[3] It was the eighth round of the 2012 championship season, and the final time the circuit hosted the European Grand Prix or any other Formula One race.

[8] Jules Bianchi replaced Nico Hülkenberg at Force India in the first practice session, while Valtteri Bottas drove Bruno Senna's Williams once again.

Marussia driver Timo Glock decided not to take part in Saturday's qualifying session or start the race because he was suffering from food poisoning.

The Red Bull of Mark Webber was very out of place, qualifying in nineteenth due to hydraulic problems which meant he could not use the DRS rear wing.

The other Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo did make it through to the second qualifying session, but ended up on the same row as his teammate in seventeenth.

Caterham driver Heikki Kovalainen, doing a great job to make Q2, enjoyed his joint-best qualifying of the season in sixteenth, in front of Ricciardo.

Nico Hülkenberg, in the improved Force India, narrowly missed out on a higher grid slot in eighth, as Jenson Button bemoaned oversteer in his McLaren again and was down in ninth.

Just like in the previous race in Canada, polesitter Sebastian Vettel was able to get a powerful launch off the startline in his Red Bull and went into the first corner unchallenged, and Lewis Hamilton who was alongside him on the front row stayed second.

Force India were also running strongly at the end of the first lap, with Nico Hülkenberg and Paul di Resta splitting the Ferraris in 7th and 9th.

A minor pit stop problem for Kobayashi allowed Räikkönen to get ahead of him but Alonso was able to jump the duo of them by staying out a lap longer.

The rest of the early stoppers were stuck behind the trio of Schumacher, Bruno Senna in the other Williams and Mark Webber, all three of whom were yet to stop, and losing pace on their worn tyres, created a massive traffic jam as a number of drivers, led by Alonso with Räikkönen, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Massa, Hülkenberg, Button and Sergio Pérez were all close behind.

Di Resta finally pitted on lap 25 and went on the medium compound tyres, promoting Maldonado to sixth, with Massa, Hülkenberg, Button and Pérez completing the top 10, all having made one stop.

There was more pit-stop trouble for Lewis Hamilton, as a problem with the front jack meant that he dropped behind both Alonso and Räikkönen after the stops.

Rosberg, in seventh and on the older tyres immediately lost five places to teammate Schumacher, Webber, Maldonado, Hülkenberg and di Resta.

Schumacher was running fifth now ahead of Webber, but the latter was suffering from serious tyre problems and, after being passed by Maldonado and the two Force India cars within the space of a few corners, he went into the pits.

The race at the front of the field took yet another twist when, on lap 41, Grosjean who was running within a second of Alonso had to retire with an alternator failure suspected to be similar to that of Vettel's.

This left Alonso with a 3-second lead over Hamilton, who was now under pressure from Räikkönen, with Maldonado up to 4th now ahead of the Force India duo of Hülkenberg and di Resta, the latter trying a one-stopper.

Maldonado, Hülkenberg and di Resta began to spread out, and the action behind was from Schumacher and Webber, who on new softer tyres were going around 2 seconds quicker than those in front of them.

Maldonado tried to complete the move off track, and as he bounced back over the kerb for the left hand part of the chicane, clumsily hit Hamilton, forcing him into the wall and out of the race.

Pérez suffered more tyre problems than others and crossed the line 9th, with Maldonado who continued on without his front wing was still able to take the final point in 10th.

It has proved unpopular with drivers and fans for its unimaginative layout and lack of suitable overtaking places, leading to mundane races.