2010 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Review

Tears of joy for Sebastian Vettel at 2010 Abu Dhabi GP.
Photo Copyright © AP Photo.

The 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held at Yas Marina Circuit, on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on November 14, 2010. It was the 19th and final round of the 2010 Formula One Season. The Driver's Championship lead changed several times heading toward the end of the season. It was finally decided for good when 23 years and four months old German Red Bull Renault driver Sebastian Vettel won the race, and became the youngest champion in Formula One history.

England's Lewis Hamilton, driving for McLaren Mercedes, finished second. Last season's champion, Lewis' English teammate Jenson Button was the third driver across the finish line.

Links to Formula1.com posts on this race, starting the day before with final practice and qualifying, and then on through to post race reactions and analysis, are in this review list. A highlights video for this final race is also included.

Preview links for this race can be found within the last couple regular 'Reading And Viewing List' blog entries here at Junior's Eyes. For more articles, visit the Formula1.com archives.


Final practice - Red Bull show their hand
Posted at Formula1.com on November 13, 2010

As many of their rivals suspected they would, Red Bull found a little bit more pace in Saturday afternoon's final practice session in Abu Dhabi, and Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber set the fastest times of the weekend. The German lapped in 1m 40.696s, and the Australian was just 0.133s adrift with 1m 40.829s...

Qualifying analysis - Webber left wounded and wondering
Posted at Formula1.com on November 13, 2010

For the four remaining title contenders, qualifying for this weekend's title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a fraught affair. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was the quickest when it counted, taking pole position for the tenth time this season, but his team mate Mark Webber seemed to crumble under the pressure, managing just fifth on the grid. In between were the Red Bull duo's remaining championship rivals McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, as well as 2009 title holder Jenson Button in the second MP4-25. The scene is thus set for a storming race. We take a team-by-team look at qualifying...

The young gun's won! Vettel's title-winning season
Posted at Formula1.com on November 14, 2010

When McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 drivers' title, his entry into the record books was made all the more special as he became the sport's youngest-ever world champion. Just two seasons later and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has outshone even Hamilton, clinching his maiden championship in Abu Dhabi at 23 years and four months-old - a full five months younger than Hamilton was back in '08.

It's a remarkable achievement, made even more remarkable because up until the Yas Marina race there were still four drivers in with a shout at the drivers' crown. And not just any drivers - Hamilton, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Vettel's own team mate Mark Webber. To take a title at such a young age is an accomplishment, but to beat drivers of such calibre is a feat indeed...

Race - Vettel grabs title with Abu Dhabi win
Posted at Formula1.com on November 14, 2010

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has sealed his place in the F1 history books as the sports youngest world champion after a dominant win in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Vettel led home the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. The men who had been ahead in the standings, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber, lost out on the ultimate prize after ill-timed pit stops, finishing seventh and eighth...

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - selected team & driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com on November 14, 2010

Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi and Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher on their first-lap collision; Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull's Mark Webber and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton on missing out on the drivers' title; and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on becoming the sport's youngest champion. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, report back on Sunday's race...

FIA post-race press conference - Brazil
Posted at Formula1.com on November 14, 2010

1st Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h39m36.837s; 2nd Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 1h39m46.999s; 3rd Jenson Button (McLaren), 1h39m47.884s.

Q: Sebastian, you have only led this World Championship once this season and that is today.
Sebastian Vettel:Yeah, I am a bit speechless. I don't know what you are supposed to say at this moment. It has been an incredible tough season for myself...

Abu Dhabi analysis - champion Vettel's perfect timing
Posted at Formula1.com on November 15, 2010

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel led the driver standings just once during the 2010 season - at the very end. And while the German timed things to perfection with his faultless drive to victory at Yas Marina, his title rivals did quite the opposite. Both Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber were rendered powerless to challenge Vettel after premature tyre stops dropped them behind the perfectly driven Renault of Vitaly Petrov...

Formula 1 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Edit Highlights [HD]
Fan edit posted at YouTube by f1expert559 on November 17, 2010