Pastor Maldonado gave Williams-Renault their first grand prix victory since Brazil 2004 in an exciting 2012 version of the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Venezuelan, known for his aggressive driving style, fended off late threats from local hero Fernando Alonso , to clinch his maiden Formula 1 win.
Fernando Alonso was the biggest contender for a win, but the Spaniard couldn’t mount a proper challenge as he settled for second place, ahead of late-charging Kimi Raikkonen.
Lotus driver Romain Grosjean finished in the points for the second consecutive time, crossing the finish line in 4th place, followed by Sauber’s feisty Kamui Kobayashi.
Sebastian Vettel’s hopes of a podium finish were ruined after a drive through penalty for ignoring yellow flags; the German charged from 9th, overtaking Button, Hamilton and Rosberg to finish 6th.
Lewis Hamilton drove a fantastic race from 24th on the grid to finish 8th, behind Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who struggled for pace throughout the race.
Jenson Button didn’t look like a genuine threat as the Briton lacked the pace during the whole weekend, he ended up 9th, followed by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in 10th.
Maldonado’s win signals the fifth win for five different drivers in five different teams, making the 2012 season extremely unpredictable.
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Maldonado Williams-Renault 1h39:09.145 2. Alonso Ferrari + 3.195 3. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 3.884 4. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 14.799 5. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:14.641 6. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 1:17.576 7. Rosberg Mercedes + 1:27.919 8. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 1:28.100 9. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:25.200 10. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap 11. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 1 lap 12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap 13. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap 14. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap 15. Massa Ferrari + 1 lap 16. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap 17. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap 18. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps 19. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps