FORMULA ONE:LEWIS HAMILTON took his third victory of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel's bid to equal Michael Schumacher's record of 13 wins in a single season ended in failure when the Red Bull driver spun out of the race with a puncture just moments after the start.
Vettel had already levelled one record on Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit when he matched Nigel Mansell’s record of 14 pole positions in a season and the German, with 11 wins this season and, before yesterday, two races to run, went into the race with his hopes of closing on Schumacher’s 2004 record looking good.
His bid, though, was over within three corners of the start. The champion held his lead into turn one but even as he entered turn two he seemed to be fighting for control, his car sliding wide over the kerbs. By the time he reached the next corner, his race was run, the rear right tyre on his Red Bull peeling off the rim and sending his car arcing off track.
Vettel managed to limp back to pit lane in search of a replacement but the flapping tyre had damaged his car and there was nothing for it but retirement.
Vettel’s misfortune left the way clear for second-on-the-grid Lewis Hamilton to capitalise.
Earlier in the weekend Hamilton acknowledged personal problems had upset his competitiveness in recent times, saying he had lost his “happy bubble” of close confidants. He did, however, insist he was once again “clear in his mind”.
That much was apparent from the moment the Briton inherited the lead. He immediately strode forward and established a comfortable gap back to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who had eased past the second McLaren of Jenson Button at the start.
Hamilton came under pressure from a flying Alonso prior to their final pit stops, but when the Spaniard failed to find the pace he needed to eclipse Hamilton in that last stop, the McLaren driver cruised comfortably to his 17th career win from 89 starts.
Hamilton rated the win as one of his most satisfying.
“I think it was one of my best races,” he said. “Being able to hold off one of the best drivers in the world (Alonso) is tough to do. Looking after the tyres, managing the gap . . . I am ecstatic, really very happy to be back up here. This is great and I can get on the flight tonight and smile.”
With Alonso second, the final podium position went to Button, with the second Red Bull of Mark Webber fourth and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa fifth.
Alonso’s second place leaves him 10 points behind Button in the race for second in the drivers’ championship but it’s in the Constructors’ Championship and further back that the tension is building.
A double points finish for Force India cemented them into sixth position in the Constructors’ standings on 57 points, 15 clear of Sauber.
Tenth place yesterday for Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi could be enormously valuable at the end of the season as it lifted them into seventh, one point ahead of Toro Rosso, who failed to score points at Yas Marina.
