Pen and Passport

A Review of the Grand Finale of the 2010 Formula 1™ World Championship Season: The Riveting Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Disclaimer: This article was written by Alexander Broers for Arabia Motors Magazine, originally published in its December 2010 edition. It has been reprinted on Pen and Passport with the permission of Arabia Motors Magazine.

When the crème de la crème of racing pulled up to the starting line at the inaugural race of the season in the Kingdom of Bahrain earlier this year, speculation was rife with who would shine among the Formula 1™ contenders. And it would seem that not a lot had changed when, nine months later, the scene was set at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the grand finale of the season.

For the first time in the history of Formula 1™, four contenders were in the running to hoik the Abu Dhabi trophy atop the podium, and with it this year’s championship title. Scuderia Ferrari’s two time world champion Fernando Alonso was grimly determined to add to his trophy cabinet, whilst Red Bull’s duo consisting of veteran Mark Webber and prodigal racer Sebastian Vettel hungrily pursued their own hopes and dreams of glory. Far off in the distance was Lewis Hamilton, hoping that by some twist of fate he would clinch victory and the other contenders would end their 2010 season deep in the gravel pit!

With the stakes as high as they have been all year, a cool headed Sebastian Vettel once again claimed pole position ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But the pressure was definitely on, with title contenders Hamilton and Alonso boxing the Red Bull driver in on the starting grid. The 2009 champion Jenson Button clinched the fourth starting slot, hoping to lend Hamilton some support as his own title hopes had been dashed, while a disappointed Webber had to make do with the third row after a disappointing fifth place finish in qualifying. The rest of the top ten line-up was filled by the usual faces of Felipe Massa, Ruben Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov.

With the on-track atmosphere buzzing with anticipation and a sense of history in the making in the air, the crowd descended into complete silence, awaiting the blaring start of the fastest race on earth. With a flash of green, the symmetrical starting grid transformed into anarchy as the competitors vied for the best positions on the tarmac. An over eager Alonso attempted to out-muscle Button, but the Brit was having none of it, causing the Ferrari driver’s attack to falter dropping him to fourth. Seconds later Schumacher ended his disappointing 2010 season prematurely when he spun out his Mercedes. While the seven time world champion may have thought of giving the last race of the season another go, Tonio Luizzi put a swift end to any of Schumacher’s aspirations by savagely plowing into the German’s car, leaving a tangled mess of grey bodywork, spinning tires and two very wrecked Formula 1™ cars.

Following a five lap procession led by the safety car, the race for the title got underway once again. Eyebrows were raised when Webber decided to pick a fight with the safety barrier after running wide of a turn, resulting in the Australian pitting to avoid a right rear tire blowout. His judgment error dropped him from a threatening fifth to a backward twelfth, severely hampering his bid to secure the title. Ferrari added to the drama by calling in Massa and Alonso in quick succession, leaving just the McLaren pair of Hamilton and Button to chase down Vettel at the front of the pack.

Behind the leading trio, Kamui Kobayashi pushed his Sauber to keep up in fourth, Kubrica was not far behind in fifth, while Adrian Sutil maintained his composure in sixth. Sebastian Buemi, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenburg and Vitaly Petrov filled out the remaining top-ten spots.

With twenty laps completed and half the field already having pitted, spectators waited with baited breath to see who out of the top seven would be called in first and what effect that would have on the standings. Hamilton was first to pull out of the front running on lap 24, dropping from second to fifth, quickly followed by Vettel a lap later allowing Button to fill the lead position.

As cars pulled in and exited the pit-lane in quick succession, positions at the front of the pack were quickly changing positions. Hamilton found himself stuck behind Kubrica in third, and Alonso was similarly frustrated by Petrov who held the Spaniard back in tenth. Meanwhile, back at the front Button finally pitted, allowing an eager Vettel to reassume first place, with the Brit pulling back onto the tarmac seconds later in fourth. Further back, Timo Glock spun his Virgin-Cosworth in a Schumacher-esque maneuver, resulting in another premature retirement.

Kubrica, enjoying his time in the second spot, finally had to relent to complete his own pit stop on lap 47, rejoining the race in sixth position, just in-front of a visibly frustrated Alonso who was still being held back by Petrov’s on-track antics.

It was not long before Vettel’s Red Bull blazed under the checkered flag to secure his maiden title and become the youngest Formula 1™ champion in the history of the sport. While a tearful Vettel celebrated his victory at the top of the podium, the colors of McLaren filled out the runner up positions. And so another contender is crowned King of Racing, adding to the excitement of next year’s championship where five world championships will be rubbing shoulders on the tarmac. Bring on the start of the 2011 season!