2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards
The 2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards were held on 20 October 2012 during the BFI London Film Festival, which ran from 10–21 October. It was hosted by Sue Perkins at the Banqueting House in London, England. There were four awards presented, along with the BFI Fellowships that went to Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, Best Film
This is the second win for director Jacques Audiard, his first win was in 2009 for his film A Phophet. With a partnership with American Express, the film was selected for being the most original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking in the Festival. The award was presented by Sir David Hare, the President of the Official Competition jury.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, Best British Newcomer
Winner: Sally El Hosaini, director and screenwriter of My Brother the Devil.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, Best British Newcomer
With a partnership with Swarovski, El Hosaini was selected and recognized for her achievements as a new writer, and director. The award was presented by Olivia Colman and Tom Hiddleston.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, Sutherland Award
The long-standing Sutherland Award is presented to Benh Zeitlin for his film Beasts of the Southern Wild for being the most original and imaginative feature debut in the Festival. The award was presented by Helen McCrory and Hannah McGill, President of the jury.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, The Grierson Award for Best Documentary
Winner: Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written and directed by Alex Gibney.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, The Grierson Award for Best Documentary
With a partnership with the Grierson Trust, recognized Alex Gibney's documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, about the Catholic Church and the Vatican's attempts to cover up one of the most appalling scandals of the times, for having the most cultural significance.


2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards, Awards, BFI Fellowships
The Fellowship is the highest accolade that the British Film Institute bestows. Tim Burton, whose film Frankenweenie opened the festival, and Helena Bonham Carter, whose film Great Expectations closed the festival. Sir Christopher Lee presented Burton's award and Sir Trevor Nunn presented Bonham Carter's award.


2012 BFL season
The 2012 season of the Belgian Football League (BFL) is the regular season played in the Belgium. The championship game is the Belgian Bowl XXV.


2012 BFL season, Regular season, Regular season standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against


2012 BFL season, Post season
In the Wild Card Playoffs both teams of the FFL won their games. The top ranked team of the FFL, the Brussels Bulls lost in the Semifinals against the Antwerp Diamonds. In the regular season the Bulls won all but one game, that was the game against the Diamonds. The Brussels Tigers made a perfect season winning all eight games in the LFFAB and also the two games in the playoffs including the Belgian Bowl.


2012 BFL season, Post season
The Belgian Bowl XXV was held on June 9, 2012 in Ostend. The Brussels Tigers won over the Antwerp Diamonds in a rematch of Belgian Bowl XV . It was the second time for the Brussels Tigers to win the national trophy.


2012 BGL Luxembourg Open
The 2012 BGL Luxembourg Open was a professional women's tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the tournament, which was part of the 2012 WTA Tour. It took place in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg between 15 and 21 October 2011. Unseeded Venus Williams won the singles title.


2012 BGL Luxembourg Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BGL Luxembourg Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BGL Luxembourg Open – Doubles
Iveta Benešová and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová were the defending champions, but decided not to participate. Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká won the final 6–3, 6–4 against Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu.


2012 BGL Luxembourg Open – Singles
Victoria Azarenka was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Venus Williams won the title, defeating Monica Niculescu 6–2 6–3.


2012 BH Telecom Indoors
The 2012 BH Telecom Indoors was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the tenth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 12 and 18 March 2012.


2012 BH Telecom Indoors, ATP entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BH Telecom Indoors – Doubles
Jamie Delgado and Jonathan Marray were the defending champions but decided not to participate together. Delgado played alongside Ken Skupski while Marray partnered up with Dustin Brown. They went on to win the final 7–6(7–2), 2–6, [11–9] against Michal Mertiňák and Igor Zelenay.


2012 BH Telecom Indoors – Singles
Amer Delić was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Jan Hernych won the title, defeating Jan Mertl 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–5) in the final.


2012 BK Häcken season
In 2012 BK Häcken finished second in the Allsvenskan championship and were eliminated from the Svenska Cupen at the group stage.


2012 BK Häcken season, Season statistics, Superettan
= Number of bookings= Number of sending offs after a second yellow card= Number of sending offs by a direct red card


2012 BMC Racing Team season
The 2012 season for the BMC Racing Team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2012 BMW Open
The 2012 BMW Open (also known as The BMW Open by FWU Takaful 2012 for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 97th edition of the event. It was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2012 ATP World Tour. It took place at the MTTC Iphitos complex in Munich, Germany, from 30 April through 6 May 2012. Fourth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber won the singles title.


2012 BMW Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BMW Open – Doubles
Simone Bolelli and Horacio Zeballos were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Bolelli entered the Estoril Open instead, while Zeballos competes in the Tunis Open. František Čermák and Filip Polášek won the tournament defeating Xavier Malisse and Dick Norman 6–4, 7–5 in the final.


2012 BMW Open – Singles
Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Robert Farah. Philipp Kohlschreiber won the title defeating Marin Čilić 7–6(10–8), 6–3 in the final.


2012 BMW Open – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2012 BMW PGA Championship
The 2012 BMW PGA Championship was the 58th edition of the BMW PGA Championship, an annual golf tournament on the 2012 European Tour, contested 24–27 May at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. Englishman Luke Donald successfully defended his PGA Championship title and regained the World Number One status.


2012 BMW PGA Championship, Round summaries, Final round (Sunday)
Luke Donald started the final round with a two-stroke lead over countryman Justin Rose. After being caught by Justin Rose four holes into the final round, Donald birdied 6, 7 and 10 to gain a three shot lead. The gap went to five at the 16th when Donald made another birdie, while Rose bogeyed after hitting a bunker. Paul Lawrie hit a best-of-the-day 66 to catch Rose. They finished tied second with a final score of −11, four shots behind champion Donald. Luke Donald is only the third player, after Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie, to win successive PGA Championship titles. He also regained the World Number One ranking by retaining his title.


2012 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2012 BNP Paribas Masters was a professional tennis tournament that was played on indoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP World Tour. It took place in Paris, France between 29 October and 4 November 2012.


2012 BNP Paribas Masters, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Masters, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Masters – Doubles
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi were the defending champions but decided not to participate together. Bopanna played alongside Mahesh Bhupathi and successfully defended the title, defeating Qureshi and his partner Jean-Julien Rojer 7–6(8–6), 6–3 in the final.


2012 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles
David Ferrer defeated Jerzy Janowicz in the final 6–4, 6–3, to win the Singles title at the 2012 Paris Masters. It was his first Masters 1000 title, and he became the first Spaniard to win the Paris Masters title.


2012 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but withdrew from the tournament due to fatigue. As a result, Novak Djokovic returned to ATP singles world No. 1 at the conclusion of the tournament despite losing at the second round.


2012 BNP Paribas Open
The 2012 BNP Paribas Open (also known as the 2012 Indian Wells Masters) was a professional tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2012. It was the 39th edition of the men's event (24th for the women), known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2012 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2012 WTA Tour. Both the men's and the women's events took place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States from March 5 through March 18, 2012 and were played on outdoor hard courts. Roger Federer and Victoria Azarenka won the singles titles.


2012 BNP Paribas Open, Players, Men's Singles, Other entrants
The following players got wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Open, Players, Men's Singles, Other entrants
The following player received entry using a protected ranking into the singles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Open, Players, Men's doubles, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Open, Players, Women's doubles, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Doubles
Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse were the defending champions, but lost in the second round to Marc López and Rafael Nadal, who went on to win the title against John Isner and Sam Querrey 6–2, 7–6(7–3) in the final.


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer defeated John Isner in the final, 7–6(9–7), 6–3 to win the Men's Singles title at the 2012 Indian Wells Masters. It was his record fourth Indian Wells title.


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but lost 6–7(7–9), 6–3, 6–7(5–7) to Isner in the semifinals.


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Women's Doubles
Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond defeated the defending champions Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina 6–2, 6–3 in the final.


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Women's Singles
Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion, but was defeated in the fourth round by Ana Ivanovic.


2012 BNP Paribas Open – Women's Singles
Victoria Azarenka won the title, defeating Maria Sharapova in the final 6–2, 6–3.


2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux
The 2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the fifth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bordeaux, France between 14 and 20 May 2012.


2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry as a special exempt into the singles main draw:


2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux – Doubles
Jamie Delgado and Jonathan Marray are the defending Champions, but they have not partnered up together. Delgado partnered up with Ken Skupski, but lost in the quarterfinals to Nicolas Mahut and Nicolas Renavand, while Marray played alongside Olivier Charroin, but they lost in the final to Martin Kližan and Igor Zelenay 6–7(5–7), 6–4, [4–10].


2012 BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux – Singles
Marc Gicquel was the defending champion, but he lost in the Second Round to Nicolas Mahut 3–6, 5–7. Martin Kližan won the title defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili in the final 7–5, 6–3.


