The decider - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 12 November 2010 - 12:16
Author: Nick Grey
And then there were four… Last week Jenson Button’s faint championship hopes were extinguished when he managed only fifth place in Brazil, while team mate Lewis Hamilton finished fourth to remain within touching distance of the top three and keep his own title aspirations alive. He now faces Messrs Alonso, Webber and Vettel in this weekend’s title decider, set against the backdrop of the richest city in the world as we head to Abu Dhabi for the season finale of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship.
Yas Marina
This is only the second running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after last year’s inaugural race became Formula 1’s first ‘twilight’ event, running from late afternoon into the early evening. As the darkness descended Sebastian Vettel claimed victory on that occasion, although the race was not a decisive one with Jenson Button having already wrapped up the title.
Vettel set the quickest lap in last year’s race and has also emerged the fastest from this morning’s first practice session. The track was still damp following earlier rain, but prevailing sunshine over the course of the weekend should ensure dry conditions come the main event on Sunday. The 55-lap race will once again begin at 17.00 local time, with the floodlights illuminated throughout.
Another Hermann Tilke design (whose latest creation we saw at Yeongam in Korea three weeks ago), the Yas Marina circuit has been built on a man-made island some 30 miles from the capital at great expense - aspects such as the section of track which runs through the on-site Yas Hotel go some way to explaining the £800m outlay.
Dubbed ‘the Arabian Monaco’, the 5.55km circuit features several high-speed sections, particularly the straight between turn 7 and turn 8 which is the longest in the Grand Prix calendar. Similarly the tight corners should ensure plenty of overtaking opportunities.
The four contenders
Fernando Alonso (246 pts)
Sitting pretty atop the drivers’ standings, the two-time world champion has the experience as well as the points advantage to clinch the title. And crucially, after winning three of the last five races, he has momentum. Like Alonso, Ferrari have been here many times before and will have undoubtedly gained confidence from Red Bull’s concerns over Webber’s engine temperature in Brazil last weekend and Vettel’s engine failure in Korea a fortnight earlier.
Mark Webber (238 pts)
Barring an Alonso retirement, the Australian’s Red Bull remains the only realistic challenge to the Spaniard’s crown. Such is Alonso’s points advantage though, that he can still finish second to Webber and take the spoils. How far team mate Sebastian Vettel is willing to go to help out in such a situation remains to be seen.
Sebastian Vettel (231 pts)
15 points should prove too much of a deficit to make up in one outing, but having won two of his last three races, expect the young German driver to take full advantage in the event of an Alonso slip-up. However even then Vettel would still have to outperform his teammate to clinch the title, and may even have to sacrifice his own chances for the greater good should team orders come into play.
Lewis Hamilton (222 pts)
More than a rank outsider, Hamilton’s chances seem little more than mathematical. The 2008 World Champion would need to take the chequered flag as well as see Fernando Alonso finish outside the points. Even then he would require Vettel and Webber to finish lower than third and sixth respectively. Realistically a combination of retirements is his only hope.
2010 may be the fourth season in five years to be decided on the last race, but it is the first time in the history of Formula 1 that four drivers have still been in with a chance going into the final weekend. While Alonso remains favourite to claim his third World Championship title, the three other contenders will not give up the chase lightly and we should be in for a tense afternoon.
“It’s going to be a brilliant spectacle and a great event for Formula One fans around the world,” enthused Lewis Hamilton. “I absolutely can’t wait.”
Neither can we.