Vettel equals Schumacher’s record with victory in Abu Dhabi
Any suggestions that Sebastian Vettel would go easy after securing his fourth successive drivers’ crown were misguided, as the German driver put on a masterclass to win a record-equalling seventh race in a row and his eleventh of the season.
The Red Bull man, fresh from securing another championship crown last weekend, was at his imperious best around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, stamping his authority on the race from the moment the starting lights went out. His latest success ties him with Michael Schumacher for the record of most consecutive race victories in a single season.
With both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles tied up, attentions instead turned to who would finish the season in second-place.
Heading into the weekend Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was 24 points ahead of third-placed Kimi Raikkonen, and while the Spaniard came home in fifth position, he was able to extend his lead over the Finnish driver to 34 points, after Raikkonen’s miserable weekend ended on the first lap.
Raikkonen has rarely stayed out of the news over the course of the race weekend, with reports of discontent over Lotus’ failure to pay their number one driver followed by the 2007 world champion being disqualified from qualifying, after his car failed a front-floor test.
Lotus’ decision to start from the back of the grid, rather than the pit-lane, proved wrong, as an opening lap collision with a Caterham resulted in a broken suspension. It was an all-round better weekend for his team-mate Romain Grosjean though, the Frenchman building on his solid sixth-placed start to finish the race in fourth.
The scrap for second in the constructors’ championship was given some added spice as Nico Rosberg came home in third place for Mercedes, but his team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled to build on his own qualifying performance, finishing in seventh place.
It was another Brit who laid claim for driver of the day though, as Force India’s Paul Di Resta put in a solid performance to finish in sixth, after successfully fending off a battling Hamilton.
The Scot started the day in 11th spot, but executed a text-book one stop strategy to record his second best finish of the season.
Elsewhere, Jenson Button’s frustrations in his McLaren continued, with the 2009 world champion having to pit for a new nose after an opening lap incident, while Max Chilton brought home his Marussia in 21st position.