FORMULA 1 - 2010

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Hamilton grabs fastest lap

Lewis Hamilton claimed the final fastest lap of the 2010 season and for once Sebastian Vettel probably didn't give a toss about it as he had other things on his mind.

Vettel is known for "accumulating" fastest laps and pole positions, but the quickest lap time around the Yas Marina Circuit was the last thing on his mind during the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday as he wrapped up his maiden World Championship.

Hamilton, who finished the race second behind Vettel, claimed the fastest lap with a 1:41.274 on the 47th lap. It means he will share the honours with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso this year as they have five apiece.

Jenson Button proved that McLarens' pace was very good throughout the race and his best effort of the afternoon was just 0.362 off his team-mate's time.

Nico Rosberg completed the top three while newly crowned Champion Vettel settled for fourth fastest with a 1:41.739. Alonso could only manage a best effort of 1:42.227 - nearly a full second slower than that of Hamilton.

Times

1. L Hamilton McLaren 1:41.274

2. J Button McLaren 1:41.636

3. N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:41.711

4. S Vettel Red Bull 1:41.739

5. R Kubica Renault 1:41.753

6. M Webber Red Bull 1:42.196

7. F Alonso Ferrari 1:42.227

8. V Petrov Renault 1:42.311

9. N Hulkenberg Williams 1:42.397

10. S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:42.573

11. R Barrichello Williams 1:42.669

12. N Heidfeld Sauber 1:42.673

13. A Sutil Force India 1:42.695

14. F Massa 1:42.725

15. J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:42.727

16. K Kobayashi Sauber 1:42.733

17. H Kovalainen Lotus 1:45.378

18. J Trulli Lotus 1:45.979

19. L di Grassi Virgin 1:46.126

20. B Senna Hispania 1:46.255

21. C Klien Hispania 1:46.646

22. T Glock Virgin 1:46.837

23. M Schumacher Mercedes GP - no time

24. T Liuzzi Force India - no time

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Horner: An unbelievable emotional week

Christian Horner has hailed F1's newest World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, after the Red Bull driver clinched the double for his team.

Vettel needed to overcome a massive 15 deficit to beat Fernando Alonso to the World title in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. And the best way he could that was by winning the grand prix, the rest was not up to him.

And that's exactly what the 23-year-old did, taking the chequered flag while Alonso faltered due to a poor strategic decision from his pit wall.

Horner was one of the first to pay homeage to his young driver and the entire Red Bull squad.

"It's unbelievable," said the Red Bull team boss. "It's been a very emotional week for this team. I'm just so proud of the team.

"It's just an amazing feeling to be double World Champions, it's the icing on the cake with the Drivers'. This team is the best team in the world.

"Sebastian, it's the first time he's led the World Championship and he's done it at the last race of the year. Unbelievable. A great job, he drove a perfect race when the pressure was on.

"He has had ups and downs, he's had bad luck, he's had some mechanical problems, some engine failures but he never lost his focus and belief - and now he is a Champion. A great season.

"He's quite a remarkable character, he was the coolest of all of us. His rise to this point has been huge. He's a product of the Red Bull Junior Team and today he's delivered the biggest trophy in motorsport."

The team boss added that Vettel's title triumph has proven Red Bull right in their decision to allow Vettel and Mark Webber to race to the very end even when outsiders were calling for him to impose team orders on his drivers.

"We continued to back both drivers equally and it was the right thing to do," he said.

"At the end of the day, the best guy has won. There's nothing to take away from Mark. He can also be very, very proud of what he's achieved this year. He has driven well too, the fact that both drivers took it to the last race was just fantastic."

Red Bull's technical director Adrian Newey added: "I can honestly this is one of the most special ones. Last weekend with the constructors' was fantastic. For Seb to do it... he deserved it and it's great to do from the front."

Vettel's victory ensured Red Bull clinched the Championship double as they also won the Constructors' trophy at last Sunday's Brazilian GP.

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Petrov: I was just doing my job

Vitaly Petrov is not at all bothered by the fact that Fernando Alonso lost the World title while stuck behind him in the Abu Dhabi GP.

Petrov took advantage of a very early Safety Car to pit on lap 2 of the grand prix, putting him well down the order.

As the Renault rookie began to work his way forwards, Alonso pitted on lap 16 and spent the next 39 laps looking at Petrov's rear wing, unable to find a way past.

Alonso could do nothing but watch helplessly as his World title aspirations faded away, eventually crossing the line in seventh place, one position behind the resilient Petrov.

However, Alonso was clearly not happy with the Russian and was seen shaking his fist in the immediate aftermath of the grand prix.

Petrov, though, says he has nothing to answer for, he just did his job.

"I had a long battle with Fernando, but the car had good top speed today so I was able to control the situation: I just did my job," he said.

"If he had tried a move, then I didn't want to crash with him, but it didn't come to that.

"I came here to fight, and race every other driver, and I think I showed today that I can fight."

MIKA: IMO - Petrov was THE driver of the entire race. Brilliant job considering he's a rookie vs a double world champion. What did Alonso honestly think, that everyone has a Ferrari mentality and would pull over to allow him through!?

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Alonso refuses to point finger at Ferrari

Fernando Alonso has refused to pour scorn on his Ferrari team despite a poor pit stop strategy playing a huge role in him losing the World title.

Alonso headed into the season finale eight points ahead of Mark Webber and 15 in front of Sebastian Vettel. Because Webber was his closest rival in the standings, Ferrari opted to react to Webber's early pit stop, bringing Alonso in just four laps later.

Initially it looked like a good move given that he got out ahead of Webber, however, it soon turned into a bad one as he found himself trapped behind Vitaly Petrov and unable to find a way past. In fact, Alonso spent almost 40 laps stuck to the rear wing of Petrov's Renault.

And that, ultimately, cost him the World title by four points to race winner Vettel.

"After the race it is always very easy to see the best strategy," Alonso told the BBC.

