44:44. > :44:48.all the tyre, you don't have to I think this is going to be big for
:44:48. > :44:54.the United States. You would never have thought of 100 years that
:44:54. > :44:59.Austin, Texas would have a track like this. Much more awesome than
:44:59. > :45:03.IndyCar. It is gone wrong for Ferrari for only the second time
:45:03. > :45:09.this year, Alonso has been out- qualified by his team-mate, Felipe
:45:09. > :45:17.Massa. Alonso starting 7th, Massa has had a gearbox penalty. Tactics
:45:17. > :45:21.from Ferrari, he starts in 11th. had Massa having a gearbox penalty,
:45:21. > :45:31.which allowed Fernando to move at a position. It was frustrating, to
:45:31. > :45:31.
:45:32. > :45:35.give away five places like this. It's a team sport. We had this
:45:35. > :45:38.opportunity from a regulation point of view and we took it. The race
:45:39. > :45:47.was all about Lewis Hamilton. Vettel has it under control right
:45:47. > :45:54.now. Lewis Hamilton on the attack, Vettel knows it. Hamilton sweeps
:45:54. > :46:04.past 10! Lewis Hamilton, the first ever winner on this circuit at the
:46:04. > :46:08.American. That was amazing, guys! That was wicked! This was one of
:46:08. > :46:13.his stronger seasons. He didn't win a championship or as many Grand
:46:13. > :46:17.Prix as he should have. But he showed his class. Fernando Alonso
:46:17. > :46:19.takes third place to keep his title challenge alive. Were have won a
:46:19. > :46:24.third consecutive Constructors' Championship, which we are
:46:24. > :46:26.immensely proud of. If we were cruel, we would say that McLaren
:46:27. > :46:36.blew the championship. They had everything in their favour, from
:46:37. > :46:37.
:46:37. > :46:40.drivers to car, to designers, I'll miss being in the garage, I'll
:46:41. > :46:45.miss going to the factory. I'll miss the people that I get to work
:46:45. > :46:52.with. I'll miss the rocket red shirts, when we succeed and
:46:53. > :47:02.celebrate together. I'll miss being in the garage. It's going to be
:47:03. > :47:13.
:47:13. > :47:16.A remarkable season came down to the very last race. One of the
:47:16. > :47:22.greats, and there is no question that they are great, great drivers.
:47:22. > :47:25.One of them is going to win the title. Which one? Under normal
:47:25. > :47:30.conditions, Sebastian Vettel would have taken the place. He is very
:47:30. > :47:36.good. The car is very strong. But we know that when you are under
:47:36. > :47:40.pressure, you start to stumble. points is the gap. Even if Vettel
:47:40. > :47:43.falls off the road, he has to finish top three for Alonso to win
:47:43. > :47:52.the championship. Everything that could happen, happened. Anything
:47:52. > :47:56.that could go wrong went wrong, in a way. Lights out, away we go!
:47:56. > :48:03.Hamilton against Button in the front row. The Vettel did not get
:48:03. > :48:06.away very well at all! Sebastian, because of the pension,
:48:06. > :48:13.that is natural. It is not strange, they are very young guys, don't
:48:13. > :48:19.forget. -- because of the tension. Vettel has been hit! How much
:48:19. > :48:24.damage on the Red Bull? What drama on the first lap in Brazil! At that
:48:24. > :48:27.point you think it is it, it's over. It was obvious that Fernando,
:48:27. > :48:32.because he is always on the podium, he was going to finish on the
:48:32. > :48:36.podium. That is what he needed to win the championship. Usually, in
:48:36. > :48:40.that moment, you think it is over, you are out of the race. In that
:48:40. > :48:50.particular moment, probably, it is over and I am out of the
:48:50. > :48:57.
:48:57. > :49:01.championship. In that case, I just Our priority was to be on the
:49:01. > :49:06.podium. Whatever happened to Sebastian Vettel, if we are not on
:49:06. > :49:11.the podium we have no chance. Alonso moves into third place,
:49:11. > :49:15.where he needs to be if Vettel gets no points! I didn't know how much
:49:15. > :49:21.damage there was. I have to go into the main straight to give Adrian
:49:21. > :49:26.and his people a chance to have a look. RADIO: There is visible
:49:26. > :49:29.damage, but see how the car behaves. We cannot fix damage. There was a
:49:29. > :49:35.problem with the dynamics in that part of the car but he started
:49:35. > :49:40.coming back. Vettel has just done a lap faster than everybody else.
:49:40. > :49:44.This is not finished yet. Alonso has gone wide! A Vettel is trying
:49:44. > :49:49.to pick them off, one by one. Do he was determined that he was not
:49:49. > :49:55.going to let the championship slip away. I just kept going,
:49:55. > :50:05.surprisingly quickly I was behind Ben Ando. Hulkenberg, Hamilton, for
:50:05. > :50:11.the lead! They have made contact! Hamilton and Hulkenberg. Alonso in
:50:11. > :50:20.second place. Hamilton's final race at McLaren Inns with a damaged car.
