Sebastian Vettel took his fourth victory of the season leading his Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber to a one-two finish in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This result also confirmed Vettel as championship runner-up behind Jenson Button. The 2009 world champion came home in third behind the victorious Red Bulls though he did had an opportunity to snatch second with a late-race duel with Webber. It was a thrilling contest to see the pair fighting over the position but at the chequered flag, the Australian just managed to hold off the Briton.
Despite that Button has ended his championship season with a podium finish, his first since the Italian Grand Prix, while his Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello survived a clash with Webber’s Red Bull on the opening lap which broke part of the front wing endplate to finish in fourth.
Competing in BMW Sauber’s final race, Nick Heidfeld recorded a solid fifth place (a nice send-off for the team) while the impressive Kamui Kobayashi scored his first championship points for Toyota in only his second appearance as a Grand Prix driver. Team-mate Jarno Trulli was seventh with Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi taking the final point with eighth.
As for the race favourite, Lewis Hamilton, who started the twilight Grand Prix in pole position, the McLaren driver was forced to retire with a rear brake issue. It was a shame as he was the quickest all weekend and this non-finish was a disappointment, though the development of the MP4-24 in the late stages of this season has given optimism for Lewis into next year.
Just finishing outside the points was Nico Rosberg, racing for the last time at Williams, followed by Robert Kubica (BMW Sabuer), Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).
After a poor qualifying session, Fernando Alonso was unable to recover from a low grid position and to finish in P14 was not the ideal way to end his seven-year stint at Renault.
The same can be said to Giancarlo Fisichella. Representing the Scuderia for the last time and potentially racing in his final race in Formula One, the Italian finished in a disappointing P16. Speeding in the pit lane didn’t help matters for Giancarlo…
And so ends the 2009 Formula One World Championship. Red Bull Racing might have missed out on the championship honours, but scoring a hat-trick of wins is an impressive achievement for the outfit. Can Vettel and the Red Bull team challenge Button and Brawn GP next year for title honours? Let’s wait and see when the new season commences in Bahrain in March 2010.
Race results from the Yas Marina circuit, 55 laps:
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h34:03.314
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault +17.857
3. Button Brawn-Mercedes +18.467
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes +22.735
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +26.253
6. Kobayashi Toyota +28.343
7. Trulli Toyota +34.366
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +41.294
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +45.941
10. Kubica BMW Sauber +48.180
11. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +52.798
12. Raikkonen Ferrari +54.317
13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +59.839
14. Alonso Renault +1:09.687
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +1:34.450
16. Grosjean Renault +1 lap
17. Fisichella Ferrari +1 lap
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:40.279
Not classified/retirements:
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 21 laps
Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 19 laps
World Championship standings, round 17:
Drivers:
1. Button 95
2. Vettel 84
3. Barrichello 77
4. Webber 69.5
5. Hamilton 49
6. Raikkonen 48
7. Rosberg 34.5
8. Trulli 32.5
9. Alonso 26
10. Glock 24
11. Kovalainen 22
12. Massa 22
13. Heidfeld 19
14. Kubica 17
15. Fisichella 8
16. Buemi 6
17. Sutil 5
18. Kobayashi 3
19. Bourdais 2
Constructors:
1. Brawn-Mercedes 172
2. Red Bull-Renault 153.5
3. McLaren-Mercedes 71
4. Ferrari 70
5. Toyota 59.5
6. BMW Sauber 36
7. Williams-Toyota 34.5
8. Renault 26
9. Force India-Mercedes 13
10. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
The views from the race winner courtesy from Autosport.com:
Sebastian Vettel hailed his victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the perfect way to finish the 2009 season.
The Red Bull driver dominated the Yas Marina event once McLaren rival Lewis Hamilton retired, scoring his fourth win of the season to secure second place in the drivers’ championship.
Vettel started from second position but took the lead once leader Hamilton was forced to retire after a brake problem.
After that, the German was in control of the race, leading team-mate Mark Webber and world champion Jenson Button.
“It was a fantastic race,” said Vettel. “We had a very good launch, a good start. It was not enough to out-accelerate Lewis but it was close, I was surprised.
