2013 ABU DHABI GP: VETTEL VICTORIOUS IN YAS MARINA

Red Bull driver and newly-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. No one was on the same level of Vettel, who underlined his dominance by equalling Michael Schumacher's record of seven successive victories in a single season. If he can win the next two races he will equal the record of nine held by Alberto Ascari over two seasons and was quite clearly emotional about the prospect in the post-race press conference.

Vettel took the lead from the start and made his first pit stop on lap 14, changing from the soft to the medium compound, before rejoining in the lead. Force India’s Paul Di Resta ran the longest opening stint on the soft tyre, 20 laps, while his team mate Sutil ran the longest first stint on the mediums, stopping on lap 28. This strategy allowed Di Resta and Sutil to finish sixth and 10th respectively (from 11th and 17th on the grid).

Vettel stopped again on lap 37 for more mediums without losing the lead, eventually winning from his team mate Mark Webber by half a minute. Red Bull’s third one-two of the season and the team’s 100th podium. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso adopted a different strategy by running a 11-lap final stint on the soft tyre, which enabled him to overtake cars at the end and finish fifth. McLaren’s Jenson Button completed 44 laps on the medium tyre and would have completed a one-stop strategy, had he not been forced into the pits early on with front wing damage.

ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX, YAS MARINA
55 laps, 305.355km., Weather: Dusk.

CLASSIFIED:
 P.    DRIVER             TEAM                TIME    
 1. Sebastian Vettel     Red Bull          1h41m14.106
 2. Mark Webber          Red Bull           +   30.829
 3. Nico Rosberg         Mercedes AMG       +   33.650
 4. Romain Grosjean      Lotus              +   34.802
 5. Fernando Alonso      Ferrari            + 1:07.181
 6. Paul di Resta        Force India        + 1:18.174
 7. Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes AMG       + 1:19.267
 8. Felipe Massa         Ferrari            + 1:22.886
 9. Sergio Perez         McLaren            + 1:31.198
10. Adrian Sutil         Force India        + 1:33.257
11. Pastor Maldonado     Williams           + 1:35.989
12. Jenson Button        McLaren            + 1:43.767
13. Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber             + 1:44.295
14. Nico Hulkenberg      Sauber             +    1 lap
15. Valtteri Bottas      Williams           +    1 lap
16. Daniel Ricciardo     Toro Rosso         +    1 lap
17. Jean-Eric Vergne     Toro Rosso         +    1 lap
18. Giedo van der Garde  Caterham           +    1 lap
19. Charles Pic          Caterham           +    1 lap
20. Jules Bianchi        Marussia           +   2 laps
21. Max Chilton          Marussia           +   2 laps

Fastest Lap: Fernando ALonso - 1:43.434               

NOT CLASSIFIED:
DRIVER                 TEAM           On Lap           
Kimi Raikkonen         Lotus            1

After 15 Races:                
 Drivers:                 Constructors:               
 1. Vettel        347     1. Red Bull         513
 2. Alonso        217     2. Mercedes AMG     334
 3. Raikkonen     183     3. Ferrari          323
 4. Hamilton      175     4. Lotus            297
 5. Webber        166     5. McLaren           95
 6. Rosberg       159     6. Force India       77
 7. Grosjean      114     7. Sauber            45
 8. Massa         106     8. Toro Rosso        32
 9. Button         60     9. Williams           1
10. Di Resta       48
11. Hulkenberg     39
12. Perez          35
13. Sutil          29
14. Ricciardo      19
15. Vergne         13
16. Gutierrez       6
17. Maldonado       1