2012 BRD Arad Challenger
The 2012 BRD Arad Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Arad, Romania between 2 and 8 July 2012.


2012 BRD Arad Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Arad Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry as an alternate into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Arad Challenger – Doubles
Daniel Muñoz-de la Nava and Sergio Pérez-Pérez were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Nikola Mektić and Antonio Veić won the title, defeating Marin Draganja and Dino Marcan 7–6(7–5), 4–6, [10–3] in the final.


2012 BRD Arad Challenger – Singles
David Guez was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Facundo Bagnis won the final against Victor Hănescu 6–4, 6–4.


2012 BRD Brașov Challenger
The 2012 BRD Brașov Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on Clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Brașov, Romania between 3 and 9 September 2012.


2012 BRD Brașov Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Brașov Challenger – Doubles
Victor Anagnastopol and Florin Mergea were the defending champions but Anagnastopol decided not to participate. Mergea played alongside Philipp Marx. Marius Copil and Victor Crivoi won the final 6–7(8–10), 6–4, [12–10] against Andrei Ciumac and Oleksandr Nedovyesov.


2012 BRD Brașov Challenger – Singles
Benoît Paire chose to not defend his last year's title.


2012 BRD Brașov Challenger – Singles
Andreas Haider-Maurer won the title after defeating Adrian Ungur 3–6, 7–5, 6–2 in the final.


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy
The 2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 20th edition of the BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy tournament, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2012 ATP World Tour. It was held in Bucharest, Romania, 23 April until 29 April 2012. It was the first edition of the tournament to be played in spring after 19 years, when it was played in autumn. First-seeded Gilles Simon won the singles title.


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, Finals, Doubles
Robert Lindstedt /  Horia Tecău defeated  Jérémy Chardy /  Łukasz Kubot, 7–6(7–2), 6–3


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy – Doubles
Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace were the defending champions, but they lost in the first round to Paul Hanley and Jordan Kerr. Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecău won the final over Jérémy Chardy and Łukasz Kubot, 7–6(7–2), 6–3.


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy – Singles
Florian Mayer was the defending champion but lost to Xavier Malisse in the second round. Gilles Simon won the tournament defeating Fabio Fognini 6–4, 6–3 in the final.


2012 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy – Singles, Seeds
Top 4 active seeds received a bye into the second round.


2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger
The 2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 1st edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It takes place in Sibiu, Romania between 6 and 12 August 2012.


2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger, Champions, Doubles
Marin Draganja /  Lovro Zovko def. Alexandru-Daniel Carpen /  Cristóbal Saavedra-Corvalán, 6–4, 4–6, [11–9]


2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger – Doubles
Marin Draganja and Lovro Zovko won the title, defeating Alexandru-Daniel Carpen and Cristóbal Saavedra-Corvalán 6–4, 4–6, [11–9] in the final.


2012 BRD Sibiu Challenger – Singles
Adrian Ungur became the inaugural champion of Sibiu Challenger by defeating fellow countryman Victor Hănescu in the final, 6–4, 7–6(7–1).


2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger
The 2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Timișoara, Romania between 9 and 15 July 2012.


2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry as an alternate into the singles main draw:


2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger – Doubles
Daniel Muñoz-de la Nava and Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Goran Tošić and Denis Zivkovic won the final against Andrei Dăescu and Florin Mergea 6–2, 7–5.


2012 BRD Timișoara Challenger – Singles
Daniel Brands was the champion in 2008. Victor Hănescu won the title, defeating Guillaume Rufin 6–0, 6–3 in the final.


2012 BSWW Mundialito
The 2012 BSWW Mundialito was a beach soccer tournament that took place at Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Portugal from July 27 to 29. This competition was played in a round-robin format.


2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix
The 2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix is the sixth season of BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix.


2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix, Results, Performances by countries
Tabulated below are the Grand Prix performances based on countries. Only countries who have won a title are listed:


2012 BWF Super Series
The 2012 BWF Super Series is the sixth season of the BWF Super Series. The season started with a Super Series Premier event in Korea and ended in Hong Kong. The season-ending Masters Finals were held in Shenzhen, China from December 12–16, 2012.


2012 BWF Super Series, Results, Performance by countries
Tabulated below are the Super Series performances based on countries. Only countries who have won a title are listed:


2012 BWF Super Series Finals
The 2012 BWF Super Series Finals was a top level badminton competition which was held from December 12 to December 16, 2012 in Shenzhen, China. The final was held by Chinese Badminton Association and sponsored by China Resources Land. It was the final event of the BWF Super Series competition on the 2012 BWF Super Series schedule. The total purse for the event was $500,000.


2012 BWF Super Series Finals, Representatives by nation
§: Christinna Pedersen from Denmark, Zhao Yunlei from China and Jang Ye-na from Korea were the players who played in two categories (women's doubles and mixed doubles).


2012 BWF Super Series Finals, Women's doubles, Group B
Note: Eom Hye-won/Jang Ye-na withdrew due to injury of Jang Ye-na


2012 BWF Super Series Finals, Mixed doubles, Group A
Note: Yoo Yeon-seong/Jang Ye-na withdrew due to injury of Jang Ye-na


2012 BWF World Junior Championships
The 2012 BWF World Junior Championships were held in Chiba, Japan from October 25 to November 3, 2012.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Boys doubles
The Boys Doubles tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was held from October 30 until November 3. Nelson Heg Wei Keat and Teo Ee Yi from Malaysia were the winner of the last edition.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Boys doubles
This edition, the title won by Hong Kong pair Lee Chun Hei and Ng Ka Long after beating Japanese pair Takuto Inoue and Yuki Kaneko 21-16, 21-17 in the final. This was the first title ever for Hong Kong.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Boys singles
The Boys Singles tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was held from October 30 until November 3. Zulfadli Zulkiffli from Malaysia is the last edition winner.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Boys singles
Japanese Kento Momota clinched the title after beating Chinese Xue Song in the thrilling final match by 21-17, 19-21, 21-19.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Girls doubles
The Girls Doubles tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was held from October 30 until November 3. Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan from South Korea were the defending champion.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Girls doubles
This year, they defend their title after beating Chinese pair Yu Xiaohan and Huang Yaqiong 21-14, 18-21, 21-18 in the final.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Girls singles
The Girls Singles tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was held from October 30 until November 3. The defending champion, Ratchanok Inthanon, who won the tournament for 3 years in a row decided not to take part this time even though her age was still eligible.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Girls singles
Japanese girl Nozomi Okuhara, who was beaten by Inthanon in the semi final of the previous year's tournament, won the all-Japanese final against her teammate Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 21-9.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Mixed doubles
The Mixed Doubles tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was held from October 30 until November 3. Alfian Eko Prasetya and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja were the defending champion.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Mixed doubles
Edi Subaktiar and Melati Daeva Oktaviani won the title after defeating the defending champion Alfian Eko Prasetya and his new partner Shella Devi Aulia 21-17, 21-13 in the final. It was the second straight years for Indonesia to make all-Indonesian final in the mixed doubles.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Team event group stage
This article lists the complete results of the group stage of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Teams event in Chiba, Japan.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Teams event
The Team event tournament of the 2012 BWF World Junior Championships was the fourteenth tournament of the BWF World Junior Championships. It was held from October 25–28, 2012 in Chiba, Japan. According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) 30 teams have confirmed their participation. The winner of the tournament would have Suhandinata Cup for about a year until the next BWF World Junior Championships Team Event is held.


2012 BWF World Junior Championships – Teams event, Seedings
The seedings for teams competing in the tournament were released on October 11, 2012. It was based on aggregated points from the best players in the world junior ranking and the result of last year tournament. The tournament was divided into four groups, with Japan and China were the two top seeds, and 2 teams (Malaysia and Korea) in the seeded 3-4 were also put into the same group. another 4 teams were put in the second groups. Eight teams (seeded 9-16) were seeded into third groups and the last sixteen teams were seeded into last groups. The draw was held on the same day in Kuala Lumpur.


2012 BWF season
The 2012 BWF Season was the overall badminton circuit organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for the 2012 badminton season to publish and promote the sport. Besides the BWF World Championships, BWF promotes the sport of badminton through an extensive worldwide programme of events in four structure levels. They were the individual tournaments called Super Series, Grand Prix Events, International Challenge and International Series. Besides the individual tournaments, team events such as Thomas Cup & Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup are held every other year.


2012 BWF season
The 2012 BWF season calendar comprised the Olympic Games, World Championships tournaments, the Thomas and Uber Cup, the BWF Super Series (Super Series, Super Series Premier, Super Series Finals), the Grand Prix (Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix), the International Series (International Series and International Challenge), and Future Series.


2012 BWF season, Schedule
This is the complete schedule of events on the 2012 calendar, with the Champions and Runners-up documented.