"As I said now you need to cover from someone and if we didn't stop I think Webber probably would have overtaken us, if we stopped we cover from Webber but let Petrov and Rosberg in front so it was a very difficult call I think.

"It was obviously a tough difficult race. I lost a position at the start and then when the first safety car came out Petrov and Rosberg came in so... We saw some problems with the soft tyres, Webber pitted and then we tried to cover from him.

"When you cover someone probably you give something away to the others. So it was then a choice between covering Vettel or (racing) Petrov and Rosberg, so we covered Webber and then it was difficult to overtake Petrov. The Renault is very quick on the top speed so it was a frustrating race behind him.

"But this is a sport, this is motor racing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian but next year we will try again."

Alonso may be sounding magnanimous now but in the immediate aftermath of the grand prix was seen angrily shaking his fist at Petrov, who Alonso reckons was too "aggressive" given what was at stake.

"I tried to pass him once and he protected like it was the last lap, in the last race in the Championship, fighting both for the Championship, so he was very aggressive.

"But he drove very well, he made no mistakes. I think next year we will try again."

But for now, Alonso is reflecting on a job well done even if he did finish runner-up in the Drivers' Championship.

"It was very good," he said of his first season with Ferrari. "For me especially after two years of some difficulties fighting for a place in Q3, coming back to winning races and fighting for the Championship in the last race... I overtook big names in race wins, Niki Lauda, Juan Fangio.

"This is for me something amazing and I'm sure that with this team it is very possible to fight for Championships in the future. So I am very happy."

MIKA: In Petrovs' case, he was driving for the championship because he's neck is on the line at Renault and the guys trying to impress and show Renault he has what it takes to stay on for the next season.

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Webber to give it another go next year

Mark Webber has not given up on his hopes of winning the World Championship, confirming he will be back with Red Bull next year.

The Australian came agonisingly close to winning his maiden title this year after leading the standings for most of the year. However, he was forced to settle for third place after finishing a disappointing eighth in the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

There has been speculation that the 34-year-old could quit Red Bull as he doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the team's management and team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

When asked by the BBC if he will give the World title another go with Red Bull next year, Webber said: "Yes.

"I fully congratulate Seb on the World Championship," he added.

"There were a lot of positives this year. This weekend didn't turn out and it's a shame.

"There's good time to reflect in the next few weeks and look at the highs and the lows, but that's the way sport is sometimes.

"There are quite a few emotions of course when you come so close to the top and you just miss out. I tried my absolute hardest. I have great guys around me and we did what we could, but at the end it wasn't enough and that's where it's at.

"Two Championships for the team is not a bad year for us."

Webber found himself stuck between the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa early in the race and Red Bull opted to pit him.

"Early in the race obviously we had to make a few calls to get out of that position we were in. It wasn't too bad till then," said Webber.

"Going for the harder tyre pretty early obviously hurt Fernando because he had to cover me off, so in a way it was a bit of a team effort I suppose, but obviously I didn't get the result I wanted."

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Schumi 'fine' and looking forward to 2011

Michael Schumacher breathed a huge sigh of relief after walking away from an accident in which he could have sustained serious head injuries.

The incident occurred within seconds of the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Schumacher was given what appeared to be a nudge by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg on the approach into Turn Six, a sharp right-hander.

The minor impact was enough to spin seven-time Champion Schumacher into oncoming traffic, leaving Force India's Tonio Liuzzi with nowhere to go.

Liuzzi then drove over Schumacher's left-front wheel, the front wing of his car narrowly missing Schumacher who was left helpless inside the cockpit.

Another few inches to Liuzzi's left and his car would have rammed into Schumacher's head, but mercifully the 41-year-old German emerged unscathed.

Schumacher said: "I went off the line, spun and because of the dirt there, the back of the car just came around.

"I had to go to the medical centre just for a precautionary check, but I am totally fine and was not hit by anything in the incident."

It was a bitter end to what has been a tough season for Schumacher on his comeback following three years in retirement.

Despite finishing ninth in the standings, 70 points behind Rosberg and a mammoth 184 behind new Champion Sebastian Vettel, Schumacher remained upbeat.

"What happened is a shame as obviously I would have liked to have finished the season with a more positive ending," he added.

"But I am already looking forward to fighting again next year."

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Massa critical of Ferrari strategy

Fernando Alonso may be gracious in defeat, however, his team-mate Felipe Massa says Ferrari's strategy cost them both in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari opted to pit Massa after Alonso's main rival Mark Webber came in on lap 12. Four laps later, the Scuderia also brought Alonso in.

The move dropped both down the order, not only behind slower cars but also behind the few who had opted to pit on lap 2 behind the Safety Car.

And as both Ferrari drivers struggled to overtake, Alonso finished down in seventh place, losing the Drivers' Championship to Sebastian Vettel while Massa could only manage 10th place.

"The race was not good," said the Brazilian. "It was not a great strategy to stop very soon.

"The tyres were in reasonable conditions. ... We were behind all the cars who stopped before on the Safety Car.

"That was the most important thing about the whole race not just for me but for Fernando and Mark Webber.

"It was impossible to overtake."

MIKA: Was this Massa's last season at Ferrari regardless of his contract extension....?

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Rivals praise F1's new Champ, Vettel

F1 rivals were quick to congratulate Sebastian Vettel on becoming F1's youngest Champion on Sunday, and there was also praise in his home country.

Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, who was one four drivers going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a chance of winning the title, said: "Congratulations to Seb and to the team, two World Championships, that's not a bad season. There's quite a few emotions when you just miss out. It's a shame."

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who finished the race seventh and ended the season second behind Vettel and ahead of Webber and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, congratulated Vettel and tried to shrug off his frustration.

"This is sport - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian but next year we will try again," said the Spaniard.

"It was very good, for me especially after two years of some difficulties, coming back to winning races, fighting for the Championship. I'm sure with this team it is very possible to fight for Championships in the future, so I am happy."

