F1 2010 Abu Dhabi GP

[Bartek S.]

Circuit length: 3.45 miles (5.552 km)
Number of laps: 55
Race length: 189.739 miles (305.355 km)
Joined F1 calendar: 2009
Previous winner: Sebastian Vettel
Previous polesitter: Lewis Hamilton, 1:40.948
Lap record: 1:40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2009)

Facts and figures for Sunday's Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.

TITLES
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso can become Formula One's youngest triple world champion at the age of 29.
Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna were both 31 when they took their third titles. Only eight drivers have ever won three championships.
Red Bull's Mark Webber would be the first Australian champion since Alan Jones in 1980 and only the third Australian to take the crown, the other being triple champion Jack Brabham. At 34, he would also be the oldest since Michael Schumacher in 2004 at the age of 35.
Sebastien Vettel, who was 23 on July 3, would be the youngest ever world champion. Lewis Hamilton was 23 and 301 days when he took his title in 2008.
Vettel would also be only the second German to become champion, not including the late Jochen Rindt who competed under an Austrian licence.
A Hamilton title victory, unlikely as it is, would make it three in a row for British drivers (Hamilton won in 2008, Jenson Button in 2009) for the first time since 1965 when Jim Clark clinched Britain's fourth in succession.
Red Bull have never won a drivers' championship. Ferrari have won 15, McLaren 12.
CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE
Four drivers remain mathematically in the hunt for the title.
This will be the first time that the season has gone down to a four-way battle in the final race.
There have been 25 previous last race title deciders and the driver who leads the championship after the penultimate round has won the title in 16 of them.
The title will be decided on a countback if Vettel, Webber and Alonso end up level on points. The closest title so far was the 1984 season when Austrian Niki Lauda beat France's Alain Prost by a half point.
WINS
Vettel's victory in Brazil at the weekend was his fourth of the season and ninth of his career.
One more win for Alonso would lift him level with three times champion Jackie Stewart on 27. Those ahead of him are Nigel Mansell (31), Ayrton Senna (41), Alain Prost (51) and Michael Schumacher (91).
Alonso has won five races this year. The last time a driver won five or more races and failed to win the title was in 2008, when Brazilian Felipe Massa won six to Hamilton's five.
POLES
Vettel has been on pole nine times this season. Only seven of the 18 races have been won from pole this year.
Red Bull have taken 14 poles this year and can equal the record of 15 held by McLaren (1988 and 1989) and Williams (1992 and 1993). They have also locked out the front row eight times this year.
Williams hold the record for successive poles, with 24 in a row in 1992/93.
Nico Hulkenberg's pole in Brazil was Williams' first since 2005 and first for a Cosworth-powered car since 1999.
POINTS
McLaren are the only team to have scored points in every race this year.
ABU DHABI
Abu Dhabi will be the 26th circuit to have hosted a title-deciding race.
MILESTONE
Sunday will be Bridgestone's last race as tyre supplier. Pirelli take over for 2011.

Hamilton: Pressure is off for finale

Lewis Hamilton says he can go flat-out in this weekend's Formula 1 title decider in Abu Dhabi with no pressure on his shoulders now that his championship hopes were looking remote.

The result in Brazil, where Hamilton could only finish fourth, left him 24 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso.
He therefore needs to win with Alonso failing to score, and must also hope for misfortune for Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who are nine and 16 points ahead of him respectively.
But Hamilton reckons this could be a better situation for him than leading into the final round as he had in 2007 and '08.

"I've been in the hunt for the world championship at the final race of the season on two previous occasions, so I know all about the pressure you feel when the title is almost within touching distance," he said.

"This year, it feels a little different - although I'm still mathematically in with a shout, I'm fully aware that, being 24 points behind, I'll not only need to win the race on Sunday but see the championship leader finish outside the points. And, even then, that might not be enough. So I'm not feeling the pressure in quite the same way as I did in 2007 or 2008.

"That's not to say I'm going into the race weekend feeling any less determined or motivated: we've seen before that this championship can be unpredictable and volatile - and I think this last race of the year could be even more unpredictable than normal.

"I know from personal experience that the championship isn't over until you cross the line on the final lap – so I'll not only make sure I'm up there at the end, but pushing hard until the very end.

