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The 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally known as the 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 April 2012 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the first time Formula One returned to Bahrain after the 2011 race was cancelled due to ongoing anti-government protests. The race, the eighth running of the Bahrain Grand Prix, was contested over 57 laps and was the fourth round of the 2012 Formula One season.

Sebastian Vettel started the race from pole position, leading into the first corner and for the majority of the race en route to victory. He was not without pressure though, as the Lotus of Kimi Räikkönen climbed the field, having started in eleventh place, and challenged for the lead before finishing second. Räikkönen's team-mate Romain Grosjean took the first podium finish of his career by finishing third, after having a strong start and quickly moving into second place by overtaking Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber. Räikkönen passed Grosjean for second place roughly half-way through the race, being on a better tyre strategy. Hamilton started on the front row, but pitstop errors and degrading tyres left him eighth; his McLaren teammate, Jenson Button, retired with two laps remaining.

As a consequence of the race, Sebastian Vettel took the lead in the Drivers' Championship from Lewis Hamilton. He became the fourth driver to top the standings from four races, and also the fourth race winner. Hamilton remained second, four points behind Vettel, whilst Webber jumped in front of Button to move into third with his fourth consecutive fourth place. Webber was just one point behind Hamilton, and Button was only five points behind him; Nico Rosberg was fifth. The Constructors' Championship was now lead by Red Bull, who also took the lead from McLaren (who were now nine points behind them). Lotus F1 moved up from sixth to third in the standings after their first podium. Ferrari fell to fourth whilst Mercedes remained fifth.

The race's opponents described the decision to hold the race despite ongoing protests and violence as one of the most controversial Grands Prix in the sport's sixty-year history.

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• * Hamilton was given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change prior to the weekend. Hamilton set for China grid penalty
• † Grosjean failed to record a lap time during Q3.
• Friday Practice 1 – Hamilton tops damp session in Shanghai
• Friday Practice 2 – Schumacher pips Hamilton to set the pace
• Saturday Practice – Hamilton heads McLaren one-two
• Qualifying – Rampaging Rosberg takes maiden F1 pole
• Race – Rosberg an F1 winner after Shanghai thriller

• * Alonso did not complete a flying lap during Q3.
• † di Resta failed to record a lap time during Q3.
• Friday Practice 1 – Hamilton leads Vettel in Bahrain
• Friday Practice 2 – Rosberg still flying for Mercedes
• Saturday Practice – Red Bull close in on Rosberg
• Qualifying – Resurgent Vettel takes Sakhir pole
• Race – Vettel holds off Raikkonen for Sakhir win

The 2012 Formula One season is the 63rd FIA Formula One season. The season started in Australia on 18 March and will end in Brazil on 25 November. It is being contested over twenty races – the most races in a season in the sport's history – and will see the return of the United States Grand Prix, which will be held at the Circuit of the Americas, a purpose-built circuit in Austin, Texas. After being cancelled in 2011 due to civil protests, the Bahrain Grand Prix returned to the calendar.

In addition to having the greatest number of races in a championship year, the 2012 season broke several records. Six current and former World Drivers' Champions — Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher — started the season, breaking the record of five established in 1970. The 2012 season was also the first time that the first six championship races of a season were won by six different drivers.

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• * Lewis Hamilton (1:21.707) was disqualified from the qualifying session, and sent to the back of the grid after stewards deemed he did not have enough fuel in his car, following the session; Hamilton had stopped on track following his qualifying lap. Hamilton excluded from qualifying results; Maldonado on pole
• † Vettel did not complete a flying lap during the third part of qualifying.
• ‡ Schumacher did not start a flying lap during the third part of qualifying.
• § Kobayashi stopped at the end of the second part of qualifying, and was not permitted to compete in the third part.
• Friday Practice 1 – Home advantage to Alonso
• Friday Practice 2 – Button leads in Barcelona for McLaren
• Saturday Practice – Vettel moves ahead in Spain
• Qualifying – Hamilton on pole from Maldonado
• Race – Magnificent Maldonado puts Williams back on top

• * Schumacher was demoted five places on the starting grid, following a collision with Bruno Senna at the Spanish Grand Prix. Schumacher handed five-place grid penalty for Monaco
• † Vettel did not complete a flying lap during the third part of qualifying.
• ‡ Pastor Maldonado (1:15.245) was given a ten-place grid penalty for an avoidable collision with Sergio Pérez in the third free practice session. He was also given a five-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox. Maldonado takes grid penalty after Perez incident
• Thursday Practice 1 – Alonso sets early Monaco pace
• Thursday Practice 2 – Button tops rain-hit Monaco session
• Saturday Practice – Rosberg leads, Maldonado crashes
• Qualifying – Schumacher fastest, Webber on pole
• Race – Webber makes it six winners from six races

Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and vehicles must conform. The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets.

