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Formula 1
European GP
2012 European Grand Prix The European Grand Prix
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Lap 8: Di Resta is given further encouragement from his race engineer. He is told that he is doing a good job of cooling everything down.
Lap 8: Vettel continues to build a massive lead, now clocked 9.2 seconds clear of Hamilton and Grosjean.
Lap 7: Massa tries again down the outside of di Resta into Turn 12 but the Scot holds his line and keeps ninth place.
Lap 7: Maldonado in fifth has fallen slightly off the back of Kobayshi and still has Raikkonen looking at his gearbox.
Lap 7: As a result di Resta remains in ninth, but has fallen to two seconds behind Alonso. Massa is on his gearbox and has already completed a failed attempt to pass.
Lap 7: Di Resta is advised via the team radio to lift towards the end of some of the longer straights, in an effort to protect rear brake caliber temperatures.
Lap 6: The midfield is spreading out very quickly, which is good news for those up front eyeing multiple stops.
Lap 6: An interesting opening to the race but gaps are finally beginning to develop throughout the field.
Lap 6: Vettel's lead is now a staggering 7.6 seconds over Hamilton as he sets a remarkable early pace.
Lap 6: We sense some revisions to the TV critic's earlier prophecy... Revved-Up: @autosportlive "I hadn't reckoned on vettel being 2s a lap quicker than Hamilton!" Rumour has it he's a fan of the German.
Lap 5: Di Resta maintains ninth but he has fallen to 1.5s back from Alonso's Ferrari. He has Massa, Rosberg and Button all close to him.
Lap 5: Hamilton's train continues to form. Grosjean is told he needs to get past the McLaren, while Kobayashi is right there and locks up heavily.
Lap 5: This early lead margin is good news for Vettel, with the Red Bull team concerned about KERS temperatures on such a hot day.
Lap 4: Senna in 14th is another who is losing ground. He can't keep pace with the leading cars and has Perez, Ricciardo and Webber on his tail.
Lap 4: Another fastest lap for Vettel, 1.3 seconds quicker than Hamilton, who is clearly struggling for race pace at the moment.
Lap 4: Rosberg in 11th is losing a little bit of ground to Massa and a small gap is developing. Schumacher and Button are tight up behind him.
Lap 3: Certain factions of the AUTOSPORT team are fairly convinced we are looking at a Vettel runaway though...@EliGP: "Has Vettel won yet?"
Lap 3: The DRS is now available, which is good news for Grosjean as he harries Hamilton in these early stages.
Lap 3: Vettel is sprinting off out front, clearing Hamilton by a staggering four seconds already.
Lap 3: Charles Pic is bringing up the rear, but all over the back of the two HRT drivers.
Lap 3: The battle rages behind, with Raikkonen forced off-road as he attempts to pass Maldonado for fifth.
Lap 3: Webber is 17th and up ahead of Kovalainen already. Then comes Petrov in 19th, Vergne down to 20th, de la Rosa 21st and Karthikeyan 22nd.
Lap 2: Grosjean is looking very quick in these early stages, with the Lotus all over the gearbox of Hamilton's McLaren.
Lap 2: Rosberg is 11th and now has team-mate Schumacher on his rear, followed by Button in 13th, Senna 14th, Perez 15th and Ricciardo in 16th spot.
Lap 2: Up front, Vettel leads by 1.9 seconds from Hamilton and Grosjean.
Lap 2: Our TV critic is making a bold early prediction... @Revved_Up: "Is this grosjean's to lose now? #EuropeanGP"
Lap 2: Behind the leaders we have Hulkenberg in a fine seventh with Alonso up to eighth, di Resta ninth and Massa now up to 10th ahead of Rosberg.
Lap 2: Kobayashi makes his move on Maldonado, grabbing fourth from the Williams man.
Lap 2: Alonso is eighth in his fast-starting Ferrari and already challenging Hulkenberg for position.
Lap 1: Kobayashi cut through the battling cars to take fifth on the road ahead of Raikkonen, with Hulkenvberg up to seventh in front of Alonso.
Lap 1: Three abreast down the straight into Turn 17 and it's Massa getting the better of Schumacher on the opening lap and into 11th place.
Lap 1: Down the far side of the marina for the first time it is Vettel from Hamilton followed by an aggressive Grosjean ahead of Maldonado.
Lap 1: Vettel gets a brilliant start and leads easily but Hamilton is maintaining second and Grosjean challenges Maldonado into Turn 3.
Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are racing in Valencia!
The rest of the pack is forming up neatly behind the German. Are you ready? We await the lights...
Round the final corner and Vettel turns for home. The front two rows are already in position.
Engineers are all concerned with temperatures today, with Hamilton told to warm his brakes and cool his engine.
They head into Turn 17 and Vettel will begin to slow the pack down to keep them bunched up prior to heading for the grid.
That tyre choice is confirmed as the blankets come off, with Schumacher, Perez and Webber all threats if they can make one stop work.
All 23 drivers leave the grid without problem, as Vettel rounds Turn 3 and takes them on a slow tour of the circuit.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton, Simon Strang
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