“Then going on the long back straight he pushed the [KERS] button and that was it, he disappeared into the distance. I was able to stay close, we knew we were heavier but I was able to keep with him. There was a lot of pressure in the pitstops.
“After that he retired but it was a fantastic race. I had a gap to Jenson and Mark behind so I was able to pace myself, but the car was fantastic on both tyres. It was a pleasure to sit in the car tonight.
“To sum up the season, it is up and down. The second half we have been very strong, fourth 1-2 for Red Bull, so congratulation to the team. They have been pushing a lot, working a lot.
“It is a perfect way to finish the season on a high.”
The German, who lost his chances of fighting for the title in the previous race in Brazil, admitted he was proud to have secured the runner-up spot.
“I am very proud,” he said. “Obviously I think there was a misunderstanding in Brazil that I didn’t have the chance, so congratulations to Brawn and Button.
“After Brazil, coming here we knew we had a very, very strong package and the priority number one was to secure second in the drivers’ championship, and we succeeded. To do it with victory is the best possible result.”
Vettel, whose team was the strongest in the second half of the season, is now hoping Red Bull can keep its momentum going and fight on top again in 2010.
“It would be very good to continue like that,” he said. “Now we face a long winter, especially for all us drivers, there’s long break with no testing. Back in England, back in the factory, the guys are pushing very hard. The cars do not change much until next year but you cannot refuel, so it is a bit unknown.
“This season was very special, I remember a couple of years back those two were driving and I was watching. Hopefully the next one will be as exciting as this one. I’m definitely looking forward.
“We had a very, very good season, some positive but some things we did wrong. It is not a shame, we just need to know and understand why that happened and come back next year.”
Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As taken from Autosport.com.
Mark Webber admitted that second was the best he could have achieved in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after rounding out a Red Bull Racing one-two.
The Australian held off the challenge of Jenson Button in the closing stages, but reckoned that he never had the pace to challenge team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
“Second place was as good as I was going to get today,” said Webber. “From the start we had a pretty good launch. I had a look on the outside of Sebastian, but the main aim was to get inside and get a good exit.
“I got hit quite hard [by Rubens Barrichello] and I was worried I had a puncture, but team told me pressure was okay. Seb was just that bit quicker today.”
Webber added that the decision to short-fuel at his first pitstop to stay ahead of Button set up their dramatic final-lap battle.
“We had a bit of a short fill so JB got to do some good laps on the overfill,” said Webber. “I thought it would be quite tight in the end.
“It is pretty dusty off line. I got a bit hoppy on one of the last laps, I knew two big stops key to the lap he wasn’t going to do much elsewhere. Jenson’s overtaking has been good this year so I knew I had to be pretty good.”
Webber, whose second place was his eighth podium of the season, is confident that Red Bull will start next season in contention for wins after finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship.
“We have an incredible team back at factory,” said Webber. “Next year there is absolutely no reason whatever for us not to be starting at the front. I would prefer to be in our position than other teams. We cannot get complacent as this is F1 but we are confident.”
Plus the new world champion on finishing third at the Yas Marina circuit. Autosport.com article.
Jenson Button described his return to the podium in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as a ‘bonus’ after clinching the world championship a fortnight earlier in Brazil.
The Brawn driver almost took second place in a tight late battle with Red Bull’s Mark Webber, but had to settle for the final step on the podium in what was only his second top three finish since his last win at Istanbul in June.
Button had been 12s behind Webber in the middle of the race before finding a lot more pace on soft tyres in his final stint.
“I was struggling a bit with the prime tyre but I tried to make the best out of it,” he said. “After the second stop I found I had very good grip and had good initial turn in and that was why I was able to close down Mark.”
He said he had thoroughly enjoyed the dice with Webber, which saw the two cars wheel to wheel under braking twice on the last lap.
“I couldn’t make the move stick,” said Button. “I was very excited by that battle but Mark is a very difficult person to overtake. We were clean but on the edge. It’s disappointing not to get second place but I enjoyed the fight.
