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Lewis Hamilton claimed the victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after Sebastian Vettel retired on the opening lap
Vettel's phenomenal season, in which he has claimed 11 race victories and only finished once off the podium, suffered its first black mark at the Yas Marina circuit when the pole sitter suffered a puncture on the opening lap.
Spinning off the track and limping back to the pits, it was soon discovered that Vettel's return journey had caused damaged to his RB7's floor and brake ducts forcing Red Bull to bench their World Champ.
Bad news for Vettel, but great news for Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton inherited the lead while Alonso overtook first Mark Webber and then Jenson Button to move up into second place. The Ferrari tried to hold onto Hamilton but the Brit etched out a steady lead.
So began a game of cat and mouse where every time Hamilton extended his lead, Alonso closed the gap only for Hamilton to extend it again.
And despite Ferrari's attempts to undercut Hamilton in the final round of pit stops, it was all the Brit on Sunday as he claimed his third win of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Alonso finished second ahead of Button, who had an interesting battle with Webber in the DRS zones with the Red Bull driver repeatedly overtaking the McLaren only to be retaken through the next zone.
Times
01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h37:11.886
02. Alonso Ferrari + 8.457
03. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.881
04. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 35.784
05. Massa Ferrari + 50.578
06. Rosberg Mercedes + 52.317
07. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:15.900
08. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:17.100
09. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:40.000
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
14. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Senna Renault + 1 lap
17. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
18. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
Did Not Finish
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 49
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 19
D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 18
Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1 Source: Planet-F1
Lewis Hamilton claimed only his second race win of the season as McLaren took the risk that paid off at the Nurburgring
Starting from second on the grid, the 2008 World Champion reacted quickly to get the jump on Red Bull's Mark Webber while Fernando Alonso slotted into third place.
The trio never looked as if anyone could touch them as they fought amongst themselves for the German GP victory.
Each had an opportunity to lead the grand prix and each had the opportunity to win it, although it in the end it was McLaren's decision to bring him in first for the late switch to the medium compound Pirellis that paid off.
With many expecting the mediums to be 1.5s slower than the softs, no one wanted to pit first. However, Hamilton had to.
He came in at the end of lap 51 with Alonso pitted two laps later and Webber only lap 56. And it was McLaren's decision to take the risk that helped their driver to his second win of the season.
As for fourth place that went to Sebastian Vettel after Red Bull, despite hitting the pits after Felipe Massa, beat Ferrari out of the pits in a straight tyre change race on the penultimate lap of the grand prix.
Results
01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h37:30.334
02. Alonso Ferrari + 3.980
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 9.788
04. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 47.921
05. Massa Ferrari + 52.252
06. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:26.208
07. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap
08. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
09. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
10. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
17. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 3 laps
18. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 3 laps
19. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps
20. Chandhok Lotus-Renault + 4 laps
Retirements
Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 44
Button McLaren-Mercedes 42
Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 23
Heidfeld Renault Source: Planet-F1
Although Nico Rosberg says he is committed to Merc GP, he has warned that he wants to be in a race-winning position in the "not too distant future."
Rosberg joined Mercedes GP from Williams at the start of 2010, teaming up with Michael Schumacher in an all-German line-up at the German team.
And at first it appeared as if Rosberg would finally get the opportunity to fight for his first F1 race victory as the team had won the Championship double the previous season under the Brawn GP banner.
However, it was not to be.
Mercedes GP took a dramatic step backward in 2010 with team boss Ross Brawn later conceding they were suffering from a Championship-winning hangover.
And although more was expected from the outfit this season, Mercedes GP's W02 has so far failed to deliver with neither Rosberg nor Schumacher reaching the podium.
But despite his lack of race wins, Rosberg has been linked to big-named teams such as Ferrari, who are reportedly interested in signing the former Williams driver.
Rosberg, though, insists it's just rumours.
"Obviously there is interest from other top teams, which is a good thing for my career for sure. But that is about it at the moment. There is nothing more than that," Rosberg told Autosport.
However, the German did warn his team that he wants to be in a race-winning position in the near future.
"The next step is to be in a car where I can win races in the not too distant future - whatever step that may be."
But, having said that, he insists he's not impatient to get to that position and is committed to building the Mercedes GP team.
"To start off, the answer on that is that I am driving for Mercedes GP as a German, and I am part of the process of building up this team," he said.
"I have the opportunity to help lead this team - so it is pretty clear that it is a fantastic opportunity. I would never say that I am uncomfortable or something.
"Additionally I feel very comfortable in the team because there is a great bunch of people, so all in all it is a nice situation to be in, to be part of this project and part of this challenge. But of course, I am a racing driver - and above all I would like to win races.
"I wouldn't say I am impatient for it, but I hope that it will come soon - and that is why I am pushing hard at the moment. As always." Source: Planet-F1
Michael Schumacher concedes that while his Mercedes GP W02 may win a race in 2011, the car is not up to challenging for the World title
The first half of pre-season testing has produced varying form from Merc GP's W02, which is proving to be rather inconsistent.
