:01:01. > :01:06.Hello. Welcome to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, race 18 of the 2012
:01:06. > :01:10.formula one season. With a ham ship perfectly poised for a dramatic
:01:10. > :01:15.Grand Prix. Here is how things were looking going into the race.
:01:15. > :01:25.Sebastian Vettel having been so far behind a few races ago extending
:01:25. > :01:27.his lead over Fernando Alonso. It is now a two horse race. Same apply
:01:27. > :01:31.nos the Constructors Championship. Ferrari might be dreaming of the
:01:31. > :01:37.fact they can challenge Red Bull but 91.s is a gap too big to bridge.
:01:37. > :01:40.Right, that is the way things were looking but what about after
:01:40. > :01:48.qualifying? It was looking oh so norbl normal until late in the
:01:48. > :01:52.night when we had classic drama. We will take you back to the story.
:01:52. > :01:56.Long before the late-night drama it looked like it was going to be
:01:56. > :02:03.another normal qualifying. At Q1 started it was Pastor Maldonado who
:02:03. > :02:06.put in quick laps. At light turn to dusk the temperatures changed but
:02:07. > :02:12.the Venezuelan was fast. He qualified fourth in his Williams.
:02:12. > :02:18.Fernando Alonso had struggled all weekend, despite a raft of new
:02:18. > :02:23.upgrades. He easily made it through to Q3 but was lucky to escape
:02:23. > :02:25.Grosjean's Lotus. After putting in almost identical lap times he
:02:25. > :02:29.qualified seventh. Mark Webber is not in the Championship race, but
:02:29. > :02:34.he is looking for his first win at this circuit. In qualifying he was
:02:34. > :02:37.the fastest Red Bull on track, putting his car into second. At the
:02:37. > :02:42.start of qualifying Lewis Hamilton looked to be finding his car a
:02:42. > :02:45.handful with front lock ups ruining his chances but he has never
:02:45. > :02:49.qualified off the front row of the grid and this weekend was no
:02:49. > :02:54.different. The McLaren driver put in a stunning lap to go quickest,
:02:54. > :03:02.stopping Red Bull's recent run of dominance in qualifying.
:03:02. > :03:06.Championship leader vet was under pressure after a brake problem. He
:03:06. > :03:11.glanced off the wall, he ran wide then put his Red Bull into third
:03:11. > :03:16.but after the chequered flag his problems got worse. Stop the car,
:03:16. > :03:18.stop the car. Not great to stop out on track during qualifying but not
:03:18. > :03:22.on track during qualifying but not a disaster. The team emerged to say
:03:22. > :03:26.they were sure whatever the reason, it wouldn't lead them to be
:03:26. > :03:32.penalised by the FIA. Later that evening the sports governing body
:03:32. > :03:35.decided the take a closer look. You can see the empty garage there,
:03:35. > :03:39.Christian Horner was called to the stewards who would have to pass
:03:39. > :03:46.judgment. When he merged it was the end of the wait for the media, but
:03:46. > :03:50.really no concrete news at this point from Christian. Christian,
:03:50. > :03:54.second visit, anything come out that you can tell us? There will be
:03:54. > :03:58.a statement from the FIA which should hopefully be self ex
:03:58. > :04:02.planetary. What about a statement from Christian Horner? There will
:04:02. > :04:06.be one of those as well. The media continued to wait. The Red Bull
:04:06. > :04:09.mechanics continued to wait, so did Fernando Alonso, staying at the
:04:09. > :04:13.circuit late into the night. Was this the moment that Ferrari got
:04:13. > :04:18.the news that due to a fuel irregularity Sebastian Vettel would
:04:18. > :04:21.be sent to the back of the grid. You can see the very bottom line,
:04:22. > :04:27.the competitor is allowed to start from the back of the grid. That
:04:27. > :04:30.meant the garage doors went down without the car where it should be.
:04:31. > :04:35.After qualifying. David Coulthard is with me. Classic Formula One
:04:35. > :04:38.drama. It is. It is given that Lewis Hamilton had that same
:04:38. > :04:43.penalty applied in Barcelona, earlier in the season, qualified on
:04:43. > :04:46.pole, was put back to the back of the grid. It was inevitable once
:04:46. > :04:52.there was found to be not enough fuel that would be the penalty.
:04:52. > :04:56.us talk how it affected the race. Sebastian has had a few people
:04:56. > :05:01.criticising him saying he is not a natural overtaker. A lot of the
:05:01. > :05:04.comments have been based on most of his Grand Prix at the front, so,
:05:04. > :05:08.this is an opportunity for him to show his racing ability. He doesn't
:05:08. > :05:13.need to win this race. He wants to win, they all want to win the Grand
:05:13. > :05:16.Prixs, but he need to get through and get solid points and it keeps
:05:16. > :05:21.the Championship title alive. it change Fernando Alonso's
:05:21. > :05:24.approach? Of course, he will have bigger smile. He was disappointed
:05:24. > :05:27.after qualifying, he will start sixth and he is in a position to
:05:27. > :05:31.close that 13 point gap to Sebastian Vettel. I suppose instead
:05:31. > :05:36.of fighting to guest past him he needs to finish with strong points
:05:36. > :05:41.and things will look good for him. Sebastian doesn't feature on the
:05:41. > :05:45.grid but that man does, Lewis Hamilton who dominated qualifying
:05:45. > :05:48.and starts alongside Mark Webber. Everybody else moves up one place.
