Lewis Hamilton savoured a morale-boosting Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory after Red Bull’s double Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel suffered his first race retirement in more than a year.
The McLaren driver, celebrating the third win of a troubled season, took the chequered flag 8.4 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Jenson Button was a distant third for McLaren with Australian Mark Webber fourth. Vettel, who has already clinched this year’s title, was pitched off by a sudden puncture only seconds after making a lightning start from his record-equalling 14th pole position of the season.
The 24-year-old German managed to nurse his Red Bull back to the garage on three tyres and a rim but he was forced to retire once mechanics had surveyed the damage. The retirement ended Vettel’s hopes of matching Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a single season as well as a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi wins and ended a run of seven podiums and 19 successive points finishes stretching back to last season. He currently has 11 wins from 2011 with only the Brazilian Grand Prix remaining. With Vettel out and Webber in fourth, there was no Red Bull driver on the podium for the first time this year. Hamilton drove a controlled race and avoided controversy after six collisions with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.
While Alonso led for a couple of laps before his final stop, the Spaniard came out of the pits 4.4 seconds behind the McLaren. Alonso could still be happy with Ferrari’s first podium finish at a lavish circuit that has a Ferrari theme park next door, as well as a trophy to complete his personal collection of one trophy from every track on the 2011 calendar. Button’s third place was, secured when Red Bull’s Mark Webber had to pit for a mandatory tyre change from soft to hard rubber a couple of laps before the end.