The 2011 Abu Dhabi GP Race Log - Lewis Hamilton is the MAN

Back on the top step - and where he'll feel he belongs

Lewis Hamilton has won the Abu Dhabi GP, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Sebastian Vettel suffered his first retirement of the season after a puncture at the very start of the race. Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Buemi, Jerome D’Ambrosio and Vettel were the retirements from the race while Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Kamui Kobayashi joined the top three in the points.

Here is how the race unfolded:

Lap 1: Vettel looked to have a good start but he spun out with a puncture after just a couple of corners. He managed to recover the car to the pits but there was too much damage for him to continue. Alonso had a good start from fifth on the grid to overtake Webber and also Button. The two Mercedes drivers were very close together as they jostled for position. Bruno Senna was slow away and lost a number of places.

Lap 2: Hamilton had pulled out a 2.5s lead. Sergio Perez pitted for a new nose.

Lap 4: Webber got past Button but Button was in the DRS zone so was able to take the position back.

Lap 5: Heikki Kovalainen was up in 14th place in his Lotus.

Lap 6: David Coultard noticed up in commentary that there was something flapping at the front of Webber’s car. Kobayashi pitted.

Lap 7: Button set the fastest lap of the race pulling himself out of Webber’s DRS zone.

Lap 8: Alonso was cutting the gap to Hamilton.

Lap 9: Buemi passed di Resta, but di Resta used DRS to take the place back. Senna got past Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Lap 11: Kobayashi passed Liuzzi and Ricciardo as the pair were locked in an inter-team battle.

Lap 12: di Resta reported to his team that he was losing traction.

Lap 14: Webber was closing on Button again. Buemi once again tried to pass di Resta, but di Resta once again had DRS; however, he made a mistake and Buemi got past.

Lap 15: Button had a KERS failure. Webber passed Button, who locked up into the corner, but kept his car on the inside meaning that he maintained the position. Massa pitted for more soft tyres.

Lap 16: Hamilton and Alonso pitted, as did Button. The race leaders came out just behind Webber, who had not yet pitted.

Lap 18: Webber had a slow stop. Massa closed on the back of Button. Button’s race engineer reported to him that Webber was “out of the picture” after his slow stop. Petrov went off wide.

Lap 19: Buemi was going slowly. He got his car back to the pits and retired. D’Ambrosio also retired from the race. Petrov and Barrichello pitted.

Lap 20: It looked like di Resta would be one stopping.

Lap 21: Senna pitted. Kobayashi passed Maldonado.

Lap 23: It looked like Button’s KERS problems could be costing him about three to four tenths per lap.

Lap 25: Alguersuari was fighting with Glock for position as Hamilton tried to lap them and got quite close.

Lap 27: Massa was catching Button, while Webber was catching Massa. Maldonado nearly hit the wall at the exit of the pit-lane.

Lap 28: di Resta made his first and only pit stop.

Lap 29: Massa was close to Button while Webber was in the DRS zone behind Massa. Maldonado was under investigation for ignoring blue flags and received a drive through penalty. Webber passed Massa using DRS but Massa took the place back.

Lap 32: Button’s KERS returned. Maldonado and Alguersuari were battling for position while Massa and Webber were lapping them.

Lap 33: Maldonado was getting in the way of cars lapping him.

Lap 34: Petrov was slow to get out of Hamilton’s way. Kobayashi pitted.

Lap 35: Maldonado found himself under investigation again for ignoring blue flags. Barrichello pitted.

Lap 36: Webber pitted for more soft tyres meaning that he would have to pit again to take on the harder compound tyre.

Lap 37: Button pitted for hard tyres. Senna was under investigation for ignoring blue flags and received a drive through penalty.

Lap 39: Perez passed Petrov.

Lap 40: Hamilton pitted as did Massa. Kovalainen pitted and came out ahead of Massa but let him past.

Lap 42: Webber was close to Button and passed him.

Lap 43: Schumacher pitted. Alonso pitted but was stuck behind an HRT which cost him time, while he also had a slow-ish stop. Hamilton had done enough to stay ahead as Alonso exited the pits.

Lap 44: Something came off Maldonado’s car, which Massa collected as he drove over it.

Lap 47: Kobayashi passed his team-mate Perez for 10th – and a point.

Lap 48: Button was right up behind Rosberg, but Rosberg had to pit again – which he did at the end of the lap.

Lap 49: Massa spun but still was ahead of Rosberg after Rosberg pitted.

Lap 52: Ricciardo pulled off the race track and retired from the race. Kobayashi hit a bollard.

Lap 55: Webber pitted and Hamilton crossed the line to win, ahead of Alonso and Button.

The season concludes in two weeks at Brazil.

Posted by Hannah Hough - Follow her on twitter @hannahhou.

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Last Comment Posted »

• Arhh isn't that nice! Great race wasn't it, especially for us Brits! Weather was fantastic as well, can't complain out here!
  by Jimmy@enterF1
  [ click here to read in full ]