"It's going to be a brilliant spectacle, and a great event for Formula 1 fans around the world – I absolutely can't wait."
His team-mate Jenson Button said he was taking a similar stance into the weekend, having been ruled out of title contention in Brazil.

"Obviously, it was disappointing to be ruled out of the drivers' championship in Brazil last week, but I was very pleased with my race, which was a lot of fun, and I'm already looking forward to another good performance this weekend," said the outgoing world champion.

"Last year in Abu Dhabi, I had a similarly great result – I'd lifted the pressure of the championship from my shoulders at the previous race so I was free to race hard once again. I had a great drive, enjoyed a brilliant battle with Mark right up until the very last lap, and finished on the podium.

"I'll be hoping for another strong finish this year. Most importantly, it will be my final race with the world champion's number one on my car, for this year anyway!

"It's been a great privilege and honour to carry that throughout the entire year, and I want to make sure I give it the best possible send-off this weekend."

Motorsport

 

[Bartek S.]

Thursday's press conference: Abu Dhabi

DRIVERS: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Nico Hulkenberg (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Mark Webber (Red Bull)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. A question to all the championship contenders. How do you approach this race? Do you approach it tactically, just to win, or does the approach evolve during the weekend? Lewis, from your point of view I guess it is relatively simple?
Lewis Hamilton: For me, I have nothing to lose. The guys in front of me have everything to lose, so for me I am going to be flat out as always. They have got generally faster cars than me but that doesn't mean that we cannot fight for a win. Obviously I have to win this race. That's what we plan to do.
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, I am in a little bit of a similar situation to Lewis. It is pretty easy. Some 40 years ago, or a bit more, a Formula One driver said that in these races there is no tactics, the only tactic is to go flat out. The approach hasn't changed for the last couple of races and, for myself at least, it will not change here. It is a long weekend and we try to do our best and ideally try to put us in a similar situation as in Korea and the last race and then we see.
Q. Fernando, you are in the strongest position.
Fernando Alonso: I think we will still see how Friday goes, how Saturday goes as to how we approach the race on Sunday. I think it will depend on how the weekend is going. We will change the tactics depending on how competitive we are or which positions we are.
Mark Webber: The same as Fernando. We will see how the weekend shapes up but Fernando is in the best position. Then it goes a little bit down after that, so looking forward to it. It should be good.
Q. Looking at this circuit, the strengths of your cars around this track. Where are your cars particularly good for this circuit? Nico, I know you haven't been here before?
Nico Hulkenberg: That's why I don't know. I think in Brazil it showed in the Sunday race that it was pretty tough for us to keep up with the big boys. The pace wasn't quite there, so I don't expect any magic here. I think it will be as always from around P8 to P12, that's our range. I would be very happy if we could squeeze it into the points again.
Q. Lewis, your car's strengths around here?
LH: We have got a good engine. We have got relatively good downforce. I think in general we are quite quick down the straights. Maybe we have a little bit less downforce than the guys in front, so the straight really is our main strength. There are quite a good few straights here, so overtaking is definitely not impossible here.
SV: Corners. But I think the last couple of races we were also quite competitive with our F-duct getting better and better. We shall see. It should be okay.
FA: Well, I think we don't have the cornering speed of Red Bull and maybe we don't have the straight line speed of McLaren but that has been more or less the season so far for us. We are not the best in the straight line, we are not the best in the corners, but in general overall we are always quite competitive. We can adapt to any circuit in a good way, so I feel relatively confident for the performance of the car but let's see how it is going.
MW: Same again.
Q. Nico, after the pole position in Brazil has your position for next year changed in the team? Do you know what you are doing?
NH: No, unfortunately not. There is still no news regarding Williams. For me the most important thing is to remain in Formula One next year and that's the main aim.
Q. What really clicked in Brazil or was it just the conditions and you were there at the right time?
NH: I think it was a few circumstances. We had a very good tyre pressure. I was very aggressive from the out lap with the tyres and that is why every lap was getting better and better. I was just getting more temperatures into the tyres and my car worked very well at that stage. If you see the on-board TV it was a very tidy lap with no mistakes in the conditions and I think all that together meant the pole position for us.
Q. To the remaining four title contenders. If I might ask your engine position as, of course, one or two of you have had engine problems in the last couple of races. Have you got one engine to use for the whole weekend or are you going to be chopping and changing? Lewis, what is the situation?
LH: We are in quite a strong position with engines. Mercedes have done a great job. We have worked very hard over the last few years with the engines, so we have been very, very fortunate this year. The reliability has been fantastic. Hopefully that will continue this weekend. We have got quite a fresh engine that hasn't done many miles, so hopefully in a slightly better position than the guys in front.
