Sebastian Vettel led his Red Bull teammate Australian Mark Webber home in an impressive one-two triumph in Sunday’s season-ending inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first ‘day-night’
race in Formula One history.
The 22-year-old German, in commanding form on the spectacular Yas Marina circuit, took full advantage of the early retirement of Briton Lewis Hamilton with brake problems on his McLaren Mercedes to seize his fourth win of the year.
It was the Red Bull team’s fourth one-two this season, matching the record of the newly-crowned constructors’ champions Brawn GP, whose new champion driver Briton Jenson Button finished third after a tense tussle with Webber over the final laps.
The result confirmed that Vettel finished the season as runner-up in the drivers’ championship behind Button while Red Bull proved they are more than worthy of finishing second to Brawn in the teams’ championship.
In a race that started in late afternoon sunshine, but finished under dazzling floodlights, Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello finished fourth in his expected last outing for Brawn.
German Nick Heidfeld marked his last race for the departing Sauber BMW team, which is leaving Formula One, by taking fifth ahead of Japanese Kamui Kobayashi.
Italian veteran Jarno Trulli finished seventh for Toyota and Swiss Sebastien Buemi, who was 21 on Saturday, took the final point in eighth place for Toro Rosso.
Finn Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, making his final race appearance for Ferrari, finished down in 12th position and his teammate veteran Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in 16th while
two-times world champion Ferrari-bound Spaniard Fernando Alonso was 14th in his final race for Renault.
Hamilton, who had been a hot favourite to win, made a good start and was away clear of the field into the first corner while behind him there was a minor collision as Webber, starting third, was touched from behind by Barrichello as they went into the opening turn.
The incident damaged Barrichello’s front wing, part of which flew off and lodged itself into the side-pod of his teammate Button’s following Brawn.
This split second of confusion enabled Hamilton, with the help of his KERS button, to pull away up the straight and gave Button his chance to overtake his teammate for third.
The two Red Bulls, driven by Vettel and Webber, ran in second and third positions with some ease at this stage, giving the impression that they had the pace to take control.
Hamilton pitted after 17 laps, conceding the initiative to Vettel who pitted one lap later and emerged comfortably in front of Hamilton, who was experiencing vibrations, due to a right rear brake problem. Two laps later, it was all over for the 2008
champion and his team called him in to retire from the race.
Hamilton said: ”There was a problem with the brakes. I couldn’t stop the car. I was locking and locking and locking. It was harder than ever to drive the car.
”It’s a shame as the car felt so good these last couple of days, but we haven’t had many brake problems this year, so there you go. But I still think the whole team should be really proud of how we have recovered this season.”
In among these pit stops, Button was passed on the track by an aggressive move from Kobayashi in his Toyota, the Japanese forcing his way by the new champion at the end of the long back straight.
Webber and the rest also pitted amid chaos for Red Bull and Toro Rosso when the latter team’s Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari came in and stopped at the wrong garage. He was sent straight out and after 22 laps retired when he stopped at turn 14.
All of this left the two Red Bulls out in front with Vettel leading ahead of Webber by 7,5 seconds with Kobayashi, yet to make a stop, running third and Button fourth ahead of Barrichello and Raikkonen, sixth for Ferrari, but also without making a pit-stop.
By lap 28, the sun was gone and darkness descending, giving the one billion euros circuit an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how dazzling it looks when dressed for night. The lights on the Yas
hotel roof-skin switched to blue, purple and red, as if to signal the Red Bull superiority. – AFP