Hamilton, who finished the race second ahead of team-mate and outgoing World Champion Jenson Button, said: "It's not been the most spectacular season for us, but huge congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian. He really did a fantastic job throughout the year and fair dos to him."

Button added: "We've all had our ups and downs, including the new World Champion Sebastian. But he's a very talented driver and he thoroughly deserves his success."

Former World Champion Michael Schumacher offered "big congratulations" to the man who has now given Germany only its second F1 Champion and the first since Schumacher won the last of his seven titles in 2004:

"That was extremely well done after his season was so mixed but he was able to come back strongly in the last few races," he said.

Praise come from other sports, with Germany's national football team coach Joachim Loew saying it was "a fantastic success" for Vettel.

"It is even more significant because he sealed the title in an exciting finish. The German football team heartily congratulates him. With talent, self-confidence and discipline he has at a young age written sporting history in Formula One," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the congratulations, saying: "To have the strength of nerve to turn things round in the last race shows the class of a true Champion.

"As the youngest Formula One World Champion of all time, Sebastian Vettel has now written sporting history at 23. With millions of fans I am delighted for him and his team."

Vettel's homeland is celebrating its second World Champion - as the mass-circulation daily Bild put it, "Germany completely Vettel!"

German newspapers were plastered Monday with pictures of the triumphant but tearful Vettel after his last-minute Championship win in Abu Dhabi. The headline in the daily Die Welt read: "simply incredible."

Bild celebrated "the Vettel miracle." Commentator Matthias Bruegelmann wrote that "Vettel was compared with the giant Schumi from his first day in Formula One - that would have made many fall apart early on."

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 23-year-old showed "the class of a true Champion" in making up a 15-point deficit to ****** the title in the season's final race.

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McLaren delighted to have beaten Ferrari

McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh is delighted to have consolidated his teams second placed finish in the constructors' championship with a 2-3 finish in Abu Dhabi.

The Woking based squad finished 44 points behind Red Bull and 58 points clear of their historic rivals, Ferrari.

"It shouldn't be forgotten that we notched up 33 world championship points this evening, which is more than any other team scored today," said Whitmarsh.

"That hefty points haul more than consolidated our second position in the constructors' world championship and indeed lifted us to a comfortable 58 points clear of our friends at Ferrari, who, as is so often the case, took the battle to us again this year.

"We're delighted to have beaten them in 2010; let battle commence again in 2011."

The McLaren team principal then went onto congratulate Sebastian Vettel as the German became the youngest ever F1 world champion.

"Sebastian drove an excellent race today, and on behalf of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes I want to congratulate him on winning the drivers' world championship," he added.

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Rosberg praises Merc for strategy call

Nico Rosberg thanked the Mercedes GP brains trust for the shrewd strategy call that helped him to fourth place in the Abu Dhabi finale.

The young German started ninth on the grid after struggling on soft tyres in qualifying, but the decision to get his mandatory pit stop out of the way during the early safety car period paid big dividends and he vaulted to fourth as the front-runners made their scheduled stops.

The result cemented Rosberg’s seventh place in the drivers’ championship ahead of Renault’s Robert Kubica, his main rival for ‘best of the rest’ honours behind the Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren drivers.

“I'm very pleased with fourth place and it's the best that we could have hoped for from my grid position,” said Rosberg.

“Special thanks to Ross [brawn] and James Vowles for a great strategy today.

“We had a good pace on the hard tyres, just like in qualifying, and I was able to make the most of that performance when it mattered.”

Rosberg remains confident that Mercedes will make a performance breakthrough next season.

“Thanks to everyone here at the track and back at the factory for all of their hard work this year,” he said.

“Although we didn't get the results that we wanted on track, I am sure that we will improve massively for next year and have more fun then.

“Next up, we have the test later this week which will be very important to get a head start on adapting to the new tyres.”

Team-mate Michael Schumacher’s final race of his comeback season ended almost before it began, after he spun on the first lap and was clouted by a hapless Tonio Liuzzi’s Force India.

“I am totally fine and was not hit by anything in the incident,” said Schumacher.

“I had to go to the medical centre just for a precautionary check.

“I went off the line, spun and because of the dirt there, the back of the car just came around.

“It's a shame obviously as I would have liked to finish the season with a more positive ending but I am already looking forward to fighting again next year.”

Team principal Brawn praised both Rosberg’s driving and the team’s successful strategy gamble.

“That was a fantastic performance from Nico today and a perfect way to finish the season for us,” he said.

“As a team, we achieved the absolute maximum with the car that we have with a great call on strategy from the guys on the pit wall and a well-executed pit stop.

“Then it was an excellent and controlled drive from Nico who found the pace exactly when he needed it.

“Michael unfortunately made a mistake on the first lap and got caught out, which is a shame.

“I'm very excited about next year with the team and drivers that we have and we will have a lot more fun competing where we want to be.”

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Alguersuari amazed to end up ninth

Jaime Alguersuari said he could not quite work out how he ended up finishing ninth in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but was delighted to have done so.

The Toro Rosso driver had only qualified 17th, but was one of the drivers to pit under the safety car period.

That meant he rose up the order as others made their tyre changes, and managed to fend off Felipe Massa's Ferrari to take two points.

"I am very happy with this result, my third points finish of the season," said Alguersuari.

"To be honest, I am not quite sure how I ended up ninth, having started 17th!

"I was very lucky not to be involved in the [Michael] Schumacher accident on the opening lap and after that, it was a good strategic choice to change tyres immediately the safety car came out.

"After that, the tyres worked very well for the whole race with no degradation at all on the rears.

"I could feel the track condition improving all the time and that meant I was able to have an edge over Massa in sector three and maintain the distance in the first two sectors, even though he was probably fractionally faster than me."

Team boss Franz Tost was thrilled with Alguersuari's performance.