The first Grand Prix was held in 1950 at Silverstone; since then 68 circuits have hosted a Grand Prix. Circuits such as the Nürburgring have hosted Grands Prix using different configurations. The first race at the circuit used the 22 kilometres (14 mi) circuit, but concerns over safety meant that more recent Grands Prix have used a shorter, safer circuit. F1 circuits were predominately in Europe during the early years of the championship, as the sport has expanded so has the location of its circuits. New circuits have been used in Asia and America, the change has been a recent occurrence. Of the 20 circuits that will host a Grand Prix in 2012, nearly half were not on the calendar before 1999.

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza has hosted the most Grands Prix; it has been used as the circuit for the Italian Grand Prix 61 times. The only season it did not host a race was in 1980, when the Italian Grand Prix was held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The most recent circuit to have hosted a Grand Prix was the Buddh International Circuit, which hosted the Indian Grand Prix in 2011. The Circuit of the Americas is set to become the latest different circuit to host a Grand Prix; when the United States Grand Prix is staged there in 2012, at Austin, Texas. The Pescara Circuit is the longest circuit to have hosted a Grand Prix. The 25.800 km (16.031 mi) long circuit normally held the Coppa Acerbo race, it hosted one World Championship race, the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix.

As some circuits have hosted Grands Prix using different configurations, the most recent configuration used is listed in the table below.

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• Friday Practice 1 – Hamilton sets the Montreal benchmark
• Friday Practice 2 – Hamilton heads Ferrari duo
• Saturday Practice – Vettel pips Alonso in Montreal
• Qualifying – Vettel cruises to Canada pole
• Race – Seventh time lucky for Hamilton in Canada

• * Pastor Maldonado (10th, + 34.630) was given a 20-second time penalty post-race for causing a collision with Lewis Hamilton, and for failing to rejoin the track in a safe manner. Maldonado penalised over Hamilton clash
• Friday Practice 1 – Maldonado sets Valencia standard
• Friday Practice 2 – Vettel leads tight Valencia field
• Saturday Practice – Button edges charging Lotuses
• Qualifying – Vettel bests the rest to secure Valencia pole
• Race – Alonso triumphs in Valencia thriller

The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 ING Magyar Nagydíj 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on August 3, 2008, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary. It was the 11th race of the 2008 Formula One season. Contested over 70 laps, the race was won by Heikki Kovalainen for the McLaren team, from a second position start. Timo Glock finished second in a Toyota car, with Kimi Räikkönen third in a Ferrari. It was Kovalainen's first Formula One victory, which made him the sport's 100th driver to win a World Championship race, and it was Glock's first podium finish.

The majority of the race consisted of a duel between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa, who drove for McLaren and Ferrari, respectively. Hamilton started from pole position but was beaten at the first corner by Massa, who passed him around the outside. The two championship rivals began a battle for the lead that was resolved when Hamilton sustained a punctured tyre just over halfway through the race, giving Massa a lead of more than 20 seconds over Kovalainen. The Ferrari's engine, however, failed with three laps remaining, allowing the McLaren driver to win. Räikkönen set the race's fastest lap in the other Ferrari, but was hampered by a poor qualifying performance and was stuck behind Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Glock in turn for almost all of the race.

As a consequence of the race, Hamilton extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to five points over Räikkönen, with Massa a further three behind. Robert Kubica, who finished eighth after finding his BMW Sauber car uncompetitive at the Hungaroring, slipped to 13 points behind Hamilton, ahead of teammate Nick Heidfeld and Kovalainen. In the World Constructors' Championship, McLaren passed BMW Sauber for second position, 11 points behind Ferrari.

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