03 Nov 09 13:33
Lewis Hamilton should have signed off the 2009 season with a spectacular Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory but was forced to pull in to the pits with a brake problem just before half distance.
The McLaren man was the quickest driver around the new Yas Marina circuit and claimed pole position. He pulled clear of Red Bull Racing's Sebastien Vettel at the start and was utterly in control. However, a brake disc problem forced the Briton to pit and retire from the race after 21 laps. It was Hamilton's first mechanical failure in his three-year Formula One career.
That left Vettel unchallenged at the head of the field and he led home team-mate Mark Webber. Webber came under a late attack from world champion Jenson Button. The Brawn driver raced wheel-to-wheel with Webber and briefly nosed ahead with a lap to go but the Australian responded swiftly to make it a one-two for Red Bull.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello had tagged the back of Webber's car in the dash for the opening corner and had damaged the front wing of his Brawn but elected to continue rather than pit. He finished in a distant fourth position.
The new £800 million venue at Abu Dhabi held F1's first race held at dusk. Despite the hi-tech backdrop the layout was roundly criticised for its dull nature and the race failed to spark into life.
One of the highlights of the race came from Jaime Alguersuari. The Toro Rosso man radioed in to his team to report a gearbox problem and toured into the pits after 19 laps. However, he parked up at the wrong team (Red Bull) who were expecting Vettel in for a planned stop. The mechanics ushered Alguersuari out of the way and the Spaniard tried to complete another lap to return to his correct slot. However, before he got there, his gearbox broke.
Results: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
1. Sebastien Vettel (Red Bull-Renault)
2. Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault)
3. Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)
4. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes)
5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
6. Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota)
7. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
8. Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso-Ferrari)
Final world championship standings
1. Button, 95
2. Vettel, 84
3. Barrichello, 77
4. Webber, 69.5
5. Hamilton, 49
6. Raikkonen, 48
Photos: Mark Thompson/Getty, Clive Mason/Getty
4Car motorsport
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