2012 BX34
2012 BX34 is a small Aten asteroid that made one of the closest recorded asteroid close approaches of Earth on 27 January 2012. It passed within 0.0004371 AU (65,390 km; 40,630 mi) of Earth during its closest approach at 15:25 GMT. 2012 BX34 measures around 8 meters (26 ft) across; if it had impacted in 2012, it would have been too small to pass through Earth's atmosphere intact.


2012 BX34
During its 2012 close approach to Earth, 2012 BX34 had a brightest apparent magnitude of about 13.9, making it about as bright as the dwarf planet Pluto. By 25 February 2012, it had dimmed to magnitude 30. During its close approach of 0.0246 AU (3,680,000 km; 2,290,000 mi) on 28 January 2014, it will only reach a magnitude of about 23. 2012 BX34 has been observed in more detail using radar astronomy.


2012 BYU Cougars football team
The 2012 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars, led by head coach Bronco Mendenhall, played their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium. This was the second year BYU competed as an independent. They finished the season 8–5. They were invited to the Poinsettia Bowl where they defeated San Diego State.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, 2012 Recruits
As the home of the Cougars, BYUtv would sponsor their own National Letter of Intent Day signing day special. The special aired on Wednesday, February 1 at 7 PM MT and was rebroadcast that night at 10 PM MT and Thursday morning at 1 AM MT. Additionally a signing day press conference was broadcast on BYUtvsports.com live at 1:30 PM MT. The following athletes signed letters of intent to play for BYU in the coming seasons.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, 2012 Recruits
6 of the Cougar commitments (Amone, Hannemann, Hinds, Mangum, Richards, and Weeks) plan to serve full-time church missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before joining the BYU team. 3 Cougars commitments (Hill, Johnson, and Olsen) were mid-year enrollees. Powell graduated High School in winter 2011 and was already taking classes at BYU, so there was no letter of intent for him to sign. He plans to grey-shirt before going on a church mission. With 6 other QB's on the roster, Mangum also chose to grey-shirt the 2012 season.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, 2012 Return Missionary Commitments
BYU also announced a large list of return missionaries that would help bolster their roster this season. Commit dates in this section are dates in which it was announced these players would return to BYU, not when they actually first signed with BYU.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, 2012 Departures
The following Cougars graduated, transferred, or chose to serve two-year Church Missions after the 2011 season and didn't return to the team in 2012.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, Spring Game
The BYU 2012 Spring game was held on March 24, 2012. Due to a high number of injuries in spring football, it was downgraded to a scrimmage. All the starters were benched. Each of the remaining 4 quarterbacks got 2 series to play against selected defensive players. The scrimmage would end in a scoreless fashion at 0–0. However Coach Bronco Mendenhall said the game accomplished what he wanted it to. He was able to find a set of players that would be beneficial to the team this fall as starters or backups.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, Transfers
Controversy arose with the BYU football team in April 2012 when it was revealed that Michael Wadsworth, a defensive back, had requested a transfer from Hawaiʻi while on his church mission. The reason he gave stated he wanted to play closer to his home in Orem, Utah. Hawaiʻi denied his request and asked him to complete one more season. Despite appeals to the coach, Greg McMackin, and others higher up at the university, Wadsworth was denied his attempt to transfer. When Norm Chow became the new coach of the Warriors, he was contacted by the Wadsworth's about the possible transfer.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, Transfers
Chow said Wadsworth could transfer to any school except BYU. Despite being a former offensive coordinator at BYU, Chow claimed it was his belief that BYU had an unfair recruiting advantage with missionaries. Bronco Mendenhall and the staff have made it clear that they don't contact any missionaries in the field for recruiting purposes, and they have not made any contact with the Wadsworth family. At this time Wadsworth plans on go to BYU in the fall, but he won't be able to play football with BYU or even talk to the coaches about possibly playing football with them until June 2013.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, Transfers
On May 2, BYU learned that Colorado State transfer Drew Reilly would come to BYU. Reilly was a starting safety for the Rams 2011 season. Reilly's reasons for transferring were solely to seek a better atmosphere for his LDS beliefs. As is required, Reilly will sit out the 2012 season, but he will become a full scholarship student at BYU in January 2013 and be able to participate in spring ball in April 2013.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Before the season, Pre-season honors
1 BYU Cougar was selected as a 2012 All-American participant, and 16 BYU Cougars were selected to the Phil-Steele All-Independent team to begin 2012 (Cody Hoffman was selected for two different positions).


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
On the BYU Spring Football Special aired April 2, 2012, it was announced that BYUtv would provide coverage of the national media day, probably sometime in July. On May 7 it was announced that BYU Football National Media Day would take place on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 from the BYU Broadcasting Center.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
For football Media Day Dave McCann, Bronco Mendenhall, Tom Holmoe, and Trevor Matich discussed what the Cougars goals were for the 2012 season during the State of the Program discussion. They also discussed the new playoff format that will begin in 2014.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
One of the hot topics was the BYU-Utah rivalry and if 2012 would be the last year for this traditional rivalry. Both Holmoe and Mendenhall said they want the rivalry to continue and that it is up in the hands of Utah's board. However, they hoped that with Strength of Schedule being one of the factors in the new playoff system, it should provide extra incentive for Utah to want to continue the rivalry.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
Another topic discussed was moving the Utah State- BYU game from conference weekend back to November. Mendenhall said he liked the idea of having a traditional rival as the final game, and with the improvements Gary Andersen continued to make at Utah State, it would be a desirable outcome if both schools could make it happen.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
Finally the discussion of realignment and the BYU–Notre Dame alliance was discussed. Holmoe made it clear that Independence is the course that BYU will continue to take at this time, and they thanked Notre Dame football for providing a voice for BYU and Notre Dame in scheduling this new playoff format. He admitted BYU would keep an eye on the continuing changes of the college football landscape, but BYU and Notre Dame will continue to be partners in Independence for the foreseeable future.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
The second program on Media Day was a True Blue 2012 Football Season Preview. Brandon Doman, Riley Nelson, Kyle Van Noy, and others were brought in to discuss what the coaches, offensive players, and defensive players are doing to get ready for the 2012 season. They also stated their goals. Bruce Binkowski, the Poinsettia Bowl and Holiday Bowl GM Association Executive Director, attended the show and discussed why the Poinsettia Bowl had signed BYU up for the 2012 season. He also revealed the ideal match for the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl would be BYU vs. San Diego State, a match-up which eventually came to fruition.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
The third program held was a round table discussion. It focused on how Bronco Mendenhall has focused on changing the offense and defense at BYU since he became the head coach. John Beck, Curtis Brown, Vic So'oto, Max Hall, Austin Collie, and Dennis Pitta came back to discuss how playing at BYU has prepared them for the NFL, what their favorite moments were at BYU, and how Mendenhall changed the program into the 6th most winning program in NCAA Football during his 7 years at BYU.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, 2012 Media Day
Throughout the day Robbie Bullough also had live chats online with current BYU players and coaches.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Media, BYU Radio Sports Network Affiliates
KSL 102.7 FM and 1160 AM- Flagship Station (Salt Lake City/ Provo, UT and ksl.com)BYU Radio- Nationwide (Dish Network 980, Sirius XM 143, and byuradio.org)KIDO- Boise, ID [football only]KTHK- Blackfoot/ Idaho Falls/ Pocatello/ Rexburg, IDKMGR- Manti, UTKSUB- Cedar City, UTKDXU- St. George, UTKSHP- Las Vegas, NV [football only]


