Everyone expected Lewis Hamilton to be the final Formula 1 winner of 2009, but it was Sebastian Vettel who took his fourth win of the year at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton had been quickest all weekend and started on pole position for the inaugural twilight race at the new circuit, but after a quick start he was unable to get away from second-placed Vettel.
After Lewis ran wide at several corners after a few laps it became clear that the 2008 world champion had a problem, and the McLaren pit garage soon confirmed that. The Briton was called into the pits with a brake problem, and the team decided it was too dangerous to risk continuing.
From there, Vettel never looked back and dominated the race. His team mate Mark Webber finished second despite a late charge from the new world champion Jenson Button. The Brawn GP driver found renewed pace on new tyres after his final pit stop and pushed Webber all the way to the line, but couldn’t find a way to stop Red Bull chalking up a one-two finish. Button posted his first podium since the Italian Grand Prix in September.
The result means that Vettel finishes second behind Button in the driver’s championship after his nearest rival Rubens Barrichello finished fourth. Despite Hamilton’s retirement, McLaren sealed third place in the constructors’ championship behind Brawn GP and Red Bull. The team kept their one point lead over Ferrari as both teams failed to score points. McLaren’s Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen was 11th, while Ferrari had a torrid weekend. Kimi Raikkonen was 12th and Giancarlo Fisichella finished in 16th place.
BMW’s Nick Heidfeld was fifth in the team’s last F1 race, ahead of Toyota newcomer Kamui Kobayashi. His teammate Jarno Trulli was seventh and Torro Rosso’s Sebastian Buemi finished in a creditable eighth place.
The work towards the 2010 season is now well underway. There are plenty of personnel changes lined up, with Kimi Raikonnen leaving Ferrari to be replaced by Fernando Alonso. Robert Kubica takes over the Spaniard’s empty seat at Renault, although it is unclear who his teammate will be – Romain Grosjean, who replaced Nelson Piquet Jr mid-season, has not performed well.
Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi, who replaced Timo Glock for the last two races of the season following the German’s injury, looks set to be appointed full time after the team’s president said he was impressed with his performances. Glock is widely tipped to be moving to one of the new F1 teams for 2010.
Brawn’s Rubens Barrichello is expected to announce soon that he will move to Williams, alongside GP2 driver Nico Hulkenberg. Williams’ current driver, Nico Rosberg, is tipped for a move to Brawn, while the future of his teammate Kazuki Nakajima is unclear.
Campos, a new team for 2010, has confirmed that Bruno Senna, nephew of the late, great Ayrton Senna, will race for them next year. And Renault test driver Luca di Grassi looks set to race for another new team, Manor – a team that may change its name to Virgin if a sponsorship deal with Richard Branson’s company goes ahead. Lastly, Formula 2 champion Andy Soucek has hinted that he is close to signing a deal for F1 as well. In the meantime, he will test with Williams as part of his prize for winning the F2 series.
Speaking of Williams, the team has confirmed that its engines for 2010 will be supplied by the British company Cosworth. It was announced a few weeks ago that its deal with Toyota had come to an end.
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has announced it will pull out of F1 after the 2010 season, and it looks like the British Grand Prix will be back at Silverstone after all next year. The race had been due to move to the Donington circuit, but the track has been unable to secure funding for modernisation, and F1 organisers are now trying to organise a deal to host the event at Silverstone.
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