:50:20. > :50:25.RADIO: The radio does not work, the radio does not work. It was too dry
:50:25. > :50:30.for intermediate tyres. We had to fit the right tyres at the right
:50:30. > :50:36.moment. A crucial call, to stick him on slick tyres. A brave
:50:36. > :50:42.decision. Within 30 seconds it started to rain. His radio had
:50:42. > :50:47.stopped working, he could hear us but we couldn't hear him. Of Vettel
:50:47. > :50:51.has made the call, that you hadn't heard him, he arrived in the pit
:50:51. > :50:55.lane and they were like, well, what does he want? It must be
:50:55. > :50:59.intermediates. If they finish where they are now, Alonso would be world
:50:59. > :51:06.champion. At that moment, you think it is gone and it is all over. But
:51:06. > :51:12.he started coming through. A brave cut back into the inside. He got
:51:12. > :51:15.himself back into that vital seventh position. He became 6th,
:51:15. > :51:19.surprisingly, Michael Schumacher waved him through. Michael
:51:19. > :51:23.Schumacher, his gift in his last race is that he doesn't put up any
:51:23. > :51:27.resistance to his young German friend. We were really hoping that
:51:27. > :51:33.we would have seen a better fight. But I think that Michael finishes
:51:33. > :51:42.his career and wants to be seen as the one that was keeping the world
:51:42. > :51:46.Ten laps to go, we had the call that where we are is enough. I
:51:46. > :51:54.still tried to push because maybe there is some odd situation and
:51:54. > :52:01.somebody spins? They are behind safety car. There will be no
:52:01. > :52:07.further changes. Jenson Button takes a victory! Second place goes
:52:07. > :52:16.to Alonso. But with sixth place, Sebastian Vettel is the 2012
:52:16. > :52:20.Formula One world champion! You are the world champion! You are the
:52:20. > :52:30.triple world champion! Sebastian Vettel, you are the man. You are a
:52:30. > :52:31.
:52:31. > :52:36.Everything just falls off, you know? In a way, you don't even have
:52:36. > :52:43.the power to make you realise what happened, the power to celebrate
:52:43. > :52:53.the way that you probably thought were dreamt of celebrating. -- or
:52:53. > :53:00.If you put yourself in his shoes, I think that he knows, and he knew at
:53:00. > :53:03.that stage, that he would have the treble championship. The car was a
:53:03. > :53:07.little bit slower than the others, but we can win the championship.
:53:07. > :53:11.With a car that is the same as the others, we will probably win a few
:53:11. > :53:19.races before the end. With a car that is a lot slower than the
:53:19. > :53:22.others, we fight until the last I think we have probably seen the
:53:22. > :53:26.best of Fernando Alonso. That is his strongest ever season of
:53:26. > :53:30.Formula One. He didn't win the championship, he's won it a couple
:53:30. > :53:34.of times before. But he was the most complete driver. The way he
:53:34. > :53:39.motivated the team, the way he raced, he took big risks. Then on
:53:39. > :53:49.finishers came because other people ran into him. Sebastian Vettel, the
:53:49. > :53:49.
:53:49. > :53:54.third rider in history to have The incomparable, calm and
:53:55. > :54:00.courageous, daring and yet relaxed... To prove his claim to
:54:00. > :54:04.immortality as one of the greatest drivers the world has ever known.
:54:04. > :54:14.grow up here and I thought nobody would ever do that. Michael
:54:14. > :54:14.
:54:14. > :54:24.Schumacher has done it today. This Sebastian Vettel, you are the world
:54:24. > :54:29.
:54:29. > :54:33.champion! Well done, enjoy it. You Look in a certain book, check the
:54:33. > :54:37.number, look, I have done this, we have done this. That is not what it
:54:37. > :54:42.really is about, it is looking back, thinking of the race in Brazil.
:54:42. > :54:46.Looking back, standing on the wall in Japan. Looking back, crying and
:54:46. > :54:51.feeling completely empty in Abu Dhabi. This is what nobody can take
:54:51. > :54:54.away from you. I think this will last probably until the last day.
:54:54. > :54:59.Until the last day I am on that planet. And we will say goodbye at
:54:59. > :55:03.one stage. A great driver, in a great moment, is able to deliver
:55:03. > :55:08.that package. For me, he will, in time, become one of the greats of
:55:08. > :55:11.our sports. Wonderful to share the season with the wall. We are four
:55:11. > :55:15.days past Christmas Day and I am still waiting for my Christmas
:55:15. > :55:19.present. IUD the same? We don't like you any more, you went to
:55:19. > :55:23.leave us on our own and he left us in the lurch. You are like walking
:55:23. > :55:27.down the aisle of a wedding and disappear around us. You are a big
:55:27. > :55:37.boy. I think it 2013 you can look after yourself. Me and you again?
:55:37. > :55:41.
:55:41. > :55:51.Just you and I. Is anybody going to Lights out, away they go. For the
:55:51. > :55:57.
:55:57. > :56:07.last time in 2012. Yes, yes, yes... Hamilton is in the wall! He's done
:56:07. > :56:12.
:56:12. > :56:18.it! Sebastian Vettel, a you are a # Has so long, farewell, but not
:56:18. > :56:26.goodbye. # I know we'll meet again.
:56:26. > :56:36.# I've seen your eyes, sparkling with dreams of rocket men.
:56:36. > :56:40.
:56:40. > :56:50.# And we still trace the live to, that takes you to a place you know
:56:50. > :56:55.
:56:55. > :57:05.# And I don't know that I can make # Or I know is that the sun keeps
:57:05. > :57:06.
:57:06. > :57:16.on shining when you are gone. The rig when we were young, you
:57:16. > :57:23.
:57:23. > :57:33.# They say it's too late to write your name in lights across the
:57:33. > :57:34.
:57:34. > :57:40.skies. # You've had your time, but you'd
:57:40. > :57:48.risk it all for one last chance to fly.
:57:48. > :57:55.# Because you still chase that light that takes you to a place you
:57:55. > :58:05.always know. # Takes you home...
:58:05. > :58:06.