“Today was a bonus after winning title in Brazil, I enjoyed driving this weekend. After Brazil it would have been easy to say let’s enjoy ourselves and not worry about Abu Dhabi – but we did.
“We should be proud of what we achieved. But [Red Bull] had the legs on us so we could not challenge.”
Kamui Kobayashi admitted he did not expect to achieve such a strong result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Toyota driver, in only his second Formula 1 race, finished in sixth position after a superb performance from 12th on the grid.
The Japanese rookie even beat team-mate Jarno Trulli, seventh today.
“It was a really good race for me,” said Kobayashi. “At the start I overtook (Kimi) Raikkonen and that was important in the end because it would have been difficult to finish in the top six if I had been behind him during the first stint.
“When I got past I was confident I had the race pace to fight for the points and my target was to be consistently fast. The team did a great job with the strategy and the pit stop which played a big part in helping me finish in the points.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting to be racing in Formula 1 this season and I want to say thank you to Toyota for this opportunity.
“My target was to finish in the points today but I am a bit surprised to be in the top six. This is a fantastic result and I am extremely happy.”
Trulli said he endured a difficult day as he struggled with traction.
“It was not an easy race for me,” he said. “I made a good start and was fighting with the BMWs on the first laps, which was good fun, but I was struggling a little with traction. During the stint the rear tyres were degrading and then later braking consistency became an issue.
“I was pushing as hard as possible and putting in some good laps to fight for the top six. In the end I was seventh, which is not bad, and for the team the result is pretty good. Obviously Kamui drove really well and I am very pleased for him; he deserved this result.”
Source: Autosport.com
Nico Rosberg is disappointed that he was unable to secure sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship in his final race for Williams after only managing ninth place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The German qualified ninth and and took advantage of Robert Kubica’s spin to move ahead of the Pole, but was jumped by one-stoppers Kamui Kobayashi and Sebastien Buemi and finished the race outside the points.
“I would have liked to help the team hold on to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship,” said Rosberg. “From a personal perspective, my seventh place in the driver’s table wasn’t challenged and I think this was a good result this year in the circumstances.
“It’s been a long season and I would really like to thank all the team for their effort during the last four years. We have had a great time together.”
Chief operations engineer Rod Nelson blamed getting stuck behind Jarno Trulli’s Toyota for Rosberg failing to improve ninth place, although even if the German had got ahead of Buemi the team would still have missed out on sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship to BMW Sauber by half a point.
“It was naturally disappointing not to be able to retain our championship position today, but well done to BMW,” said Nelson. “We will miss them next year.
“The car wasn’t quick enough and a few incidents in the race compounded the situation. Losing time behind Trulli meant the one-stopping Kobayashi could get ahead of Nico, which made it very difficult to maintain our points margin.”
Kazuki Nakajima, also in his final start for Williams, rounded out a pointless season with 11th place and blamed a difficult first stint for his failure to get into contention for a top eight finish.
“It wasn’t easy running on a one-stop today and I didn’t feel that the first stint went well,” said Nakajima. “The middle of the race was more affected by traffic, but there was nothing to do except keep plugging away for 55 laps, but it was a good battle and I enjoyed myself.”
Source: Autosport.com
Nick Heidfeld admitted he had to do his best to stay focussed during an emotional final laps for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The German completed one of his strongest performances of the season to secure fifth place in the Yas Marina race, which was also the last for BMW, who is leaving Formula 1.
It could also be the last race for the team, who still has no place on the 2010 grid.
An emotional Heidfeld said he found it hard to keep his concentration during the final moments of the race.
“I am very happy with my fifth place,” he said. “It was a good race in which I was able to get the maximum out of the car and score four points, which was enough to reach our target for the end of the season to overtake Williams in the Constructors’ Championship.
“After I have been a little unlucky in recent races, this time I was really able to exploit the car’s potential. For quite a long period I was able to go at the same speed as the world champion’s car, the Brawn. The strategy to go for a rather long stint paid off and the track was even more fun when it had more rubber on it.