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Washington State
BYU alum Mike Leach returned to Provo with a football team for the first time since he got his bachelor's when Washington State came to Provo. Leach didn't play or coach football while at BYU, so it was his first time on the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium. It was the first of a two-year home-and-home series between the schools and the fourth time they had met overall. BYU led the series 2–1.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Washington State
After the game, Riley Nelson and Kaneakua Friel were announced as Co-Offensive FBS Independent Players of the Week. Riley Stephenson was announced as the Special Teams player of the Week. It was Nelson's fifth FBS Independent Player of the Week award while it was a first for both Stephenson and Friel. BYU's performance in the game led Mark Schlabach and Jesse Palmer to compare Riley Nelson with Tim Tebow while also announcing that BYU's defense was one of the most underrated groups in all of college football.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Weber State
For only the third time in the schools histories, BYU and Weber State will meet in a collegiate football game. The series has been rather lopsided in BYU's favor. In the first meeting in 1973 BYU won 45–14. In the second meeting in 1979 BYU again prevailed 48–3.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Weber State
Thanks to an average of 53.2 yards per punt, BYU punter Riley Stephenson was named the FBS Independents Special Teams player of the week. Stephenson punted 5 times during the game with a long punt of 61 yards occurring.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Utah
The sixth year of the Deseret First Duel returns to Salt Lake City for the 2012 football match-up between BYU and Utah. It's the 88th meeting between the two schools since Brigham Young Academy became BYU. Utah leads the series 52–31–4 and has a current two game winning streak. Utah has a 4–3 record against current coach Bronco Mendenhall. BYU will look to end Utah's winning streak at Rice-Eccles against the Cougs, as the Utes have won 2 straight and 4 of the last 5 at Rice-Eccles.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, #24 Boise State
The Cougars and Broncos begin the first of a 12-year football series with this 2012 match. Boise State leads the all-time series 2–0, having won previous matches in 2003 and 2004.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, #24 Boise State
Despite the loss, Stephenson was once again awarded the FBS Independents Special Teams Player of the Week award. Stephenson punted 6 times during the game, with an average of 47 yards per punt, but what was impressive were his consistent 50+ yard punts: 52, 55, 56, and 57. On four of the six punts, Boise State had to start the next possession inside their own 20 yard line.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
Hawaii returns to Provo for the first time since 2002 to continue their rivalry with BYU. It will be the 29th meeting overall, with BYU holding a 20–8 advantage. It will be the first time former BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow faces his old school as a head coach.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
The following Monday QB Taysom Hill was awarded the FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week award and CB Preston Hadley was awarded the FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week award.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Utah State
BYU looks for their second straight win in the Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel as BYU and Utah State meet for the 82nd time. BYU owns a 44–34–3 record overall against Utah State and a 26–16–1 record in matches in Provo.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, #10 Oregon State
Bronco Mendenhall meets his alma mater for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years as coach at BYU. The winner of the game will take the lead in the series all time, which is even at 5–5. BYU is 2–1 in meetings in Provo. BYU is looking for their fourth straight win over Oregon State having won games in 1986, 2009, and 2011.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, #5 Notre Dame
The first of 6 matches between the Cougars and Irish before 2020 begins what most people believe is BYU's hardest road stretch of the year. BYU looks to cut into the 4–2 record Notre Dame has against the Cougars.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
The first game in a 4-game series against Georgia Tech (that is expected to be cut to two games) continues BYU's road stretch in ACC country. The two schools have met twice before, in a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, in which each school prevailed at home.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Idaho
BYU finishes their home schedule with the first of 3 consecutive games against the Western Athletic Conference. BYU and Idaho meet for the fifth time with a 2–2 record against each other.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, San Jose State
BYU begins their final road trip in San Jose to face off with the Spartans and try to cut down the deficit record they have against the Spartans all-time: 6–9.


2012 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, New Mexico State
The Cougars end their regular season with their first trip to Las Cruces for a football game. The Cougars and Aggies meet for the second-straight year with the Cougars owning a 1–0 record in the all-time series.


2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack
The 2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack was a coordinated assault on Bacha Khan International Airport and the adjacent Pakistan Air Force Base Peshawar on 15 December 2012 by Tehrik-i-Taliban terrorists in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.


2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack, Assault
The attack was preceded by at least five rockets being fired towards the airport. Three of those landed within the facility, which also houses a Pakistan Air Force base, while the other two hit nearby residential areas. The heavily armed militants then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall, sparking a firefight with troops posted nearby. Officials at the Khyber Teaching Hospital said they had received the bodies of four civilians, and that more than 40 others had been injured, including children, women and senior citizens, many of whom who were hit by bullets or shrapnel from rockets. Senior official Umar Ayub described the condition of at least four of the wounded as serious. Security officials said five terrorists were killed in the gun battle with troops, and no one managed to actually enter the airport itself. Bomb disposal experts defused four suicide jackets.


2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack, Reactions
Defence minister Naveed Qamar said the attack was well planned out and terrorists were heavily armed, however the response by the security forces ensured there had been no damage to property or loss of life within the airport. A Pakistan Air Force spokesman released a statement, saying that "Security forces were fully alert and responded to the attack... There is no damage to equipment and personnel".


2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack, Reactions
Officials from the Civil Aviation Authority said the airport was shut down after the attack began and all flights coming to Peshawar were diverted to Islamabad and Lahore. Additional security forces were deployed around the airport and troops searched houses in nearby neighbourhoods.


2012 Bacha Khan International Airport attack, Responsibility
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group told reporters in the country's northwest that the target of the attackers was the PAF airbase. The assault was reportedly launched from a nearby village named Abdra, according to a PAF spokesman, who added that a joint counter-terrorism operation by several security agencies was under way. The BBC reported that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan also played a role in the attack.


2012 Baden Masters
The 2012 Baden Masters were held from August 31 to September 2 in Baden, Switzerland. It was the first event of the men's World Curling Tour for the 2012–13 curling season. The total purse of the event was 29,000 Swiss francs (CHF).


2012 Baden Masters
In the final, Sven Michel defeated Peter de Cruz with a 7–5 tally, winning 11,000 CHF of the prize money.


2012 Badminton Asia Championships
The 2012 Badminton Asia Championships was the 32nd tournament of the Badminton Asia Championships. It was held in Qingdao, China from April 17 to April 22, 2012.


2012 Baghdad police academy bombing
The 2012 Baghdad police academy bombing occurred on 19 February 2012 when a suicide bomber targeted police recruits in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 19 and injuring 26 others. The police academy, located in the northeastern part of the city near the Interior Ministry building is a fortified compound with security barriers. As a crowd of police officers and recruits stepped out onto the road, a suicide bomber driving a car rigged with explosives careered into them, causing an explosion. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq since 27 January when a suicide bomber targeted a hospital in Baghdad, killing 31. 2 al Qaida homicide bombers also attacked the Baghdad Police College on 6 December 2005, murdering 47 police cadets and officers and sending another 85 to area hospitals.


2012 Baghlia bombing
The 2012 Baghlia bombing occurred on April 29, 2012 when a bomb detonated against a patrol of the Algerian police in the town of Baghlia, Boumerdès Province, Algeria injuring 7. The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is suspected as being responsible.


2012 Bahamian general election
General elections were held in the Bahamas on 7 May 2012. They were the first general election in which a third party (the Democratic National Alliance) offered a full slate of candidates alongside the two major parties, the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The result was a victory for the opposition PLP, whose leader Perry Christie became prime minister.


2012 Bahamian general election, Background
The Free National Movement had defeated the Progressive Liberal Party in the 2007 general election amid a scandal involving the residency status of model and reality television star Anna Nicole Smith and allegations that the PLP's then-immigration minister had fast-tracked her application to live in the islands.


2012 Bahamian general election, Opinion polls
An opinion poll was carried out by Public Domain, a market research and public opinion polling company, between 2 and 12 March 2012 that involved 501 respondents. A sample of this proportion only represented a maximum margin of error of 4.4 per cent. The poll showed that the Free National Movement's (FNM) core support was the highest at 30.5 per cent, followed by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) at 23.7 per cent, and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) at 16.5 per cent. A total of 12.2 per cent of the sample were undecided voters.


2012 Bahamian general election, Opinion polls
Also the poll revealed that the PLP's swing voters constituted 6.6 per cent of the sample; the largest swing voter percentage. They were followed by the DNA ( who had 5.2 per cent swing voters ) and the FNM ( who had 3.7 per cent swing voters ). Therefore, the total support for the FNM was around 34.2 per cent, which was followed by the PLP's 30.3 per cent and the DNA's 21.7 per cent.


2012 Bahamian general election, Opinion polls
If any of the two leading parties were to win the support of the entire 12.2 per cent undecided voters, they would win the general election. A question was asked during the polling process that went, According to you, which party will win the next election?. The results were that the FNM would ( at 32% ), the PLP would ( at 32% ) and the DNA would ( at 8% ) win the next general election. The poll also reported that 52% of the electorate was against reelecting the incumbent Free National Movement, while 55.9% opposed electing the PLP and 64.5% rejected electing the DNA.


2012 Bahamian general election, Results
The opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) won a majority in a landslide election victory, taking 30 of the 38 seats in parliament. PLP leader Perry Christie, who had previously served as Prime Minister, was sworn into office on 8 May 2012, at approximately 4 pm.


2012 Bahamian general election, Results
Outgoing Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced his retirement from politics following the defeat of his Free National Movement (FNM). He had served in Parliament for thirty-five years, winning re-election seven times, including 2012. Ingraham told supporters, "I gave it the best I could and now I've been rejected by the public of the Bahamas... We had no indication from the general public they would go that way." Ingraham then confirmed his retirement, saying, "I am going to go back to my little law office and enjoy life with my family."


2012 Bahamian general election, Results
The Democratic National Alliance lost the only seat it held in the prior parliament (that of Branville McCartney, its founder and only MP) and elected no candidates.


2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds
The 2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds were a series of GP2 Series motor races held at the Bahrain International Circuit as part of the 2012 GP2 Series season. The first round was held on 21 and 22 April, in support of the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix. The second round was held one week later as an independent round of the championship, the only one of its kind on the 2012 calendar.