"Alguersuari had a really fantastic race, making a good start and then defending his position very capably," said Tost.

"I think this was Jaime's best race of the entire season."

But there was frustration on the other side of the garage, as Sebastien Buemi used the opposite strategy and ran until lap 37 before pitting, which left him 15th despite running as high as sixth.

"I think my team-mate's strategy proved to be the better one as there was no tyre degradation, as he was able to pit and catch up behind the safety car," said Buemi.

"So I'm a bit disappointed, because I feel that if I had been on a different strategy I could easily have finished in the points."

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James Allen's Abu Dhabi GP verdict

Source: ITV-F1.com

This was a fitting way to end a really extraordinary season.

Sebastian Vettel is a worthy world champion as he and the Red Bull were the fastest car and driver combination this year.

He has had some good days and some bad days, but over the season he definitely deserves his crown.

He becomes the youngest ever world champion, being 167 days younger than Lewis Hamilton was when he won the 2008 title.

He can add that to his other records: being youngest points scorer, pole sitter, podium finisher and race winner.

If you look back over the last five years, Fernando Alonso lowered the age bar, then Lewis Hamilton and now Vettel. I wonder how much younger drivers can get…

But it’s not his youth we are celebrating this evening, it is his skill as a racing driver.

Again today he was flawless; taking pole under intense pressure on Saturday and then driving brilliantly to victory today.

Champions need a bit of luck and he was lucky today on several counts.

First when Hamilton pitted, he came out behind Kamui Kobayashi and Robert Kubica, the latter of whom held him up for most of the race.

Second, when Vettel himself stopped, Kobayshai made a mistake as he came out and so Vettel was able to get ahead.

That put two cars between him and Hamilton and gave him the cushion for victory.

Third, his main title rival Fernando Alonso was the victim of a suicidal strategy call by Ferrari which brought him out behind Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg.

The team wanted to cover Webber’s stop but there was no way that this tactic was going to work as Petrov and Rosberg had already stopped and were only 19 seconds behind him on the road, so he was always going to come out behind them.

It ended Alonso’s title hopes right there and to add insult to injury Kubica used his strategy of starting on the hard tyres and running long, to come out ahead of the Ferrari as well.

Having started third and needing only fourth place, Alonso and Ferrari contrived to finish seventh.

Mark Webber wasn’t really in the hunt this weekend.

He was six tenths slower than Vettel in qualifying and had to pit today quite early as his tyres were going off and this dropped him down the field.

He could have tried the same tactic as Rosberg and Petrov and pitted under the safety car. This might have given him a decent result, but it is unlikely that Ferrari would have made the mistake they did if he had gone that route, so it wouldn’t have changed his championship position.

And so another season comes to an end and we look forward to 2011, when we will have adjustable rear wings, Pirelli tyres and a host of other new things.

Let’s hope it’s as good a season as this one.

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Lewis sure of stronger McLaren in 2011

Lewis Hamilton is confident McLaren will enjoy a more successful 2011 season after the major slice of luck he required to become champion again never materialised on Sunday – although he still managed to sign off from this year with a strong second place finish.

Although his chances of adding a second world title to the one he achieved two years ago were always remote heading into the weekend given he needed to achieve the maximum 25-point haul and hope for poor races from all his main rivals, the Briton was optimistic of at least winning the Abu Dhabi season finale after qualifying on the front row for just the third time in 2010.

And while he got within one second of Sebastian Vettel in a competitive first stint, he fell away from the eventual race winner and new world champion after his earlier pit stopped dropped him behind Kamui Kobayashi and Robert Kubica.

Hamilton admitted it simply hadn’t been McLaren’s season and paid tribute to the new world champion driver and team – although he warned his own squad would come back better next year.

“It’s not been the most spectacular season for us but huge congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian, they did a fantastic job throughout the year so fair dos to them,” he said.

“I think for us it was a great end-of-season result for me and Jenson [button, who finished third], I think we pushed hard throughout the year and a big thank you to all the guys back home at the factory for not giving up.

“Next year will be a better year.”

Although he got closest to Vettel at the front when the Red Bull driver’s soft tyres appeared to be starting to grain mid-way through the first stint, he dropped back again when Vettel’s pace stabilised which made the pit stop phase his only realistic opportunity of jumping the German.

Hamilton though lost that chance when he came out behind the two out-of-sequence, while Vettel managed to jump them both despite pitting a lap later following a quicker RBR pit stop, which consigned him to second place.

Asked if McLaren could have avoided the situation, he replied: “I have no idea, we’ll have to have a look afterwards.

“I’m sure the team did everything for the right reasons and at the time we needed to jump Sebastian.

“I guess it was just unfortunate we came out behind a Renault – it worked out quite well in their [Red Bull’s] favour I would say.”

Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button's second and third place finishes ensured McLaren secured second place in the constructors' championship ahead of historical rival Ferrari.

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Alonso: Will to win is in Ferrari's blood

Fernando Alonso has vowed to pick up the pieces of his shattering near-miss in this season's F1 title fight and come back stronger next year.

Alonso's hopes of a third Championship were wrecked by the wretched tactics employed by Ferrari in Sunday's deciding showdown in Abu Dhabi.

It resulted in Alonso finishing a lowly seventh when all he had to do was cover Sebastian Vettel's race victory with fourth place.

Instead, after being held up by Renault's Vitaly Petrov for 40 laps, Alonso found himself trailing Vettel by over 30 seconds, with the German becoming the sport's youngest Champion by four points.

Alonso could not hide his frustration at the conclusion as he gesticulated at Petrov on the slow-down lap from the cockpit of his car.

But afterwards the 29-year-old was more philosophical as he said: "I had said it over the past few days, but this is still a great season.

"There have been some very intense months, and I found myself in a team that has an amazing atmosphere.

"Now there is some sadness, but I am sure with a clear head we will begin to appreciate better what we have achieved.