SV: We have a Friday engine and spares if something goes wrong. Then for the weekend we have the one that was in the car in Suzuka for one race, so it should be fine but probably a bit similar to Fernando if something goes wrong it is not looking too good.
FA: We have one of the eight engines on Friday and one for Saturday and Sunday.
Q. So it has still got some mileage?
FA: Plenty.
Q. Mark, what about the engine that you had in for Brazil which was overheating?
MW: Yeah, that was a big concern in that particular event. We are going to use that engine again in the first part of the weekend. Have a look at it. Also just for a bit of peace of mind to understand what the problem was, so we are going to do that. Then for Saturday and Sunday we have a pretty decent engine ready to go. It should be alright.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q. (Juha Paatalo - Financial Times Deutschland) This one is for all the title contenders. On Sunday there will be one guy who will be the World Champion and the three others of you will not be. If you are not the one how much of a disappointment will it be?
LH: I think it will be less disappointing for me as I am so far back. I think for us we have had an interesting year. Happy to be here still kind of fighting for the championship with a still relatively small chance of winning the championship. We have given it our all this year and that's all we could really hope for. The others guys have generally done a slightly better job and we look forward to next year. I am just happy to be here. It is kind of cool to still be in the mix, just on the edge, like being on the edge of the green.
SV: I think it is a little bit similar to Lewis. The target is clear. The speed has been there all season and it hasn't been the easiest season for myself. But we are still in the hunt, so that is good. We try our best. The clear favourites going into this weekend are Mark and Fernando. As I said, similar to Lewis, I try to do my best race and then it depends where those two guys are.
FA: Obviously, you feel sad if you lose in the last moment. My case, I will not really have anything to be disappointed about in 2010. The last two years I was fighting to be in Q3 most of the times. Ferrari had a tough year in 2009 as well, so this first year of the relationship we are fighting for the world championship in the last race of the championship against two Red Bulls who are dominating by far the season in terms of speed, so overall I think it doesn't matter on Sunday. It will be a great memory of 2010 to have challenged.
MW: Yes, similar to the other guys. I think you are going to be disappointed if it doesn't happen initially. But there have still been a lot of positives this year. I don't think my odds were too good at the start of the year to be fighting for the championship. My odds are much shorter now, so I still have a good chance. I will deal with what happens on Sunday night after that.
Q. (Adam Hay-Nicholls – Metro) Fernando, there have been a number of parallels between your career and Mark's. Mark started at Minardi a year after you, you've had the same manager. I just wondered what your thoughts were on Mark as a competitor.
FA: Well, I think there's nothing to say. This year he has proved how quick he can be in a competitive car. We both started at Minardi and then I was at Renault; he was very close to driving for them as well during the good years, so he missed that opportunity. Now, after a few years he has the opportunity to drive a competitive car and he's already fighting for World Championships, so I'm happy for him. He shows the potential and the talent when you have a competitive car; when you don't have it, it's obviously difficult but I'm happy for him.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Probably the most common question; if Vettel is leading the race, Webber is in second place, Alonso is third. The race is finishing. What will you do, Vettel?
SV: I'm Sebastian, OK? I said last Sunday when I was asked the question and I said that I was going to tease you and if we find ourselves in that situation, you will see what happens on Sunday. Come on, it's only Thursday today, just three more days. We will see.
Q. (Paul Gover – The Herald Sun) Obviously it's been an up and down year for you, Mark. Would you still describe it as the best year of your life? How do you look back on it now? A troubled year or a great year?
MW: Oh, a lot of positives mate. It's human nature always to want more. Of course it would have been nice to close the championship out and be here as World Champion. All of us would love to have done that but at the end of the day, the way the championship has been, I think if there were even two or three races after this one it would still go down to the last race. No-one has ever had a 25 point lead. It's been a very long season for all of us and as the season's gone on, we've achieved so many amazing things, and obviously, personally, for me, to have some very special weekends. I'm fully respectful of the guys I race against and that's what you get out of bed for, to try and beat them. So to have some of the victories that I've had this year, and even some of the second places to be honest, they are not as sweet as the wins, but some of the seconds... I've had some good fights with Seb and they have been rewarding. Quite a few podiums, the team's won the Constructors', we could obviously put the icing on the cake on Sunday which would be nice, but it's been an absolutely incredible year for me personally and obviously for the team. So I don't look on two thousand… if we don't get the championship, for sure, OK, there's going to be a little bit of a small hole there but a lot of great memories still.
Q. (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) Fernando, on Sunday Jenson said you had had a great year, but he hoped that you would win the championship by at least seven points more (than your nearest competitor). What do you feel about that, do you feel also that you should win by seven points more? Do you feel that maybe you should not take advantage of the seven points' cushion that came through Germany?