2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds
The rounds were the first time the GP2 Series has visited the Bahrain International Circuit since 2007. The circuit was a regular fixture on the calendar of the now-defunct GP2 Asia Series from its inception in 2008 until 2011, when the race was cancelled due to anti-government protests. With the GP2 Asia series being discontinued at the end of the 2011 season and merged into its parent series, the Bahrain International Circuit returned to the larger GP2 Series as part of the series' expansion to include fly-away rounds.


2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds
In the week before the first race, Barwa Addax driver Josef Král was replaced by Dani Clos. Brendon Hartley also replaced Ocean Racing Technology's Jon Lancaster.


2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds
DAMS driver Davide Valsecchi qualified on pole for the first feature race, and won both the feature and sprint races. Valsecchi also won the second feature race, with Rapax driver Tom Dillmann taking his first GP2 Series win in the second sprint.


2012 Bahrain GP2 Series rounds
The first race was also the first time that the series introduced the points system used by Formula One since 2010 for the feature race, with points awarded to the top ten drivers and twenty-five points awarded to the race winner. The points for the sprint race were changed too, with the winner receiving fifteen points and the top eight drivers scoring points. The points for pole and fastest lap were doubled as well.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
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.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel started the race from pole position, leading into the first corner and for the majority of the race en route to victory.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
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 teammate 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 halfway 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.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
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 led 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.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
The decision to hold the race despite ongoing protests and violence has been described as "controversial" by Al Jazeera English, CNN, AFP and Sky News. The Independent named it "one of the most controversial in the history of the sport".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
After using the "endurance circuit" in 2010, the series reverted to using the "Grand Prix" configuration for the 2012 race.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
As the 2011 race was cancelled, the teams arrived in Bahrain with no data on how the Pirelli tyres introduced for the 2011 season would behave at the Sakhir circuit. Furthermore, Pirelli revised their tyre compounds for the 2012 season, and with the races in Australia, Malaysia and China being run in cool or wet conditions, there was no data available on how the 2012-specification Pirelli tyres would performance in the hot and dry conditions expected in Bahrain.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
The teams were supplied with the medium and soft compounds, the same selection that had been provided at the previous race in Shanghai. Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber predicted that the teams who understood the behaviour of the tyres first would be the most successful in the race. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg – who won his first race in China one week prior to the race – supported this prediction, suggesting that understanding tyre behaviour would be a recurring theme throughout the season, and critical to the championship. Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery predicted that teams would experience a high rate of tyre degradation, and that sand on the circuit surface could cause graining on the tyres.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
Similarly, the Drag Reduction System (DRS) was introduced for the 2011 season, and consequently had never been used at the Bahrain International Circuit in a race. Race officials elected to place it on the start-finish straight to allow for overtaking into the first corner complex. The DRS detection point was positioned 108 metres (354 ft) from the apex to Turn 14, with the activation point located 270 metres (890 ft) after the final corner, creating a DRS zone of 820 metres (0.51 mi).