“It is a pleasing end to our last season together. It now becomes very emotional. During the last laps I had to pull myself together in order to keep my concentration.”
Team-mate Robert Kubica finished in a disappointing 10th position after he struggled for pace following his first pitstop.
“I lost the race in the second stint when I was very slow, while in the first stint I was able to go at quite a good pace, similar to Rubens,” Kubica said. “The car was working very well. After changing tyres I had no grip at all. The track was getting quicker and I just could not go at the pace of the other drivers.
“This was very strange. My fight with Sebastien Buemi was quite tough and a bit dangerous. We nearly touched when braking into the chicane. He first moved to the left and blocked the inside of the left hander. When I moved to the right he pushed me over the high inside kerb of the right hander section of the chicane and I spun.
“He did not leave any space at all. Thanks a lot to the team for the last four years. I hope to meet them back on the grid next year.”
Source: Autosport.com
Fernando Alonso put an end to the “most amazing seven years” of his career after finishing in a disappointing 14th position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Spaniard completed his final race with the Renault team before moving to Ferrari, where he is hoping to finish his career.
Sunday’s result was not what Alonso was hoping for his Renault farewell, but the two-time world champion said he will never forget the team and his successes with it.
“The result today is disappointing as we were not able to produce the performance we wanted,” said Alonso.
“I would have liked to finish the season on a high, especially as this was my last race with Renault.
“I would like to thank the entire team for everything that we have achieved together over the years. We had some great victories and won championships together.
“It has been the most amazing seven years of my career and something I will never forget.”
Team-mate Romain Grosjean was also disappointed with his race result after finishing down in 16th position.
“The race today was disappointing,” he said. “I made a good start but I was blocked several times. I also suffered with some brake problems during the race.
“Towards the end I unfortunately lost a place to Fisichella, which was a shame, but the performance of the car didn’t really allow me to show what I was capable of today. It’s now the end of the season and I can say that I have learnt an enormous amount this year, especially being teammate to Fernando.”
Source: Autosport.com
After dominating all weekend Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with brake problems. Read on for the 2008 world champion’s view on the race courtesy from Autosport.com:
Lewis Hamilton believes that he and McLaren were unable to show their true pace in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after battling brake problems that ultimately forced his retirement.
Pre-race favourite Hamilton led from the start, but a problem with the right-rear brake pad began to show up on the team’s data on lap three.
He retired as a precaution after losing top spot to Sebastian Vettel in the first round of pitstops, with the team’s preliminary investigation suggesting a one-off faulty brake pad.
“I had a good start, but I realised early on that something wasn’t right with the brakes,” said Hamilton. “After three or four laps, it became clear that there was a problem with my right-rear brake pad, so I couldn’t open up the gap back to Sebastian and Mark [Webber].
“When the problem got worse, the team radioed me and told me to stop at the end of the lap. Of course, it’s a shame that we couldn’t show the performance we’d had throughout the weekend – but sometimes that’s racing.
“However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts: who’d have thought we’d finish third in the Constructors’ Championship at the start of this season? It’s been an incredible year, and now I can’t wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again.”
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh paid tribute to Hamilton’s performance, and admitted that it could have been dangerous to allow him to continue to run with the faulty brake pad.
“Lewis drove absolutely superbly all weekend – in fact he drove absolutely superbly all year,” said Whitmarsh.
“Today, though, after just five laps, his right rear brake pad began to show signs of an unusual level of wear – a rogue pad, we think – and as a result we had to stop him for safety reasons. That was an enormous pity, because up to that point he’d shown blistering pace every day.”
Whitmarsh said that he was proud of his team crowning its impressive turnaround after starting the season well off the pace by clinching third in the Constructors’ Championship.
“The fact that we beat Ferrari to third place is of course a matter of pride to us, and I want to pay tribute to all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for the superhuman efforts they all made in achieving that milestone,” said Whitmarsh.
“Ferrari are always formidable opponents for us, and next year we hope to beat them again – this time for first place rather than third.”
