Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2010

Formula One's longest ever season finally came to a close under the lights at the spectacular Yas Marina facility with four drivers having arrived harbouring title aspirations – Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. In the end just one man could come away with the trophy, and 55 laps later, that man was Sebastian Vettel.

Indeed, if the championship points were awarded on the virtue of grid positions, the young German would have sealed the title long ago. As it was though, despite capturing his tenth pole of the season, he began the weekend 15 points behind championship leader Alonso, with the paddock mostly expecting him to play second fiddle to his Red Bull teammate Webber who was just 8 points adrift of the Spaniard. Lewis Hamilton knew that Alonso scoring just one point would put paid to his chances, but certainly did himself no harm by qualifying second, the McLaren seeming to have improved pace with its revised rear wing. His teammate Button affirmed this by lining up fourth, one place behind Alonso but one ahead of a strangely subdued Webber.

As the field got away for the final time this year, Vettel led after Hamilton backed out of a potential pass at Turn 1. Button on the other hand hooked up his start considerably better than Alonso, earning himself a position at the expense of the championship favourite. Meanwhile, further back in the field Michael Schumacher spun his Mercedes as his teammate Nico Rosberg dived past him for 8^th place, and was subsequently ploughed into by the hapless Vitantonio Liuzzi, just about summarising the comeback season of the seven-time champion.

This brought out the safety car for four laps, and Rosberg took the opportunity to make the mandatory switch of tyre compounds along with Vitaly Petrov and Jaime Alguersauri. This would turn out to have a profound effect on the championship indeed, but for the time being, Vettel led from Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Webber, Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello and Kamui Kobayashi as the race got underway once more on lap 6.

Vettel was never really able to shake Hamilton, the Brit always remaining within around three seconds of the Red Bull pilot. Button however couldn't keep up with the leading duo's pace, but at the same time never looked truly threatened by Alonso, who knew fourth would be sufficient to clinch his third title if things stayed as they were. Just behind, Webber, after a close shave with the Armco became the first of the title contenders to make a pitstop on lap 12. Ferrari immediately pitted Massa in a vain attempt to leapfrog the Australian, but both got stuck behind Alguersuari's Toro Rosso, who had already made his stop during the safety car period.

Whilst Webber found an easy way past within just a couple of laps (doubtless thanks to Toro Rosso's ownership by a certain Austrian energy drink company), Massa in fact found his efforts frustrated by Alguersauri for the entire remainder of the race. As things transpired, he wouldn't be the only Ferrari driver to suffer that problem. Alonso made his stop on lap 16 in order to cover off Webber whom he did rejoin ahead of, but at the same behind he crucially fell behind Rosberg and Petrov who, like Alguersuari, made early stops behind the safety car. Alonso immediately began to pressurise Petrov, but like Massa couldn't find a way past.

With Alonso and Webber both stuck in traffic, it looked as if Hamilton would now be the only man capable of denying Vettel his maiden title. However he would too find traffic to be his undoing – after pitting on lap 24, he found himself rejoining just behind the other Renault of Robert Kubica and Kobayashi, neither of whom had stopped by this point. The latter, having started on soft tyres, was dispatched by Hamilton on lap 26, but Kubica proved more troublesome. This allowed Vettel to escape at the front of the field, pitting one lap later than Hamilton and vitally remaining just ahead of Kubica when he rejoined.

From that point onwards, with Alonso looking increasingly unlikely to pass Petrov, let alone catch and pass Rosberg, Vettel's title just came to him. Button was likewise unable to deny Vettel the win, regaining third place after Kubica finally made his stop on lap 47. Alonso's chances then began to look even slimmer when the Pole rejoined ahead of the Spaniard's scrap with Petrov, whilst Webber never even looked like making a move on Alonso until the very dying stages of the race.

All of this meant that Vettel was able to virtually cruise to the chequered flag and narrowly clinch the title. The Red Bull ace knew exactly what he had to do to be in with a chance, and he absolutely delivered. Having seen so many potential points of his go down the drain because of errors and mechanical maladies throughout the season, it was a thoroughly satisfying sight to see a champagne-soaked Vettel atop the podium, basking in the glory of the German national anthem – where he really did deserve to be.

It was a strong result for McLaren too, bagging the other two places on the podium with Hamilton and Button, and cementing the runner-up spot in the constructors' standings for good measure. Rosberg rounded off an impressive season with fourth, as did Kubica with fifth. Petrov's unwavering defence of Alonso and the ensuing sixth place may have just earned the Russian his second season in Formula One.

It was a day to forget for Ferrari though, registering a mere seven points with Alonso a lowly seventh and Massa in tenth, both held up in traffic. There's no doubt that the Maranello squad, along with the boys from Woking, and perhaps others will all be gunning for the crown once again in 2011. Until then though, Vettel and the entire Red Bull team can rest assured that they were the undoubted champions of 2010, a vintage year for the sport.