"We have to continue like that, staying united, determined, and we have to face next year with the same will to win.

"That is what has characterised this season - something I learned very quickly, something that is in the Ferrari blood.

"For next season we must improve the car and ensure the mistakes that all of us - the drivers and the team - have made during the year are not repeated."

Team principal Stefano Domenicali admitted to making "a mistake" with the strategy, adding that Abu Dhabi was "probably our worst race of the season", yet president Luca di Montezemolo refused to admonish him or those on the pit wall who oversaw the decisions that denied Alonso his third moment of glory.

"Our morale is low after the conclusion to this season, but that's sport," said di Montezemolo.

"We had everything in place to win the title with Fernando, but things did not go our way.

"All the same, I want to publicly thank the team for being capable of getting to the final round still in the fight for the Drivers' title, staging a comeback which in July, almost everyone considered an impossible task.

"We believed in it right to the end and this result should not cancel out what we have done this season.

"In all but two of the last 14 years, we have reached the final race of the season either in the fight for the title or having already won it.

"Fernando has had an extraordinary season, demonstrating his strength and determination, always being close to the team and making an exceptional contribution.

"Domenicali has done a great job, keeping the team united at all times, even in the toughest moments.

"It will take us a little while to get over this disappointment, but we have to keep our heads up and be proud of what we have done."

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Sun: Red Bull, McLaren, Merc, Renault

Sebastian Vettel won the grand prix and the World title while McLaren, Nico Rosberg and Renault ended the season on a high...

Red Bull:

Sebastian Vettel: "I'm speechless. I don't know what you are supposed to say in these moments, it has been an incredibly tough season for myself and all of us, physically and mentally. We always kept believing in ourselves - no matter what people said - in the team and in our car. I kept believing in myself and today was a special day all round. I got up this morning and tried not to think about anything; I tried to avoid contact with people and just tried to do my own thing. I knew all I could try to do was win this race and do my best. We only led this Championship once this season, but it was when it mattered. The car was phenomenal today; the start was very tight with Lewis (Hamilton), and I had some graining in the first stint, but then the car stabilised and was a dream. To be honest, I didn't know anything until I passed the chequered flag. I was wondering, because my race engineer Rocky was trying to give me advice every lap to help me carry the car home and I was thinking 'Why's this guy so nervous, we must be in a bloody good position!' Then crossing the line he came on the radio and very silently said 'it's looking good, we have to wait until all the cars finish'. I was thinking 'what does he mean,' as I hadn't seen the screens - I just wanted to make sure I didn't get any distractions during the race and focused on myself. Then Christian came on the radio and screamed at me that we had won the World Championship - I have to say thanks to so many people. To start with, the team: that's all the people here at the track and all the people in Milton Keynes - they are pushing like hell and I think they will be enjoying this moment as much as last week. Also everyone back in Austria, who has supported me from the beginning - it's been an incredible journey with Red Bull and, after all the ups and downs this season, to come here now and win the Championship is unbelievable. Thanks to everyone I have known from the early days in karting and those in my home town of Heppenheim to now, thank you so much."

Mark Webber: "It was a big day and we had the chance to do something incredibly unique, but in the end it didn't turn out for us. Earlier in the race we knew we had to roll the dice and go for it with the strategy, but it left us exposed and Fernando (Alonso) covered us. I tried my absolute hardest and we did everything we could, but in the end it wasn't enough. You've got to take your hat off to Sebastian, he's done a great job all year and to lead the Championship at the last race, he's got the timing right and I fully congratulate him on the World Championship. I was in with a chance of winning the Championship until the last race, so I must have been doing something right and in the end there are a lot of positives. I feel I have driven very well for most of the season and that's the most important thing to me. This weekend didn't turn out and it's a shame, but it's a good time to reflect in the next few weeks and look back at the highs and the lows but that's the way the sport is sometimes. There have been quite a few emotions over the last couple of weeks; when you come so close to the top and just miss out, it's a shame, but I tried my absolute hardest and I have great guys around me. I think two championships for the team is not bad and I'll be fighting again next season."

McLaren:

Lewis Hamilton: "We've ended this year on a high - to get both of us onto the podium and to clinch runner-up spot in the constructors' world championship represent a great achievement for the whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. I was able to match Sebastian's pace in the early part of the race - but, after my pitstop, I was stuck behind Robert. It was just impossible to get past him - he made no mistakes - so it wasn't possible to resume my attack on Sebastian. But that's the way motor racing goes sometimes. The team has been pushing so hard for the whole season - I'm so proud of everyone. Now, though, I'm already looking ahead to next year, when I hope our car will be even better, so that we can do battle at the very front from the first race of the season. There are 15 weeks to go until the 2011 season starts - it can't come soon enough!"

Jenson Button: "It's been an exciting year for Formula 1. We've all had our ups and downs, including the new world champion Sebastian. But he's a very talented driver and he thoroughly deserves his success. It was nice to be on the podium with the new world champion, and with Lewis, who was of course the 2008 world champion. Our main aim today was to clinch second place in the constructors' world championship, and we did that comfortably. During the year I've had some very good Sundays but some difficult Saturdays - and that's something I'm going to work on over the winter. Overall, however, I'm very happy with my first season at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. I want to say thank you to the entire team. It didn't turn out quite as we'd hoped, but there have been a lot of good days and a lot of good experiences that we can use to benefit our 2011 campaign."

Mercedes GP:

Nico Rosberg: "I'm very pleased with fourth place and it's the best that we could have hoped for from my grid position. Special thanks to Ross and James Vowles for a great strategy today. We had a good pace on the hard tyres, just like in qualifying, and I was able to make the most of that performance when it mattered. Thanks to everyone here at the track and back at the factory for all of their hard work this year. Although we didn't get the results that we wanted on track, I am sure that we will improve massively for next year and have more fun then. Congratulations to Sebastian today and he deserved the title. Next up, we have the test later this week which will be very important to get a headstart on adapting to the new tyres."