While the car has shown moments of pace, resulting in Schumi finishing the Jerez test with the week's second fastest lap time, on most days the team has finished outside the top half of the timesheets.
Reliability has also proven to be a bit of a worry, although the bulk of the gremlins have befallen Rosberg.
And with half of pre-season testing already completed, Schumacher fears his W02 is not a Championship-winning car.
"The target is still the same as we said weeks ago: to hopefully be, with this car, on the podium and maybe, if things go very well, to win a race this year," said the 42-year-old
"That's probably the maximum we can talk about, but it is very difficult to judge our performance at the moment against the others because obviously we will improve the car a little bit further to the Bahrain race.
"But, how much compared to the others, that's the question mark."
Source: Planet-F1
Having finished on the podium three times during his maiden season with Renault, Robert Kubica is confident he will secure his first race win with the team this year
The Pole has one race victory to his name, having triumphed at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2008 while driving for the BMW-Sauber outfit and he's now looking to add another one to his resume with the Enstone-based team.
After a tumultuous time behind the scenes at the end of 2009, Renault impressed many with their strong showing in 2010 which saw Kubica finish eighth on the Drivers' standings.
The 26-year-old is now looking to press on from the foundations laid last year, and believes that the team are well placed to do so.
"I am confident that 2011 will be a good season because during this winter the team were able to work with a more stable financial and management situation, compared to one year ago," Kubica told the official Formula One website.
"[Team principal] Eric Boullier said that he wants our car to win races this year - he expressed exactly what I feel!"
Kubica's assertion that the team is in a stable position may seem strange considering their ongoing legal wrangle with Tony Ferndanes' Team Lotus outfit, but Kubica insists that this does not affect the inner workings of the team.
"Well, I didn't drive for Renault in 2009 and all the changes happened during the winter, before I really started to work with my new team," he explained.
"There was an important reshuffle of shareholders, but the core of the team remained almost unchanged. This is what I have been told is happening again now."
Former Renault Director of Engineering, Pat Symonds, agrees that the team are looking impressive heading into the new season.
"I think we'll see the same old protagonists fighting it out at the front, but Renault are in a good position," Symonds told crash.net.
"I have my biases having worked there for a long while, but they're a great group of guys and they took a very bold step last year in updating their wind tunnel over the winter. That's not something where you just wake up one morning and say 'I'm going to do it' - you have to plan it a long way in advance, and of course they put in a huge CFD facility prior to that so under the resource restrictions they could switch their work from the wind tunnel to CFD while the wind tunnel was being improved.
"I know that the wind tunnel is a huge improvement, and I think that was shown in the progress they made through the year - but with Mercedes, I'm not so sure. It's a very downsized team from the team that made the Brawn. I think the jury is still out, but I would probably favour Renault going in front of Mercedes," he added.
Source: Planet-F1
He may not have led the standings the entire season, however, Sebastian Vettel is the new World Champ after a faultless drive to victory in Abu Dhabi
Vettel, starting from pole position, pulled away off the line with Hamilton right behind as Jenson Button took third place off Alonso, who had his main title rival Webber right behind him. However, the racing was soon called off as the Safety Car came out a the result of a huge accident involving Michael Schumacher and Tonio Liuzzi. And while six drivers, including Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov, pitted under the Safety Car, most did not, including the title four.
Lap 12 saw the first of the top four pitting with Webber coming in, dropping all the way down to 16th place. Four laps later, Alonso came in as Ferrari matched Red Bull's strategy and although the Spaniard got out ahead of Webber, he had to make his way through the traffic as he attempted to work his way into the points.
However, that charge came to a halt when he came across Petrov and lap after lap, unable to overtake the Renault driver, Alonso and Webber could do nothing but watch as their title hopes disipated.
Meanwhile, at at the front, Vettel and Hamilton both took their stops on lap 25 and 24 respectively, both remaining in the top five as they watched their title hopes boosted as lap after lap Alonso and Webber were trapped behind Petrov.
And as others pitted, they soon returned to the P1 and P2 slots with Vettel ahead of Hamilton. And although those pitters elevated Alonso and Webber up the order, the time spent behind Petrov meant Robert Kubica was able to get back out after his stop ahead of Alonso - and those two Renaults were the two places Alonso needed to win the World title.
The race ended with Vettel crossing the line in first place ahead of Hamilton, clinching the season finale, the Drivers' Championship title and setting a new record as F1's youngest-ever World Champ. Congratulations!