FA: I think winning by seven, one or 25 is the least important thing in my mind now.
Q. (Jonathan Legard – BBC Sport) Mark, all around you are surrounded by four drivers who are younger than you. How do you manage the thought that this may be your best chance, your only chance of the championship? If isn't doesn't come off…?
MW: I don't know if it changes your thinking too much to be honest. I'm going to be here again next year. Of course the longer you drive, obviously, the odds are going in one direction. I'm not going to be around forever, I clearly understand that. These guys will have... (sound of dog barking) It's a dog! There's no dogs allowed in the paddock actually.
FA: It's a hot dog.
MW: A hot dog. Yeah. These guys have more opportunities mate, of course. As Fernando alluded to a bit earlier in some of his answers that if you get a car like this when you're 24 or 25 for sure, so you can probably look at it more that way, that obviously I didn't really have a winning car earlier in my career which is the case for lots of people that come into Formula One. I now have that, been very successful at the back part of my career if you like, and hopefully I want to do it on Sunday, of course. If it doesn't happen, I'll obviously have another crack next year. It doesn't change too much of my mentality mate. I know that I've been very fortunate even to have a chance to get to this point. I'm not getting too… not greedy but I know that it was good to have a chance that I've grabbed with both hands if I can.
Q. (Ralf Bach – R&B) Fernando, under normal circumstances, Sebastian would have won the last three races. I think that's clear to everybody. Do you trust in the Red Bull guys concerning that if we have the same positions as in Brazil, that they will maintain their positions or do you think it's not your turn to take all the risks to beat one of these guys?
FA: I think there's not anything we can do other than try to finish second or first in the race, that is mathematically our position to win the championship, so it's our goal, from tomorrow Friday to Sunday, our preparation will be to reach that target, being on Saturday on the first row if possible, pole position would be welcome as well, and then in the race, being first and second is our only target. It's true that if we are not first and second, we will see how are the other positions, but it's not our job to believe or not believe.
Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Sebastian, you've turned round and said that you're going to tease us, the media, through to Sunday. How about Mark? Are you going to tease him through to Sunday as well? Does he have to wait until Sunday to know what you're going to do? Are you going to have any kind of discussion with him to let him in on your plan?
SV: Ask him. Maybe he will tease you too, I don't know. I think it's pretty clear again. I had the same line in Brazil. There are lots of things happening, and more important things happening before we enter this possible stage, whatever the scenario. So I think we have to focus first of all to get the car ready tomorrow, prepare it, have a solid qualifying. Last year was a very tricky session here I remember, so there are lots of things to do, things that we should spend our energy on, more important than… What happens on Sunday, if the situation – to answer your question – if the situation occurs, then I think we know that we're driving for the team, we have had some occasions this year where we got close and it didn't look too good, so I think the main target is not to repeat that and the rest we will see.
Q. (Cedric Voisard – Le Figaro) Lewis and Fernando, apart from the points, is there any cycle advantage due to the fact that you have already been World Champions?
FA: I don't think so. I think arriving to this point, with one race to go, in a way we all depend on ourselves to win championships. If we win the race all of us have a strong possibility. I don't think that there's any advantage, experience or whatever. It's true that for the last six years I have fought in the last race for the World Championship in four of them, so this feeling isn't new. As I said, after Singapore, I think I prefer a new front wing in this race than all the experience I've got. I prefer a little bit extra performance than experience.
LH: I don't think it's an advantage. I think it's good, obviously, having the experience of having the pressure, right down to the last race and being in for the fight for the World Championship but that doesn't necessarily mean that the others… Sebastian and Mark have been in those positions in lower categories, perhaps, so it's not an experience that they haven't experienced. I don't see that there's a particular advantage but it definitely does help. I feel quite comfortable being here, having had the experience in the past, I can perhaps do my job at a more relaxed mental state than perhaps I had in 2008, 2007.
Q. (Tobias Holtkamp – Bild) Fernando, would you understand if the two Red Bulls would change their positions in front of you on the last lap on Sunday?
FA: I don't think I would lose even one second of my energy this weekend thinking of what is going to happen on Sunday afternoon. There is much more to do: Friday and Saturday preparing the weekend in the right way, and as I said, our only picture of the race at the moment is winning it or finishing second. That's the target and I think that's what we're going to achieve this weekend.
Q. (Steve Dawson – ESPN and Star Sports) Fernando, are you expecting Felipe to get amongst the Red Bull drivers and help you out or are you going to be on your own on Sunday?
FA: I think that will obviously be great news for us, if the car is competitive as it was on some occasions this year, in Germany for instance, Singapore, Monza, Bahrain. They were circuits where both Ferraris were able to be on the podium and if we are both on the podium, that will be a huge help for me, because we will take a lot of points. For sure, a perfect weekend for Felipe, even winning the race, will absolutely be a present for us.

