Fortune finally smiled on Lewis Hamilton on Sunday when he won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel’s luck ran out.
The McLaren driver was on hand to make the most of the spin Vettel suffered exiting the very first corner of the race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Vettel suffered a right rear puncture and was forced to retire for the first time this season. That means the world champion’s attempt to match Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 victories in a single season is now at an end.
Hamilton’s win was his third of 2011 but much-needed in the context of a difficult season for the 26-year-old, who has been criticised for the number of collisions he has been involved in.
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Formula 1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Race Results
Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel Takes 14th Pole Position of The Season
Formula 1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Race Line Up
The 2008 world champion took the chequered flag comfortably ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, with Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button claiming the final podium place.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber finished fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, with Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg sixth ahead of team-mate Schumacher.
Force India pair Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta finished eighth and ninth respectively, with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi claiming the final world championship point. SkySports
Sergio Perez in the other Sauber was 11th, just holding off Rubens Barrichello’s Williams which started from the very back.
Renault’s Vitaly Petrov was 13th ahead of Williams’ Pastor Maldonado and Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari. The latter pair made themselves hugely unpopular after blocking Webber and Massa brutally partway through, and the stewards will decide their fate later on Sunday night. Maldonado had already received a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags, as did Renault’s Bruno Senna, who finished 16th.
Heikki Kovalainen had yet another of his feisty races for Lotus, finishing 17th after running 13th at one stage, and he was a lap ahead of team mate Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock’s Virgin and Tonio Liuzzi’s HRT.
Besides Vettel, Jerome D’Ambrosio retired his Virgin with brake problems, Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso stopped as he was fighting hard with Di Resta, and Daniel Ricciardo’s HRT broke down towards the end. Formula 1
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