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali said he was sorry his team missed out on third place in the Constructors’ Championship by a single point following a difficult Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari’s chances of taking third back from McLaren were boosted when Lewis Hamilton retired from the Yas Marina race, neither Kimi Raikkonen nor Giancarlo Fisichella managed to score any points.
Raikkonen finished in 11th, with Fisichella down in 17th and so McLaren secured third place in the standings.
Domenicali said the team knew it was in for a difficult end to the season after deciding to switch its effort to the 2010 car.
“It’s disappointing to see third place in the Constructors’ Championship elude us by a single point, but we have to accept the verdict dished out on track,” said Domenicali.
“We took a strategic decision regarding the development of the F60 a few months ago and we knew that, as time went by, the road ahead would get ever steeper.
“All the same, I wish to congratulate the entire team who, despite the difficult situation, continued to keep their concentration up, getting on with their work with determination and tenacity.
“Now we must continue to work on the design of the new car, because we have a very simple aim: that of getting back to being in the fight for race wins.”
Domenicali also paid tribute to Raikkonen after the Finn’s last race with the team.
“This was Kimi’s last race with us and again today he gave it his all,” he added. “We are very disappointed that this year, we did not give him a competitive car and I thank him for never having thrown in the towel, in fact, fighting even harder when the situation was at its trickiest.”
He added: “That thanks extends to all our drivers: to Felipe who went through a dramatic moment in Budapest and is recovering quickly to be 100% for the start of next season; to Luca [Badoer], who accepted the challenge to put himself in the game in a very difficult moment; to Giancarlo who in order to realise his dream of racing for Ferrari, left a team just as it was going through its best part of the season.
“Again today, he did his utmost right to the final kilometer. I am proud of our drivers, as I am of everyone who works in our team and I am sure that every one of them will know how to learn the right lessons from this season and will be even more motivated to try and redeem themselves immediately.”
Source: Autosport.com
And so 2009 F1 is at an end, and the countdown begins to March 2010 which on paper and possible driver combinations could mean its going to be an awesome season.
However, they said the same about this year, and apart for a few things, the car changes did squat, but more on that later.
On to Abu Dhabi. Well, lets face it, it was dull. Right until the end with a great battle for 3rd with Jenson and Webber. The rest of it was flat and lifeless, despite it being what must sure be the great venue ever! I did love the day/night timing and it suited the incredible backdrop of the circuit. Though as Martin Brundle said, the helicopter fly-by’s were better looking at Singapore.
The actual circuit was much better than I first thought after watching the single “demo” footage shown to us earlier. The pit lane was a great change in structure though no crashes in it…shame. It certainly looked hard work for the drivers as Vettel seemed utterly knackered on the podium, and normally he is very composed looking after a race. Next to Lewis, I think he must be the fittest driver on the grid ( ha ha stop smirking at the back! ).
Abu will of course be Bernie’s play pen, which kinda makes me want to hate it with all the passion I hate working for Toyota! And believe me, that’s a whole lot of hate. It certainly will bring in some massive money each and every year. Brundle’s grid walk was utter chaos, it was just rammed from pole to last position.
So yeah it was great to look at, but not much else. But just one thing. It could have looked soooooo much better, but for one thing. the BBC?! Yeah no effing HD. The gits! Despite being told it would be shot in HD from nearly the first race of the season, it was assumed the Beeb would show it in HD. But know, the ugly face of “assumption is the mother of all ‘k-ups” rings oh so true. Now I can kinda of see a reason why.
Showing a 3 hour prog in HD, no less BBC HD which is way better than any other HD program on SKY ( though it has dropped in quality recently ), would cost a huge amount of money. It would fall outside the contract the Beeb has with SKY, so they would really pay for it. Now depending on what happens next year with HD broadcast will depend on what we see. If all the races go to HD, I highly doubt the Beeb will show all of them in HD. Seeing as it’s not their feed, but the FIA’s, then Auntie cannot sell it on to other countries like they do so much of their terrestrial TV. So despite the glee i would get from seeing F1 in HD, I’m not counting my chickens. Not even just a little one. Gutted, but that’s money for you, and as we all know, it makes the world go round and of course those little F1 cars too!