 

[Bartek S.]

FP1

Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m42.760s 18
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m43.369s + 0.609s 16
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m43.785s + 1.025s 19
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m43.840s + 1.080s 19
5. Robert Kubica Renault 1m44.080s + 1.320s 19
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m44.121s + 1.361s 17
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m44.199s + 1.439s 19
8. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m44.604s + 1.844s 18
9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m44.718s + 1.958s 19
10. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m44.737s + 1.977s 19
11. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m45.160s + 2.400s 18
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m45.445s + 2.685s 21
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m45.474s + 2.714s 15
14. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m45.552s + 2.792s 20
15. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m45.585s + 2.825s 14
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m46.003s + 3.243s 20
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m46.644s + 3.884s 19
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m47.105s + 4.345s 22
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m48.450s + 5.690s 19
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m48.472s + 5.712s 17
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m49.375s + 6.615s 13
22. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m49.590s + 6.830s 18
23. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.274s + 7.514s 17
24. Fairuz Fauzy Lotus-Cosworth 1m51.705s + 8.945s 18

 

[Bartek S.]

Drivers call for safety car rule changes

Formula 1 drivers are urging teams to reconsider the sport's safety car rules following the chaos caused by backmarkers in the Brazilian Grand Prix. A thrilling battle for the leading positions at Interlagos after the safety car period was ruined by the top men losing time trying to work their way through heavy traffic.

The situation has prompted calls for a rethink of the safety car rules - and a possible return to the old regulation that meant backmarkers were waved through so all the leading men were in race order at a restart.
Force India's Adrian Sutil told AUTOSPORT: "I think it was a complete mess. I was a fan of the rules from last year, that you could lap yourself back, it was all good.

"We have seen so many problems caused by lapping cars after safety cars. Singapore for example, the [Mark] Webber/[Lewis] Hamilton incident happened because Webber had to lap another car, a Virgin, and he went out of the corner slower and created chaos.

"That was very similar in Sao Paulo, even worse. I had no clue where I was, I was also getting lapped by [Fernando] Alonso, but nobody told me, I had no blue flags. I was trying to understand who was behind, if it was [Felipe] Massa or Alonso because Massa was still behind me [in the race order]. Then I thought 'okay I think I have to let him by.' It was just a mess."
He added: "Especially when it comes to the end of the season and drivers fight against each other for the championship it's just a shame if first and second are split by three or four cars, it's unfair. After a restart you have a possible chance to pass the other cars, but with cars in between it's just not good. Hopefully they will try to make any changes for next year.

