F1 Brazilian GP: Top 5 title turnarounds at Interlagos

2 - 2012, Vettel’s epic recovery drive

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were the title rivals in 2012

The 2012 Formula 1 championship was without a doubt one of, if not the, best in the sport's history. Seven different winners in the first seven races eventually gave way to Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel duking it out in the remainder of the season.

Alonso had driven one of the finest campaigns I've ever seen - not dissimilarly to Lewis Hamilton in 2018 - he barely put a wheel wrong all year in his lacklustre Ferrari car. Meanwhile, Vettel had a revival after a first part of the season full of circumstances. Two double world champions but there could only be one winner.

The track was dry at the start of the race but it wouldn't last, Interlagos is one of F1's least predictable venues. Neither contender qualified particularly well, Vettel in 4th and Alonso all the way down in 8th and to win the title Fernando had to at minimum claim a podium to have any chance.

At the start Alonso, was predictably aggressive, muscling his way to fifth, while Vettel dropped down to seventh. Despite still being in a championship position Vettel wasn't taking any prisoners, cutting in front of Bruno Senna, and his Red Bull spun and was hit. Vettel fell to the back of the field. He had substantial floor damage but still continued.

At the beginning of the next lap, Alonso put a stunning overtake on both his teammate and Mark Webber in the sister Red Bull going into the Senna-S. Alonso was now in championship position and Vettel threw caution to the wind.

Just a few laps later, though, Alonso missed his braking point into Turn 1, ran wide, and allowed Nico Hulkenberg through into third. Rain began to fall and Vettel was slicing through the field like his idol, Michael Schumacher, did at the same track six years earlier.

Alonso, Vettel and many others decided to pit for intermediate tyres but crucially, Button and the Hulk did not. This paid dividends in a few laps, as the rain failed to intensify and the dries were still good enough. That meant another pit stop was required and those drivers lost around 40 seconds to the leading pair. Hulkenberg then did the unthinkable and overtook Button to put his Force India into the lead.

A lifeline was then thrown to those cars that pit earlier, as the Safety Car was called out. Sensationally, Vettel was now directly behind Alonso. After the German spun at the fourth corner, he had overtaken seventeen cars in twenty-two laps. When you factor in that Vettel's Red Bull had damage as well, that's a sensational effort.

At the restart, Vettel began to drop back, Kobayashi and Massa both overtook in quick succession. Alonso was a good distance behind top three, and his title chances were waning, but on lap 54, that all changed. Hulkenberg attempted to overtake Hamilton for the lead but the German crashed into the McLaren and sent the British driver out of the race. This later gave him a drive-through penalty and spoiled what had been a fantastic drive.

The rain fell once more, and Vettel was the first one in for wet weather tyres but his radio wasn't working and his pit crew weren't prepared, this ended up losing him valuable time. The German was down in seventh after the stops, and Alonso had taken second place after Massa let him through (not for first time).

Alonso was now in championship position (something that had seesawed throughout the race), but couldn't really improve as Button was about 30 seconds down the road. Vettel got the sixth place he needed to win the title and who gave it to him? None other than Schumi himself in his final race in the sport.

The rain intensified and Di Resta brought out the safety car when he crashed going up the hill on the pit straight. Those final laps at a set pace must've been the most agonising in his life as Sebastian has won the title.

What a race.