Michael Schumacher: "First of all, big congratulations to Sebastian for his great victory and taking the title today. That was extremely well done after his season was so mixed but he was able to come back strongly in the last few races. As for me, I am totally fine and was not hit by anything in the incident. I had to go to the Medical Centre just for a precautionary check. I went off the line, spun and because of the dirt there, the back of the car just came around. It's a shame obviously as I would have liked to finish the season with a more positive ending but I am already looking forward to fighting again next year. I would like to say thank you to everybody in our team for all of their hard work."

Renault:

Robert Kubica: "It was a very good race to round off the season. I had a problem with a clutch at the start, and I was running in 14th position after turn two. When the Safety Car went in, I managed to overtake Sutil, which was important. I then found myself stuck behind Kamui (Kobayashi), who was braking very late which made it difficult to attack him. Eventually, I got a run on him out of turn nine and he covered the inside for turn 11 - so I was able to pass round the outside. That was a key moment, and afterwards I just concentrated on getting the maximum from the car and setting quick laps. The car was still difficult to drive this afternoon, but I pushed really hard because I had nothing to lose - and I'm very pleased to finish fifth after starting 11th."

Vitaly Petrov: "This was a tough race, on a circuit where we know it is very difficult overtake. We have been quite fast all weekend, and I am proud of my team and the good job we did. I made a good start and could have gained some positions at the first corner, but I wanted to avoid having any problems like last weekend in Brazil. We pitted under the Safety Car, which was the right decision, and after that I just tried to push while looking after the tyres, because I knew that the plan was to go to the finish. I had a long battle with Fernando, but the car had good top speed today so I was able to control the situation: I just did my job. If he had tried a move, then I didn't want to crash with him, but it didn't come to that. I came here to fight, and race every other driver, and I think I showed today that I can fight."

[MIKA27]

Sun: Force India, Lotus, Virgin, Hispania

There were no points in the season finale for Force India, who joined Lotus, Virgin and Hispania at the back of the pack...

Force India:

Adrian Sutil: "Not such an exciting race for me today as I was driving alone for a lot of the time and then had a late stop as we tried to make up some positions. I came out side by side to Rubens and lost a position, falling into 13th. It wouldn't have made any difference as we needed points today and unfortunately we couldn't get them. It was a good effort from the team and we tried our best, just the safety car period at the start was unlucky for us. But thank you to the team for all their hard work this year and a big well done for getting 7th position. It's our highest position as a team - and my highest in the championship - and shows just how far we've come in the last three years. Congratulations also to Sebastian for his great win today."

Tonio Liuzzi: "For me today was a bit of a disappointing end to what's been a fantastic year for the team. I had a good start, gaining a couple of positions and had got into a good place for the first stint, but then I came round the third corner and saw a cloud of smoke in front. I couldn't move anywhere as there were cars all around me and then when the smoke cleared I saw Michael the wrong way round and stopped on track. I couldn't do anything but thankfully we were both OK after the accident. I am sorry that we could not score any points today to get back to sixth in the championship but even so the team has worked so hard today and for the whole of the season. But congratulations to Sebastian on his first world title."

Lotus:

Heikki Kovalainen: "What a fantastic end to our season. The race itself was just great, right from when the lights went out. I got the best start of the season, made up places immediately and from that point on I just got my head down and got on with it. Everything went perfectly according to plan. The tyres weren't really degarding and as the car got lighter and the fuel burnt away I was able to keep putting in what felt like qualifying laps throughout the whole race. I was able to pull away a gap to the cars behind me and we managed the traffic really well all race. After I came out of the pits I had to let a few cars past which cost me several seconds, but that wasn't a problem as I could keep pulling away from my direct rivals. This is the perfect way to end our first season, and gives us a huge boost for next year. We finished on a high, achieved all our goals and we have a very exciting future ahead of us. Thank you to the whole team for a fantastic season - I can't wait for next year."

Jarno Trulli: "First of all congratulations to the whole team. Everyone has done an amazing job this year and while it's been long and tough, for a brand new team it's been special. My race was one of the ones I'll want to forget. I had a problem with the front wing to begin with, and then a rear wing failure finished the race so I'm pretty glad it's over. This year I've had all sorts of bad luck but I'm very confident about next year as the package that's been put together is very good and it gives everyone in the team a chance to take the next step forward."

Virgin:

Lucas di Grassi: "A very unusual race with a safety car at the beginning. We decided to go for the pitstop straight away in order to change to the Prime tyres. We had to do more than 50 laps with the same set of tyres, which seemed like a difficult task, but we managed it. I am ending the year with a feeling of 'mission accomplished' - I did the best I could with what I had and only one or two mistakes during the whole season, so I feel that the effort and quality of my work have been much better than is reflected in the raw results. I would like to thank everyone in the team for this year. Everybody has behaved like a very close family, so well done to all of us for our first year in Formula One for us."

Timo Glock: "The last race of our debut season was quite interesting. I had good pace and was able to keep speed with Lotus. In the end, unfortunately the gearbox got too hot and failed in the closing stages of the race, so it was disappointing but I still had a good pace and that is a reflection of how much we have developed the car over the year. I would like to thank the whole team and in particular my car crew. They did a very good job and I'm looking forward to working hard to get us in good shape for next year."

Hispania:

Bruno Senna: "Today was a good but very tough race here in Abu Dhabi. I tried to push and get close to our competitors in front but then I was in traffic, so that didn't help us end further up. I enjoyed my first season in Formula 1 and I want to thank the team for their hard work they did during the year. I really have learnt a lot and it was a good preparation. You learn so much by actually racing that I can't wait to put all this experience into practice next season."