"Last year the teams agreed to change it back again like it is this year. The drivers have power and if we all say we don't want it, we also can talk to our teams to make complete agreement and then push for it. It has to be discussed first with everybody, but at the end we are racing and if we think the other rules are better, why not?"

Rubens Barrichello said: "I would love to see Formula 1 a bit more flexible because in Brazil there was no doubt that it would have been a lot better to see the backmarkers coming back, and I was one of them in a way. But then they would argue that in Monaco in a wet race, how are you going to do it?

"So the flexibility that I want is that you might envisage something for one race and not another, that is all. But for the show it would have been better."

Robert Kubica added: "I think it would be better [with the old rules], but it is very difficult. There are positives and negatives. It will take longer time because drivers need to re-catch the pack, but it is complicated for the fans. Everybody after the safety car would like to see the fight."

Nick Heidfeld, who was given a penalty for holding up the leaders while being lapped in the closing stages of Brazil said: "We have discussed it in briefings. We had it in the past and there was a dangerous situation once so that is the danger, but the danger is also if there are lapped slow cars in the middle of the field trying to let you by and you don't see them. Yes I would prefer the restart to be the proper order."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said after the Brazilian Grand Prix that he believed the safety car rules should at least be discussed.

"I think that for sure at the restart we knew that it was impossible to attack," he said. "We have seen what Fernando was able to do in the last couple of laps, in free air, he was really able to attack and when we saw it was not possible to attack we saved what we could do to keep the position.

"We saw with the backmarkers not a really good situation with everyone, not in particular against anyone, but to see that this is a problem – also for safety. It is something that we need to discuss and talk for the future because it is not really good."

But not all the drivers believed that the Brazilian situation meant that a rules rethink was needed.

Nico Rosberg said: "I don't think it is an unmanageable situation as long as it is clear for everybody. That is the one area where everyone needs to improve so that all those drivers are informed very quickly that they are being lapped by me, for example.

"I felt like I was in the middle of it, as I had three guys in front who didn't know they were being lapped and two guys behind who were trying to un-lap themselves.

"It is a question of communication being better from team to driver and from race control to the team. So I don't think we need to straightaway think about changing the rules."

Autosport

 

[Bartek S.]

FP2

Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.888s
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m41.145s + 0.257s
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m41.314s + 0.426s
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m41.315s + 0.427s
5. Robert Kubica Renault 1m41.576s + 0.688s
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m41.583s + 0.695s
7. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m42.096s + 1.208s
8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m42.132s + 1.244s
9. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m42.203s + 1.315s
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m42.222s + 1.334s
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.246s + 1.358s
12. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m42.449s + 1.561s
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m42.535s + 1.647s
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.768s + 1.880s
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.914s + 2.026s
16. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.950s + 2.062s
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.128s + 2.240s
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.584s + 2.696s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.180s + 4.292s
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.259s + 4.371s
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.612s + 4.724s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m46.053s + 5.165s
23. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m47.210s + 6.322s
24. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m47.434s + 6.546s

 

[Sunny]

Hamilton could be the decider.

 

[Centurion]

Hamilton could be the decider.

Indeed. He is the joker. Just like Monza and Montreal, Abu Dhabi is a low down force circuit and should suit the grip-deprived MP4-25. Pole is possible for Lewis but I wouldn't count on it because the Red Bulls are menacing absolutely everywhere. 2nd or 3rd position on the grid is a strong possibility. Alonso is probably the man in greatest danger of Lewis. So it will be a very interesting race, let's just hope that Lewis doesn't suffer from cooked brakes and let the Bulls and Fernanda drift off into a long boring parade.

I'm hoping for an exciting race with some bold moves by the title contenders. Especially by Alonso and Lewis who really have nothing to lose but all to gain.

 

[Bartek S.]