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
Williams driver Pastor Maldonado was given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change when the team discovered an undiagnosed fault in his gearbox and they were forced to replace it. Under Formula One regulations, a gearbox must be used for five consecutive events (including the race, qualifying session and third practice session for each event). An unscheduled gearbox change results in an automatic five-place grid penalty, applied after the qualifying session. Maldonado became the fourth driver of the 2012 season to receive a gearbox penalty, after Sergio Pérez, Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton all made similar changes in Australia, Malaysia and China.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
Valtteri Bottas replaced Bruno Senna at Williams for the first practice session. It was Bottas' third session, of a scheduled fifteen, driving Senna's car. Bottas was the only reserve driver to take part in a practice session.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
The first ninety-minute practice session began with the drivers performing installation laps, returning to pit lane before setting a lap time so as to work on the car setup. The majority of drivers completed the session using the harder "prime" tyres, while several teams – including Ferrari and Lotus – used the session to test new aerodynamic configurations to their front and rear wings. The surface of the circuit was visibly sandy, owing to a lack of use in the two years prior to the event.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Force India's Nico Hülkenberg was the first driver to record a lap time, twenty minutes into the session. Romain Grosjean moved to the top of the timing sheets as the majority of drivers began to emerge from the pit lane for timed runs, though the difference between Grosjean's time and Hülkenberg's was negligible. Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel both improved upon the fastest times, but by the time every driver had recorded a timed lap, it was Lewis Hamilton who posted the fastest time. Hamilton's time of 1:33.572 went unchallenged for the remainder of the session. Vettel was second-fastest, three-tenths behind the McLaren driver, while Paul di Resta in the second Force India was third, having switched to the softer "option" tyres in the last ten minutes.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
With Force India electing not to take part in the second session over security concerns, twenty-two cars took to the circuit for Friday's second ninety-minute practice session. A GP2 practice session between the first and second Formula One sessions meant that some of the sand on the surface of the circuit was cleaned up, and teams began their first runs on the softer option compound of tyres. Narain Karthikeyan was the first driver out, setting a lap time of 1:41.710 almost straight away.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Several other drivers, including Jean-Éric Vergne, Vitaly Petrov, Pastor Maldonado, Timo Glock and Daniel Ricciardo also emerged, setting lap times within the first five minutes of the session starting. After the initial rush of the first fifteen minutes, Jenson Button emerged as the fastest man on the circuit before being surpassed by Mark Webber moments later. Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg all led the field by the halfway point, but it was Rosberg who led the way into the final ten minutes of the session when all twenty-two cars were out on the circuit together.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Rosberg's time of 1:32.816 was enough to see him through to the end of the session in front, four-tenths of a second faster than Webber, with Vettel third. After finishing in front in the first session, Lewis Hamilton was fourth, while Bruno Senna – back in his car after being replaced by Bottas in the first session – ended the session in eighteenth, behind the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen and narrowly ahead of Marussia driver Timo Glock.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
The third and final practice session took place on Saturday morning, three hours before qualifying, and sixty minutes in length. A localised sandstorm nearby meant that the air around the circuit was dusty, but a westerly wind pushed the dusty cloud away from the circuit as the session wore on. Jean-Éric Vergne was the first driver to leave the pits, leading a group of fourteen, but they returned to the lane immediately; with the cars being switched to race specification the night before, further installation laps were needed.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Paul di Resta was the first driver to record a lap time, a 1:41.356, set ten minutes into the session. He was followed closely by teammate Nico Hülkenberg, with both drivers following an extensive testing program, having missed the second free practice session; after one hour, they had completed forty-three laps between them. Nico Rosberg once again finished the session fastest with a time of 1:33.254. Vettel and Webber were second and third, with Hamilton fourth.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Formula One qualifying uses a three-stage "knockout" system. Qualifying takes place over the course of one hour, broken up into three periods known as Q1, Q2 and Q3. Q1 is twenty minutes long, and sees all twenty-four drivers take part. At the end of the twenty-minute session, the seven slowest drivers are eliminated, filling positions eighteen to twenty-four on the grid. After a short break, the drivers' times are reset and the second session – Q2 – begins. Q2 is fifteen minutes long, and is contested by the remaining seventeen drivers.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
After the fifteen-minute session has passed, the slowest seven drivers are once again eliminated, filling positions eleven to seventeen on the grid. This leaves the ten fastest drivers to contest the final qualifying period, Q3. Q3 is ten minutes long, and sets positions one through to ten on the grid. Drivers who contest Q3 must start the race on the set of tyres that they recorded their fastest lap time with. Drivers who are eliminated in Q1 and Q2 are free to start the race on any set of tyres they choose. Any relevant penalties from the previous race or current race weekend are applied after the completion of the three qualifying periods.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
In order to take part in the race, a driver must set a time within 107% of the fastest lap time in Q1. For example, if the fastest time in Q1 is one minute, forty seconds, then a driver must set a time faster than one minute and forty-seven seconds to qualify for the race.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q1
Qualifying started at 1400 local time, with the track surface measuring 43 °C (109 °F) and a headwind down the main straight.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q1
The first period saw two distinct, informal phases. Most drivers recorded a "banker" lap on the harder prime tyres, so as to have a benchmark time to their name. Some drivers, most notably Fernando Alonso, chose to set their first lap on the softer option tyres so as to preserve an extra set of tyres for the race given the high rate of degradation. The session ran for the full twenty minutes without interruption, though Nico Rosberg ran wide at Turn 5 and passed through a gravel trap, while Kimi Räikkönen was observed violently hitting a kerb.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q1
Toro Rosso driver Jean-Éric Vergne spent most of the period facing the threat of elimination, even though he was as high up the order as sixth at one point, after putting on the softer tyres. However, as the second phase of the session began, the drivers switched to the softer tyres and the order changed rapidly. Vergne fell back down the order and was ultimately eliminated. It was the third consecutive Grand Prix in which he was eliminated in Q1. He was later cited by the stewards for missing the weighbridge at the end of the qualifying period.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q1
Michael Schumacher was hampered by a problem with the DRS flap in his rear wing, and a late lap from Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen saw Schumacher eliminated and Kovalainen advance through to Q2. It was just the second time that Kovalianen and his team had qualified in Q2 while running in dry conditions (the other being the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix). Kovalainen's teammate, Vitaly Petrov, was eliminated after his final lap was not enough to replicate Kovalainen's feat.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q1
Also eliminated were the Marussias for Timo Glock and Charles Pic. Pic finished twenty-first, out-qualifying teammate Glock for the first time in his career. Glock set an early time on the harder compound tyres, but a mistake on his flying lap with the softer compound meant that he qualified twenty-third of twenty-four cars. The HRTs of Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan finished in twenty-second and twenty-fourth; both were inside the 107% margin (1:40.380), but they were still four seconds off the pace of Sergio Pérez, the fastest man in Q1.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q2
The seventeen remaining drivers went straight out onto the softer tyres for Q2, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg quickly establishing themselves at the top of the timing charts. As the session wore on, the track became "faster"; more rubber from the tyres was laid down on the racing line – the shortest, fastest and most ideal way through a corner – allowing the drivers to find more grip, and therefore more speed, producing a faster lap time.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q2
Late in the session Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 world champion, was eliminated by teammate Romain Grosjean. Räikkönen's first lap time initially looked to be enough to see him through to Q3, but Grosjean's final lap was quick enough to see the 2011 GP2 Series champion through to the third and final period for the fourth time in as many races; conversely, Felipe Massa missed the Q3 cut-off for the fourth race in succession.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q2
Like Räikkönen, Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi was also a victim of his teammate's final flying lap; having set the fastest lap time in Q1, Sergio Pérez progressed to Q3. Paul di Resta also advanced to Q3 despite missing the second free practice session, though teammate Nico Hülkenberg was not quick enough and missed the cut-off. Meanwhile, Bruno Senna's final lap was marked by sector times that suggested he would also advance to Q3, but a mistake at Turn 13 cost him dearly, and he had to settle for fifteenth overall.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q2
Heikki Kovalainen only nominated to set a single lap time at the end of the period. Unable to challenge the other teams in terms of raw pace, Kovalainen finished the period in sixteenth after Pastor Maldonado was stricken by a KERS issue, and failed to set a lap time. This left him seventeenth overall; with his five-place penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, he would start the race in twenty-second.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q3
Eight different teams were represented in the final qualifying period. The McLarens of Hamilton and Button, and the Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber each set two times during the period; of the remaining six, four set a lap time. Fernando Alonso and Paul di Resta elected not to complete timed laps. Having used all three sets of the soft tyres allocated to them for the qualifying session, they had no fresh sets of tyres left over and decided to preserve their tyres for the race.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q3
Alonso took to the circuit for a sighting lap, automatically giving him a higher grid position than any driver who remained in the pits. As a result, Alonso and di Resta qualified ninth and tenth overall. However, as they had not set times, they would be free to start the race on whatever set of tyres they chose to.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q3
Sebastian Vettel qualified on pole position, his and his team's first since the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix. Vettel's lap time of 1:32.422 was just two-tenths of a second faster than his Q2 time of 1:32.474, which he recorded at the 2009, the last time Formula One used the "Grand Prix" configuration of the Bahrain circuit; prior to the ban on refuelling introduced for the 2010 season, cars were required completed Q3 with a full tank of fuel.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q3
This led to a trend in which the fastest time of the weekend was set in Q2 as drivers were allowed to set lap times with as little fuel in the car possible. Although Jarno Trulli qualified on pole for the 2009 race, Vettel's Q2 time was a second faster. With the ban on refuelling in place since 2010, drivers are now able to complete Q3 in a low-fuel configuration, making Vettel's time a more-appropriate benchmark for comparison purposes.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Q3
By the end of the session, just half of a second covered the top five runners. Vettel led Lewis Hamilton, with Mark Webber in third. Webber's first timed lap was marked by an incident at Turn 10 where he locked the front wheel up, dragging it across the surface of the circuit, and costing him time. Jenson Button finished fourth, once again out-qualified by teammate Hamilton. Nico Rosberg, who qualified on pole in Shanghai one week previously, was fifth. Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean finished sixth and seventh, with both drivers only completing one timed lap. Ricciardo was just one-tenth of a second ahead of Grosjean, and one-tenth behind Rosberg. Initial speculation at the start of the period suggested that Sergio Pérez would not set a lap time, but the Mexican driver took to the circuit and finished eighth overall.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
Pastor Maldonado's grid penalty meant that he would start the race in twenty-second position. Michael Schumacher was also given a gearbox penalty, demoting him to twenty-second position. By virtue of this, Maldonado was promoted to twenty-first position.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
Jean-Éric Vergne was given a reprimand by the stewards for missing the weighbridge after qualifying.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
Shortly after qualifying ended, speculation in the media suggested that Force India had received no coverage during the broadcast as punishment for withdrawing from the second free practice session. The speculation began after Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle remarked that the cameras had not shown Paul di Resta's final lap in Q2, which saw him enter the final qualifying period. The team refused to be drawn into debate over the speculation, though di Resta commented that "I saw my car". Bernie Ecclestone explained the team's lack of coverage as the television director wanting to concentrate on the pole sitter "rather than somebody who was going to be tenth".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race was the first of 10 (including all the European races and Singapore) this season to begin at 12:00 UTC (15:00 local) in a much more European friendly viewing time. It started under warm cloudy conditions with an ambient temperature of 27 °C (81 °F) and a track temperature of 32 °C (90 °F). Since Fernando Alonso and Paul di Resta did not set a time in Q3 they, along with the 14 drivers behind them, could start on either the soft 'option' tyre or the medium 'prime' tyre. All but Kamui Kobayashi opted to start on the soft compound yellow banded tyre.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
As the red lights went out it was the drivers on the 'clean' driving line of the grid that mostly got the better start, especially towards the front half of the grid. The top three drivers from qualifying all held their position as Sebastian Vettel led into the first corner. Mark Webber did not have KERS for the first lap and lost any opportunity to gain on Lewis Hamilton in second.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Romain Grosjean, Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen all made great starts compared to the drivers on the dirty (and presumably sandy) side of the grid while Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who started from his best ever qualifying position (6th), made a terrible start as the big name teams overtook him and left him 11th after the first corner. Jenson Button slipped to 6th by turn one, Bruno Senna was up to 10th from 15th while his teammate Pastor Maldonado was 15th after lap 1 following his gearbox penalty which forced him to start from 21st position.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
The end of lap one saw the drivers move into single file while at the front Vettel led by more than two seconds. Heikki Kovalainen pitted after the first lap as he punctured his left rear tyre in an incident not clearly shown on television; there appeared to be some contact near turn 10 where Ricciardo hit Kovalainen perhaps puncturing his tyre while Ricciardo lost some bodywork from the car resulting in a damaged front wing.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
On the start of lap 3 Felipe Massa made a move down the inside of Räikkönen for 7th. They were side by side through turn 1 and 2 when Räikkönen yielded the position. At the start of lap 4, Grosjean was the first to use the DRS successfully on Webber when he took 3rd place with ease through turn 1. During the fifth lap, Räikkönen re-took 7th as Massa went deep into turn 4 and this resulted in Räikkönen gaining better traction through the 'S' turns (turns 5–7) squeezing Massa behind him.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
In the early stages it was Romain Grosjean who had fast race pace and on lap 7 he again overtook using DRS, this time Hamilton was his victim. Lotus teammate Räikkönen was also putting in comparatively quick lap times and overtook Button around the outside prior to turn 4. Further down the field, Maldonado in the Williams was overtaken by a DRS assisted Toro Rosso's Jean-Éric Vergne only to grab Vergne's slipstream and retake the position while Vergne still had his DRS wing open.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Lap 8 confirmed that Ricciardo had damaged his front wing when he pitted to switch to the medium tyre and swap his damaged front wing for a new one. Button complained on the radio about his rear tyres losing performance while the Lotus looked very strong as Räikkönen again put the DRS to good use and claimed Alonso on the 9th lap for 5th position. Button, Massa and Nico Rosberg all pitted together with Button coming out into 'clean air' however Rosberg and Massa rejoined behind a Marussia.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
The next lap saw Hamilton, Webber, and Alonso all pit together in that order but Hamilton had a problem with the left rear and was stopped for nearly ten seconds forcing a slow pit time of 28.341 seconds, dropping him behind Alonso, Button and Rosberg. Compounding Hamilton's problems, on the straight before turn 4 Rosberg desperately forced Hamilton wide and off-road but could not hold Hamilton back from taking the position. The incident was to be looked at after the race. Replays showed Hamilton's disappointment as he shook his head while waiting to be released.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
The leader, Vettel, pitted and left the Paul di Resta (who had not yet pitted) in the lead – the first time a Force India has led a lap since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix when Giancarlo Fisichella was driving for them. By lap 15 all the cars had made at least one stop. At this stage, Vettel led the Lotus cars followed by teammate Webber and the Button-led McLarens. Alonso, Rosberg, Massa and Pérez rounded out the top 10 while 7 time world champion Michael Schumacher was in 13th – still clawing his way back into points contention.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Lap 21 saw Räikkönen and Rosberg the only drivers in the top 9 on the soft compound after both saving a set during qualifying. During the same lap, Maldonando used DRS to put a move on Pérez, however went deep and the two duelled to turn 4 when di Resta who was behind them pounced through the inside as they battled each wide of the apex. Crucially, Räikkönen on softs had caught his teammate and was right behind him but was not able to overtake him, even with the DRS. It appeared the Lotus' were equally matched and Räikkönen was starting to lose grip from either following the dirty air of his teammate or his tyres were hitting the 'cliff' (performance-wise) or both. Eventually Räikkönen passed his teammate using the DRS but "was it too late?" the commentators questioned.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Lap 23 saw Webber, Alonso and Hamilton all pit again and yet again Hamilton had a problem with his left rear leaving him stationary for a mammoth 12.2 seconds while his pit time hit 30.622 seconds. Hamilton had an identical problem from the first pit stop with his left rear wheel nut not working properly. For the second time in the race Rosberg forced someone wide and off-road in the straight before turn 4, this time Alonso was his victim.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Alonso was very vocal on the radio on Rosberg's actions which saw the stewards again decide to look at the incident after the race and not during it. Lap 25 saw Maldonado behind the duelling Rosberg and Alonso obtain a left rear puncture which sent him into a 360-degree spin and forced him to retire.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Lap 31 saw Vettel lead from the two Lotus cars and Webber. By this stage it was clear that di Resta was on a two-stop strategy along with Sauber's Kobayshi. Räikkönen also started to catch leader Vettel and was within the DRS zone on lap 33. Vettel was told on his radio to dig deep and find some pace to defend with. Räikkönen moved ever closer to Vettel and on lap 36 attempted an overtake down the inside but then under braking switched to the outside unsuccessfully.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Vettel was told "push to pass" meaning he was able to use his maximum 18,000rpm down the main straight to defend against Räikkönen and his DRS. Presumably Vettel had been shifting gear at under the permitted 18,000rpm limit in a bid to save fuel, as consequently Vettel stopped right after the completion of the race at the pit exit.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Lap 39 saw Hamilton set the fastest lap at the time from 10th position. It also saw the last round of pit stops from leader Vettel, Räikkönen and Red Bull driver Webber. Backmarkers were now starting to be lapped, some for the second occasion of the race. After the pit stops, where both Vettel and Räikkönen both chose medium tyres, the gap that between them was under a second was out to more than three seconds. All of the top 10 were now on the preferred medium compound.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Räikkönen was told on lap 46 that they expect to catch Vettel at the end because of Vettel's predicted higher tyre degradation. Kobayshi was in 11th on a two-stop strategy but was lapping nearly two-seconds slower than his rivals and thus pitted for a third time on lap 50. Räikkönen briefly fought back to trail the leader by less than three seconds, but then slipped back to the previous three-second plus margin. Rosberg caught di Resta in 5th as the Scotsman started to lose tyre performance.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
A desperate di Resta was told via team radio to use a double KERS boost on the start/finish straight, meaning to use his remaining KERS out of the final corner and also to use his new KERS that gets reset when crossing the start/finish line. Finally, the Mercedes of Rosberg managed to pass the Force India and quickly pushed ahead. Di Resta, now in 6th, now found himself under pressure from Button after losing four seconds in three laps. Amazingly lucky for di Resta, just as Button was in the DRS zone and would most likely pass the Scotsman, Button developed a left rear puncture and pitted immediately leaving di Resta in 6th place and Button out of points contention in 12th.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Senna retired with three laps to go making it a double retirement for the Williams team. Nico Rosberg had a broken exhaust for some time but was told not worry by the team during lap 56. On the same lap Button had a worrying sound come from his McLaren-Mercedes engine and was forced to retire from the race. Going into the final lap, the double world champion led with Räikkönen, Grosjean and Webber a cut above the other drivers. Crossing the line Vettel claimed his 17th victory starting from pole position and his 22nd overall.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
It was also the first win for both Vettel and Red Bull for the 2012 season. His engineer told him to stop at the pit exit instead of completing a victory lap most likely due to low fuel. The two Lotus cars were next to cross the line with Räikkönen (2nd) achieving his first podium since the 2009 Italian Grand Prix where he drove for Scuderia Ferrari. Romain Grosjean finished third which was his best ever result in Formula One, surpassing his previous best of 6th place from last round.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
With his podium, Grosjean was also the first Frenchman to reach podium in almost 14 years (Jean Alesi in 1998 was the last time it occurred). Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished 4th for the fourth consecutive time this season leaving him as clearly the most consistent driver of the 2012 championship so far.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Some 55 seconds from the lead was Nico Rosberg who was lucky not to get penalised by the stewards for dangerous driving. Di Resta managed to hold off the Ferrari of Alonso by less than 0.3 of a second and made his two-stop strategy work effectively to claim 6th place and equal his best ever Formula One result (2011 Singapore Grand Prix). Alonso later said that it was a "shame that I was missing one more straight to get past Di Resta in the end".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Hamilton, who lost around fifteen seconds through wasted pit stop time, was a disappointing 8th; while behind him Felipe Massa picked up his first points of the year by finishing 9th. Further back was Schumacher who did well to claim the final point after starting from the 22nd grid position. Both Sauber and Scuderia Toro Rosso lacked race pace and were out of the points meanwhile at the back the Caterham F1 team performed the best of the bottom three teams.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
In four races the 2012 Formula One championship has had four different points leaders and four different winners, highlighting the unpredictability of this year's field.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Support events
The event took place between 20 and 22 April where throughout the weekend there was a range of support events. Taking part in the 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix program was the first round of the 2012 Porsche Supercup season (2 races); the second round of the 2012 GP2 Series (1 feature race, 1 sprint race); and the WGA Supercars ME Championship (two 7 lap races).