Christian Klien: "It was a tough race today and it was very hot inside the car. The car was difficult to handle with a lot of fuel, but the laptimes got better with less fuel. It was a positive race weekend for the team, as there were no technical problems. We could see that the gap to the other new teams got smaller and we could go at a constant pace. I want to thank everyone in the team for the extraordinary job they did all over the season and for giving me the opportunity to compete in the Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi races."

[MIKA27]

Sun: Ferrari, STR, Sauber, Williams

There were points but disappointment in Abu Dhabi for both Ferrari drivers while Jaime Alguersuari ended his season in the top ten...

Ferrari:

Fernando Alonso: "It's a shame to get to the end of the season and then lose the title at the final moment, but that's racing, that is sport. Everything went wrong today, from the start itself to the strategy. With hindsight, it would have been better not to pit so soon, but it's easy to say that when you have all the facts: however, it was definitely not an easy decision. I want to congratulate Red Bull and its drivers: over the course of the season they have had a little something extra than us and they deserve to be where they are today. I had said it over the past few days: this is still a great season. There have been some very intense months and I found myself in a team that has an amazing atmosphere. Now there is some sadness, but I am sure that in a few hours, with a clear head, we will begin to appreciate better what we have achieved. We have to continue like that, staying united and determined. We have to face next year with the same will to win which has characterised this one and, something I learned very quickly, is also in the Ferrari blood. We must improve the car and ensure that the mistakes that all of us - we drivers and the team - have made during the year, are not repeated."

Felipe Massa: "It's a real shame the way things went in this race. We had decided to pit early to try and stay ahead of Webber, but we did not manage it and we were then stuck in traffic for almost the whole race, both myself and Fernando. Unfortunately, the cars ahead of us were very quick in a straight line and it was impossible to overtake. At a fantastic venue like this, it's a shame that overtaking is so difficult. For me, it has definitely not been a great season, as I had expected a lot more out of it. Now we need to react and try to prepare as well as possible for the next season. We made mistakes and we must try not to repeat them. Already, we have two days of testing next week with the new tyres: I am curious to see how they behave."

Toro Rosso:

Jaime Alguersuari: "I am very happy with this result, my third points finish of the season. To be honest, I am not quite sure how I ended up ninth, having started seventeenth! I was very lucky not to be involved in the Schumacher accident on the opening lap and after that, it was a good strategic choice to change tyres immediately the Safety Car came out. After that, the tyres worked very well for the whole race with no degradation at all on the rears. I could feel the track condition improving all the time and that meant I was able to have an edge over Massa in sector three and maintain the distance in the first two sectors, even though he was probably fractionally faster than me. I am very happy with the team because they did a good job on the strategy so for everyone, this ninth place is well deserved and a nice way to end the season."

Sebastien Buemi: "Even if the result is not fantastic, I still think I drove a very good race. I got a super start and managed to pass five cars. The team decided to bring Jaime in for a tyre change and keep me out during the Safety Car period. I think my team-mate's strategy proved to be the better one as there was no tyre degradation, as he was able to pit and catch up behind the Safety Car. So I'm a bit disappointed, because I feel that if I had been on a different strategy I could easily have finished in the points."

Sauber:

Nick Heidfeld: "My start was okay and I was able to pass Robert (Kubica). But then I lost that position when I had to go round Michael (Schumacher) and Vitantonio (Liuzzi) after their accident. After that I was stuck in traffic, and we had agreed before the race that in this case I would come in and change tyres straight away. It was a very good move, even better than expected as it put me three positions further up. I was then able to close the gap to Felipe (Massa), but I had no chance to overtake him. It would have been nice to score in the last race of this season, but it didn't work out. Congratulations to the new world champion Sebastian (Vettel)."

Kamui Kobayashi: " I am disappointed with the result, as I definitely wanted to score in the final race of the season. I did what I could, but there was no way to overtake. My car was okay, but we had bad luck with our strategy. It didn't work out with some cars stopping early when the safety car was out after the accident. I had a good start gaining two positions, but later I could never go at my full pace, as I was always stuck. I also want to congratulate Sebastian (Vettel) for his great success."

Williams:

Rubens Barrichello: "Our main goal today was to cover Force India and ensure our championship position, which we did. I had a better car than the results show, but we did the best we could with the strategy we followed. I had a really good battle with Sutil who ran long into the race, and he left his pitstop in front of me, but I dived past him on the outside of Turn 4. It was a huge move, exhilarating and really the best part of a race that was pretty flat out, so in a way it was a surprise to finish so far back."

Nico Hulkenberg: "That was a difficult race. Strategy-wise, I started on the prime and did a long first stint and then a shorter one on the option but car pace wasn't good so it didn't work out for us. I lost position at the start and then while avoiding the first lap incident, but I don't think it made much of a difference to the overall picture."

[MIKA27]

Williams drop Nico, confirm Rubens

Nico Hulkenberg is out but Rubens Barrichello is staying with the Williams F1 team next season.

Hulkenberg finished 14th in the Drivers' Championship in his debut season, which included a pole position at the Brazilian GP.

The 23-year-old German performed strongly over the second half of the year as he gained in experience because after collecting just two points from his first 11 races, he then picked up 20 in the final eight, two more than Barrichello over the same period.

However, the team announced Monday he would not be back for the 2011 season.

"We are very proud to have supported Nico as he secured the Formula Three and GP2 titles and during his debut in Formula One," said team owner Sir Frank Williams.

"At Williams we have for many years tried to bring new talent into the sport, and we are convinced Nico will go on to great things.

"We wish him well and hope that our paths will cross again in the future."

Hulkenberg thanked Williams for his debut season, saying in a statement: "I heavily regret that because I would have been happy to stay with Williams.

"I want to thank the team for a great time and I wish Williams all the best for the future."

As for Barrichello, he will be staying with Williams for another season after finishing 10th in the Championship.

"We recruited Rubens to Williams knowing that he would bring technical expertise, experience and passion," said Sir Frank.

"He has delivered everything we could have hoped for this season and we are delighted to confirm that he will drive for us again in 2011."