FP3

Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m40.696s 18
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m40.829s + 0.133s 15
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.280s + 0.584s 13
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m41.490s + 0.794s 14
5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.578s + 0.882s 17
6. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m41.689s + 0.993s 17
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m41.690s + 0.994s 18
8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.729s + 1.033s 17
9. Robert Kubica Renault 1m41.877s + 1.181s 18
10. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.893s + 1.197s 20
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m41.934s + 1.238s 18
12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m41.978s + 1.282s 14
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.316s + 1.620s 15
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.566s + 1.870s 16
15. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m42.587s + 1.891s 18
16. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m42.858s + 2.162s 14
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m42.993s + 2.297s 20
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.344s + 2.648s 18
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m44.876s + 4.180s 15
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.048s + 4.352s 23
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.050s + 4.354s 20
22. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m45.490s + 4.794s 16
23. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.629s + 4.933s 22
24. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m46.464s + 5.768s 17

 

[Bartek S.]

 

[Bartek S.]

Qual.

Pos Driver Car Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m40.318s 1m39.874s 1m39.394s
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.335s 1m40.119s 1m39.425s
3. Alonso Ferrari 1m40.170s 1m40.311s 1m39.792s
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.877s 1m40.014s 1m39.823s
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m40.690s 1m40.074s 1m39.925s
6. Massa Ferrari 1m40.942s 1m40.323s 1m40.202s
7. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m40.904s 1m40.476s 1m40.203s
8. Schumacher Mercedes 1m41.222s 1m40.452s 1m40.516s
9. Rosberg Mercedes 1m40.231s 1m40.060s 1m40.589s
10. Petrov Renault 1m41.018s 1m40.658s 1m40.901s
11. Kubica Renault 1m41.336s 1m40.780s
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.045s 1m40.783s
13. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1m41.473s 1m40.914s
14. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.409s 1m41.113s
15. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m41.015s 1m41.418s
16. Liuzzi Force India-Ferrari 1m41.681s 1m41.642s
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.707s 1m41.738s
18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.824s
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m43.516s
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m43.712s
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m44.095s
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m44.510s
23. Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m45.085s
24. Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m45.296s

 

[SKY]

Fantastic situation for Alonso for tomorrow´s race. I think he will mantain his position, but I guess Hamilton will overtake Vettel in the start or in the two first laps.

 

[Bartek S.]

Alonso is in a best position. So is Vettel and Hamilton. Webber needs a miracle. Sad for Kubica's 11-th place. Start is going to be a crucial moment and after just reliability of the cars. We are looking for very interesting race.

 

[Centurion]

The championship is in Alonso's hands. His finishing position will determine everything. Vettel, Lewis and Webber's only chance of winning WDC is if Alonso cocks up or if his car fails. Ferrari has probably told him to simply be cautious, finish the race and hope that Vettel will come together with Hamilton. I'm sure that there will be tears tomorrow.

 

[Remy Zero]

I think Vettel and Hamilton will fly off in the distance, while Fred and Webber will opt to play it safe.

 

[Monster]

Now that was unexpected, the Mclarens suddenly found some speed and surprised everyone, and spice things up. As much as I would like Webber to win, his chances are very very small now. I hate to see Alonso to win it, but that is the most likely outcome. Either way this has the potential to be one cracking finish to the season, much like 2008.

 

[Centurion]

Now that was unexpected, the Mclarens suddenly found some speed and surprised everyone, and spice things up.

As I previously stated. Abu Dhabi is a low down force circuit and along with Montreal, Monza and Spa are the only circuits where Mclaren have been able to rival the Bulls this year. On high down force circuits like Brazil and Barcelona, the grips levels of the Mclaren have been appalling. Also, Lewis had a good qualifying in Abu Dhabi last year. I would love for him to finish the race and frankly don't object to Alonso winning.

 

[justanthony]

And in the latest news, Red Bull have decided to hand over the driver's title to Alonso... . Silly team

 

[siko]

Rightfully deserved results...

Vettel = racer
Fred = choker (25+ laps behind Petrov with a championship on the line ?!?! )
Webber = choker (think he forgot to race)



Notable mentions... Kubic lapping Vettel times with 40+ lapped tyres!!?

Not that they were in position to use it... but Kudos to Red Bull for playing down team orders before the race.



EDIT... anybody notice the rude and POS gestures by Fred to Petrov at the end of the race. I truly despise cry-babies, and Alonso is probably the biggest crybaby in all of sport.

 

[Deleted member 25]

There's finally a justice in this world, you are a great champ son. Amazing race by Kubica. Good showing from both the macca drivers.

 

[LaArtist]

YEEEES hahahah fawk ferrari