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Classification, Race
Note: Button and Senna both did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race winner's distance.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests
The 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix returned to Bahrain after the 2011 race was cancelled due to ongoing anti-government protests.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests
The decision to hold the race despite ongoing protests and violence has been described as "controversial" by Al Jazeera English, CNN, AFP and Sky News. The Independent named it "one of the most controversial in the history of the sport".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
The 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled due to civil unrest on 21 February 2011 at the request of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Bahrain Motor Federation. One month after an attempt by the FIA World Motor Sport Council to reinstate the race with an October date failed, the FIA released a provisional calendar for the 2012 season, re-instating the Bahrain Grand Prix. The event was originally given a November date so as to allow for stability to return to the country. A second provisional calendar was released in July, with the Bahrain Grand Prix brought forward to 22 April. This was later confirmed with the release of the final season calendar in December 2011.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
With pre-season testing for the 2012 season starting in February 2012, the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix became the focus of renewed speculation. Several teams expressed concern over the state of the country as early as the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, while the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights urged the teams to boycott the race amid renewed political disturbances in the country, claiming that the Bahrain government was attempting to use the race to present the country as being stable.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
Bernie Ecclestone maintained his stance on the race going ahead, while 1996 World Champion Damon Hill stated his belief that Formula One could return to Bahrain "with a clear conscience" after visiting the country. However, Hill changed his stance just two weeks later, stating that the race could "create more problems than it solved". He elaborated further, cautioning against "indifference" and urging the sport not to take political sides. Fellow former World Champion Jackie Stewart expressed his support for the race taking place, warning that cancelling the Grand Prix could be even more damaging to the sport than holding it.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
"The FIA, like many in the diplomatic community in the kingdom, the main political opposition [...] believes the staging of a Grand Prix would be beneficial in bridging some of the difficulties Bahrain is experiencing. The FIA is not in a position to influence political matters in a sovereign country such as Bahrain and we can only wish for a long-term peaceful solution."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
The FIA's stance on the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix as of 19 February 2012.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
"What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead. It would be a bad state of affairs, and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold the race. That is not what this sport should be about."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
Former World Champion Damon Hill, voicing concerns over the race going ahead as planned.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
"You've got to be very careful because if you were to say the Bahrain Grand Prix should not take place, then will there be pressure on Russia, for example, for the Winter Olympics when they come round in 2014? Will there be demonstrations because Russia is still trying to create democracy? [ ...] You've got to be very careful. If this race is cancelled then I think it is a very backward position to have in sport. We have already got a model in Northern Ireland where football continued to be played and so did rugby and so did motorcycling."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, 2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
Former World Champion Jackie Stewart on the ramifications of cancelling the race.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
In January 2012, human rights groups in the country urged teams to boycott the 2012 race amid ongoing conflict in the country. In February, a protest organisation calling itself the February 14 Youth Coalition wrote to Bernie Ecclestone, threatening to "do everything in [their] capacity to ensure the failure of the race" if it went ahead. They further added they could not guarantee the safety of teams, drivers, and spectators if the race went ahead. Ecclestone was unconcerned about the threat, stating he did not feel the protesters needed to resort to violence, and expressing confidence event organisers would not respond to any opposition with force. World Drivers' Champions Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher also supported the race going ahead.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
On 28 March 2012, Ecclestone confirmed the event would go ahead. Four days later, protesters revived their campaign against the race, with police breaking up demonstrations in Abu Saiba and Tubli. Activists also turned to Twitter in an effort to see the event cancelled. By the end of the first week of April, it was reported that the focus of the protest movement had shifted to the race, with activists accusing the government of using the race to "[try and] cheat the international community, telling them everything is back to normal".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
The government rejected these claims, with circuit chairman Zayed al-Zayani putting the race forward as being in the interests of all involved, and that it would bring economic benefits to the region that could not be ignored. al-Zayani further claimed that he did not understand why the race was being made into a political issue, and was instead quoted as saying "the race is taking place because Bahrain has been the home of motorsport in the Middle East", and accused "armchair observers" and "scaremongering extremists" of attempting to create a moral panic over the race. Activists denied these claims, reiterating their belief that the government was attempting to use the race to "tell the outside world that the whole thing is back to normal" and that "they want to come back from isolation and say that everything is back to normal".