The second driver will be announced before the end of the year.

MIKA: Nick Heidfeld...?

[MIKA27]

Toyota end Hispania partnership

Japanese manufacturer Toyota's has cut their ties with Hispania after the F1 rookies failed to "meet their contractual payment obligations".

Spanish-based Hispania were set to link up with the manufacturer in 2011 which would've seen them use Toyota's chassis as well as their state-of-the-art facilities at their Cologne factory among other things.

However, the deal is now dead in the water with Toyota confirming it's about money.

A statement read: "Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) confirms that all co-operation with Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) has been terminated and will not resume.

"TMG retains all intellectual property rights to its current F1 car and is completely free to pursue other projects and support new customers for its high-performance engineering services.

"TMG regrets that HRT has not met its contractual payment obligations and will pursue all available options to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this matter."

Hispania have responded to Toyota's announcement, saying it came as a "surprise".

"This matter will be the subject of further clarification," read a Hispania statement.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari president hits back at criticsm

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has hit back at criticsm from Italian politicians over the team's strategy in Abu Dhabi.

Alonso started Sunday's race at the Yas Marina as favourite to win the title as he enjoyed a eight-point lead over his nearest rival. However, Ferrari's decision to pit him early saw him finish the race and season empty-handed, much to the dismay of politicians who called their team's strategy "demented".

Roberto Calderoli, a minister from the far-right Northern League party, also called on di Montezemolo to hand in his resignation.

Di Montezemolo, though, dismissed Calderoli's calls for his resignation

"When the statesman Calderoli will achieve in his life 1% of what Ferrari has done for this country in terms of industry and sports, then he'll deserve an answer."

He added: "For all of us it's a difficult day, the night hasn't lessened the bitter taste after the sad end to an extraordinary season.

"We're sorry to see that there are some politicians on the outside who are ready to push for the guillotine when things go badly.

"We don't understand anyone who revels in self-defeatism, who sinks into the culture of 'everything's gone wrong, we have to start all over again'. They are vices that are very Italian, that we must learn to shake off."

[MIKA27]

Branson ready to don AirAsia outfit for charity

The battle at the top of the table may have attracted much of the media attention but, just as importantly for the new teams, the battle for tenth place was also decided.

The winner... Lotus Racing. Thanks to their 13th placed finishes, Sir Richard Branson will serve drinks on an AirAsia flight as part of a bet between the two airline owners.

Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic, and Tony Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, both agreed that the looser become a stewardess for the day on their rivals airline.

True to his word, Branson will don a red AirAsia stewardess outfit for a flight between Kuala Lumpur and London. Seats aboard the flight will be auctioned off to raise money for charity.

"There has been a fantastic spirit of competition between us and Virgin Racing all season and one of the first people to come and congratulate us on the pitwall was Richard," said Fernandes.

"We have had this great bet running all season and now it's time for Richard to start preparing himself for some hard work and the likely pain of a pair of high heels!

"We agreed last night that we will run an online charity auction for the seats on our Kuala Lumpur / London route to raise money for a charity of Richard's choice and give fans of both teams the chance to be on the flight.

"The date of the flight will be announced very soon and the aim is to raise as much money as we can for a good cause so the discomfort Richard will go through is worth as much as it possibly can be!"

[Bartolomeo]

Fantastic thread as always

Congrats RedBull on winning

Lets go FERRARI in 2011

Bart

[MIKA27]

'Petrov closing in on Renault deal'

Vitaly Petrov is on the verge of securing a new Renault contract for next year's Championship after impressing in Abu Dhabi.

Petrov's future had been on the line in recent months after the Russian rookie failed to produce the level of performance that Renault had hoped for from him.

However, he came back strong in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, holding off the challenge of Fernando Alonso for almost 40 laps in intense circumstances.

And that drive, team boss Eric Boullier says, may have been enough to secure Petrov a second season with Renault.

"His performance in Abu Dhabi will be a positive in our consideration," Boullier told Autosport. "But we still have to sit down and I want to make sure my mind is fresh to think over the situation.

"There are still some frustrations but I have to consider the global package, and I have to say that Abu Dhabi was positive for him."

Boullier, though, did admit that he is still talking with other drivers, although at present he is leaning towards re-signing Petrov.

"There is still some push, but I have been very frank with them. It is more positive for Vitaly than negative, so there is less chance for them," he said.

[MIKA27]

Paffett: Not too different from Bridgestone

McLaren test driver Gary Paffett reckons the new Pirelli tyres are very similar to the old Bridgestone rubber.

With Pirelli replacing Bridgestone as F1's official tyre supplier next season, the teams were given special dispensation to hold a two-day test using the new rubber.

Paffett was in action for McLaren on the opening morning on Friday, completing 49 laps of the Yas Marina circuit with a best time of 1:41.588, which put him fifth on the timesheets.

However, the two-day test is aimed more towards evaluating the Pirelli rubber, rather than seeing who is quickest.

And the first verdict is already out courtesy of Paffett.

"First half a day over and pretty good so far Pirelli tyres seem to be working well and not too different from Bridgestone so a good start," he Tweeted.

[MIKA27]

Oops, Hakkinen never said that...

German publication TZ has been forced to apologise for falsely attributing comments to Mika Hakkinen calling Michael Schumacher "a tragic hero."

Hakkinen, who is well known for not publicly slating other drivers, reportedly told a 'longtime' TZ journalist that Schumacher had made "a ridiculous mistake in Abu Dhabi that almost cost him his life", adding that the seven-time World Champ is "now a tragic ex-hero."

However, it now appears Hakkinen said nothing of a sort and the German publication has had to issue a public apology to all concerned.

"The statements attributed to Mr. Hakkinen corresponding particularly with respect to Michael Schumacher not true and were not authorised," TZ said in a statement.

"We regret and apologize to our readers, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher."

The journalist also got the boot: "As a consequence we have finished working with the staff concerned."