Results
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
02. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 10.1s
03. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 11.0s
04. Rosberg Mercedes + 30.7s
05. Kubica Renault + 39.0s
06. Petrov Renault + 43.5s
07. Alonso Ferrari + 43.7s
08. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 44.2s
09. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 50.2s
10. Massa Ferrari + 50.8s
11. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari + 51.5s
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 57.6s
13. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 58.3s
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 59.5s
15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1m03.1s
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1m04.7s
17. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
19. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. Klien HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth + 4 laps
Did Not Finish
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 44
Schumacher Mercedes 1
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1
Source: Planet-F1
Fernando Alonso claimed the inaugural Korean GP win and the lead in the title race, helped in part by Red Bull's first double DNF of the season
The start of the race was delayed by ten minutes due to heavy rain and once under way only three laps took place before the Safety Car before it was red flagged. 45 minutes later, the race resumed, again behind the Safety Car, where 13 laps were spent rubbing off the water as some drivers grew more and more impatient.
The race finally got underway proper on lap 18 with Vettel leading his team-mate Mark Webber. But two laps later, the Aussie's race was over as he crashed out after touching the dirty, muddy side of the track, taking out Nico Rosberg in the process.
Webber's crash left it to his title rivals to fight for the victory and the much-needed 25 points with Vettel storming away from the chasing Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. And although Hamilton did get the jump on Alonso in the battle for second place when the Ferrari driver had a slow pit stop, a mistake from Hamilton at one of the many re-starts after a Safety Car allowed the Spaniard back up into second.
Vettel maintained his lead all the way through to lap 46 when disaster struck as his Renault engine blew putting an end to his race. Alonso and Hamilton took over at the front with the Ferrari driver holding a two second advantage over the McLaren.
Alonso went on to win the grand prix, taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship with 231 points while
Hamilton's P2 finish ensured he stayed in the hunt for the World title. He is now third in the standings behind Webber, 21 points behind the new Championship leader.
Felipe Massa claimed third place in the grand prix, finishing ahead of Michael Schumacher, Robert Kubica, Tonio Liuzzi, Rubens Barrichello and Kamui Kobayashi.
As for Jenson Button, the fifth driver in the title race, his bid is all but over after a P12 finish saw him drop to 42 points behind Alonso.
Results
01. Alonso Ferrari 2h48:20.810
02. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 14.999
03. Massa Ferrari + 30.868
04. Schumacher Mercedes + 39.688
05. Kubica Renault + 47.734
06. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes + 53.571
07. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1:09.257
08. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:17.889
09. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari + 1:20.107
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1:20.851
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:24.146
12. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:29.939
13. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 1 lap
14. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
15. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
Did Not Finish
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 63
Vettel Red Bull-Renault 62
Petrov Renault 56
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 48
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 47
Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 42
Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 42
Webber Red Bull-Renault 35
Rosberg Mercedes 35
Source: Planet-F1
Fernando Alonso held off a charging Sebastian Vettel to take his second Singapore GP victory while Lewis Hamilton was the only title contender not to score
The title five of Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Jenson Button and Mark Webber led off the start line. Webber was the first of those to pit, coming in on lap 4 after the Safety Car was deployed to clear Tonio Liuzzi's stricken car. That move dropped him to P11, however, it wasn't long before he was working his way back up the order.
But as the race progressed it soon looked as if Singapore was in a for a two-horse race as Alonso and Vettel pulled away from the chasing McLarens and Webber discovered it's not that easy to overtake on a street circuit - especially as his harder option tyres could not match the pace of the softer rubber.
Hamilton, losing three second a lap to the leaders, pitted on lap 29 but his tardy pace meant he lost ground to Webber, falling behind the Aussie. Alonso and Vettel then pitted from first and second and emerged first and sector while Button, who came in a lap later, came out behind Hamilton.
The immediate aftermath of the pit stops saw Vettel close right up on Alonso but his charge was halted when Kamui Kobayashi crashed into the barriers and Bruno Senna hit the stricken Sauber, bringing out the Safety Car. With the race back in action on lap 36, it took only one lap before Hamilton tried a move on Webber. The Aussie had the line but Hamilton was ahead and they touched. Broken suspension for Hamilton and it was game over.
Back at the front, Alonso held off a charging Vettel as the Red Bull racer closed up only to lose ground the next lap and so it, even exchanging fastest sector times between the two, much as they did in the final moments of qualifying. And although it appeared as if a Safety Car would come out for the final lap after Heikki Kovalainen's car caught fire, it was left to the two to race it out. And they did in style with Vettel on Alonso's tail as they fought through backmarkers. But it wasn't enough to help Vettel take the win.
25 points to Alonso, 18 to Vettel, 15 to Webber and 12 to Button. None for Hamilton.
Results:
01. Alonso Ferrari 1h57:53.579
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 0.293
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 29.141
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 30.384
05. Rosberg Mercedes + 49.394
06. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 56.101
07. Kubica Renault + 1:26.559
08. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:52.416
09. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1:52.791
10. Massa Ferrari + 1:53.297
11. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 3 lapsDid Not Finish
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 51
Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 35
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 34
Klien HRT-Cosworth 30
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 29
Senna HRT-Cosworth 28
Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 26
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1 Source: Planet-F1
Vettel's phenomenal season, in which he has claimed 11 race victories and only finished once off the podium, suffered its first black mark at the Yas Marina circuit when the pole sitter suffered a puncture on the opening lap.