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
Following the anti-race protests, Ecclestone admitted he had no power to force the teams into racing in Bahrain if they did not want to. The same day, The Guardian quoted an unnamed team principal as saying he was "uncomfortable" with going to Bahrain, and "the only way they [the organisers] can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lockdown there. And I think that would be unacceptable, both for F1 and for Bahrain. But I don't see any other way they can do it."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
He acknowledged that, although there had been no restrictions on travel to Bahrain issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as of two weeks prior to the race, and no objections to travelling to the country by the insurance companies that insure the teams, several teams shared similar reservations about the race going ahead.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Civilian protests against the race
With the race scheduled to take place one week after the Chinese Grand Prix, it was further claimed that teams had been issued with two return tickets — one from Shanghai direct to England, and one from Shanghai to England via Bahrain — in the event of the Bahrain Grand Prix's cancellation. Ecclestone downplayed these comments, claiming that none of the twelve teams had expressed any reservations to him about racing, and adding that any team who failed to race would be in breach of the Concorde Agreement and potentially facing a financial penalty.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
During preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix, one week before the race in Bahrain, Zayed al-Zayani drew attention to a report commissioned by Lotus F1 predicting protests over the race would be limited to peaceful demonstrations, and aside from a slight increase in police presence, spectators "would not notice the difference" between the 2010 and 2012 events. The report by Lotus was substantiated by a briefing from John Yates, former Assistant Commissioner to the London Metropolitan Police Service and advisor to the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior, stating the protests were unlawful and being misrepresented in the media.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
Yates later admitted there was no way the Bahraini government could guarantee anybody's safety for the duration of the race meeting, and security forces might be forced to use live ammunition and lethal force in the event of an incident during the Grand Prix.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
Following this and warnings that the protests could result in casualties, Nabeel Rajab — president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights — offered reassurances that nobody within the Formula One community would be hurt in the protests, and that the protests were not a personal attack on the sport, but rather against the political implications of the race going ahead.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
"I am particularly concerned that those intimately involved in F1 – drivers, teams, sponsors, media and supporters wishing to attend – are being presented with a distorted picture. This picture is being shaped by a huge amount of inaccurate and often deliberately false information being spread through social media forums. Some troubles do still exist. The almost nightly skirmishes that take place in certain villages are a potential block on progress and are putting those involved in their policing and innocent members of the public in significant danger.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
However, in spite of how these events may be portrayed through the medium of YouTube and other outlets, their significance should not be overplayed. These are now lawful protests, which are permitted, but violent conduct by a very small minority – often groups of 15–20 young men. These are criminal acts being perpetrated against an unarmed police force who, in the face of such attacks, are acting with remarkable restraint. These people are intent on causing harm to the police and the communities in which they live. They are not representative of the vast majority of delightful, law-abiding citizens that represent the real Bahrain that I see every day. Along with my family, I feel completely safe. Indeed, safer than I have often felt in London."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
Briefing by John Yates, former assistant commissioner to the London Metropolitan Police Service, to the FIA and Formula One teams, dated 12 April 2012.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
Members of the Formula One Teams Association responded to media speculation that they would see the race cancelled, stating that they did not have the power to cancel a Grand Prix, while Bernie Ecclestone announced that the race would only be cancelled at the request of Bahraini authorities. When asked about their feelings on the Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren and Red Bull Racing drivers Jenson Button and Mark Webber both called for unity within the sport on the subject, calling upon the FIA to make the most informed decision possible.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response
On 13 April, the FIA released a statement concluding it was satisfied with the state of affairs in Bahrain, and that the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix would be going ahead as planned. Following a meeting between the teams and Ecclestone in Shanghai, the teams declared themselves to be happy with the decision to hold the race. The decision attracted objection from human rights advocates, with Amnesty International describing the situation as being "no better" than in 2011, while The Times reported teams had relieved staff members who objected to competing in Bahrain of their positions. McLaren and Mercedes declared their support for the race going ahead, with McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh quoted as saying McLaren would race in Bahrain so long as the event remained on the calendar.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response, Comparisons to 2006 Turkish Grand Prix political incident
At the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, race winner Felipe Massa was presented his trophy by Mehmet Ali Talat, who was referred to as "President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", a state that is only recognised by Turkey. The FIA investigated after the government of the Republic of Cyprus formally complained, fining the organisers of the race $5 million (TRY₺2,787,068), with an FIA spokesperson commenting that "political neutrality is fundamental to the FIA's role as the governing body of international motor sport. No compromise or violation of this neutrality is acceptable", which is reflected in Article 1 of the FIA Statutes, which states that "the FIA shall refrain from manifesting racial, political or religious discrimination in the course of its activities and from taking any action in this respect."


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response, Comparisons to 2006 Turkish Grand Prix political incident
In the build-up to the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, commentators noted that organisers of the race were promoting the race under the slogan UNIF1ED — One Nation In Celebration, with the 'fi' in 'unified' stylised as an 'F1'.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response, Comparisons to 2006 Turkish Grand Prix political incident
In an opinion piece posted on his website, journalist Keith Collantine described the campaign as being political in nature, and that the FIA's response was "[making] a mockery of the FIA’s claim of political neutrality" under their own statutes, while Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz commented that "every single team boss and every single person I’ve spoken to in Formula 1 has said, ‘I tell you what, though: they shouldn’t have done that UniF1ed’ – not least because you’re not allowed to use Formula 1 for any political aims". When asked about the "UNIF1ED" campaign, Jean Todt avoided the question.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, The FIA's response, Comparisons to 2006 Turkish Grand Prix political incident
Journalists reporting on the conflict passed the opinion that the "UNIF1ED" campaign had failed to present the country as united, and instead had the opposite effect.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Pressure from the international diplomatic community
As the race drew closer, several British Members of Parliament — including Jeremy Corbyn, Peter Bottomley, Bob Russell, and Andy Slaughter — called for the immediate cancellation of the race, expressing concerns, "the Formula One race will be used by the Bahrain government as an endorsement of its policies of suppression of dissent". The Labour Party also appealed directly to British drivers Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta to boycott the race. Labour leader Ed Miliband and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper openly called for the race to be cancelled.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Pressure from the international diplomatic community
In a letter addressed to Red Bull and News Corporation CEOs Dietrich Mateschitz and Rupert Murdoch, Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander urged the teams, media, and sponsors to boycott the event. While not explicitly referencing the Grand Prix, the White House condemned the violence on both sides of the conflict. On 19 April, it emerged that several sponsors, including Royal Dutch Shell, Vodafone and UBS, would not be using the race to entertain clients and partners. Corporate hospitality agencies also withdrew from the event, with some experiencing a downturn in business of up to eighty percent.


2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests, Events leading up to the race, Pressure from the international diplomatic community
FIA President Jean Todt maintained his stance that the country was secure, and was quoted as saying "it is clear the Grand Prix can go ahead. There has been some controversy about it but the FIA is a sports organisation. We are only interested in sport, not politics". Bernie Ecclestone continued to describe the country as "quiet and peaceful", despite riot police attacking a crowd of protestors with stun grenades and pro-democracy activists calling for "days of rage" in the days preceding the race.