:05:48. > :05:52.Jensen Button will be relieved after a tough qualifying to be
:05:52. > :05:57.starting in fifth place. You can see Fernando Alonso right in front
:05:57. > :06:01.of his team-mate Felipe Massa who starts alongside Rosberg and
:06:01. > :06:10.Hulkenberg is moved up into the top ten. It was a tough qualifying
:06:10. > :06:12.session for Paul di Resta who starts in 12th. Kobayashi is
:06:12. > :06:17.alongside the Australian Daniel Ricciardo who has been confirmed at
:06:17. > :06:23.Red Bull for another season as is Jean-Eric Vergne, who is 17th on
:06:23. > :06:28.the grid alongside Kovalainen. Charles Pic outqualified Glock.
:06:28. > :06:33.Kark is at the back of the -- Narain Karthikeyan is at the back
:06:33. > :06:38.of the grid. Sebastian Vettel starts alone in an unusual position
:06:38. > :06:48.for the defending World Champion. Let us find out what happens during
:06:48. > :06:50.
:06:50. > :06:55.the race. David Coulthard was along Hamilton lights it up it is a good
:06:55. > :06:59.start from rake rack terrible start from Mark Webber. Raikkonen going
:06:59. > :07:06.into second. Webber fighting on to hold on to fourth. Further back
:07:06. > :07:09.that is Bruno Senna in trouble, with one of the forces for.
:07:09. > :07:13.looked like it might be Paul di Resta. As you pointed out there,
:07:13. > :07:20.Ben, Mark Webber under pressure now from the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
:07:20. > :07:25.Didn't make a great start himself, but another tardy get away for the
:07:25. > :07:28.Red Bull. Button passed by Alonso so Jensen Button, not a great get
:07:28. > :07:33.away. Mark Webber, the straight line speed of the Red Bull is not
:07:33. > :07:38.as high as the Ferrari, so, can they make use of that? The DRS is
:07:38. > :07:41.not operative. He has to do it in normal race trim. Webber goes into
:07:41. > :07:44.turn eight. Alonso doesn't have space to do anything. He might try
:07:44. > :07:50.and do the switch back. He is in a tighter line to straighten the
:07:50. > :07:54.carton exit of that cornerment he probably won't have any curves. He
:07:54. > :07:57.is in the slip stream of the Red Bull. It is close as Alonso gets
:07:57. > :08:00.alongside the remember. He is trying the take the place, but the
:08:00. > :08:05.Red Bull will come back. A little lock up from Alonso. What a move.
:08:05. > :08:09.He has got past the Red Bull. So crucial in the early lap of this
:08:09. > :08:12.race. Great strategic driving from Fernando Alonso. Mark Webber has to
:08:12. > :08:19.go defensive in turn eight. That left his vulnerable on the second
:08:19. > :08:23.of the two straights. Rosberg getting past Perez. It is up from
:08:23. > :08:29.where Alonso once again is making vital ground on the opening lap.
:08:29. > :08:33.What is going on, Grosjean, he has a puncture. Hulkenberg that was in
:08:33. > :08:38.that contact. We miss called it. He must have made a tardy get away,
:08:38. > :08:42.and yes, that will be a slow run back to the pits for Grosjean.
:08:42. > :08:46.Michael Schumacher is up to 12th. The yellow flag is down there as
:08:46. > :08:49.well. This is the area we saw that incident, Senna and Hulkenberg we
:08:49. > :08:53.think were involved in that, and the cars still being cleared away
:08:53. > :08:59.there. The grabbers in to try and get them out of the way. You can
:08:59. > :09:03.see that is the car of hubg, the contact is terminal, coming
:09:03. > :09:07.together -- Hulkenberg. With the Williams of Senna. We have mersdis
:09:08. > :09:11.in the pits having a nose change, that is Rosberg. The better of the
:09:11. > :09:16.Mercedes qualifier, he dragged the time out of that car, yesterday.
:09:16. > :09:20.That will put him down to the back of the group, as Michael Schumacher
:09:20. > :09:24.has made progress. Di Resta was involved. He has a rear puncture,
:09:24. > :09:30.right rear. Here we see Sebastian Vettel making his way up the inside
:09:31. > :09:35.of an HRT, he is up into 20th place. This will take him into 19th. There
:09:35. > :09:38.we have Lewis Hamilton, he has run very wide. He is under pressure for
:09:38. > :09:42.the lead from Kimi Raikkonen, Kimi Raikkonen is on the attack for the
:09:42. > :09:46.race lead here, and he is trying to get the slip stream behind the
:09:46. > :09:50.McLaren. We have yellow flags in some places but not all the way
:09:50. > :09:57.round. Lewis is defensive and Kimi can't get past.. That is the same
:09:57. > :10:00.place Alonso tried and passed and succeeded on Webber. Tyres are
:10:00. > :10:03.really cold. They are not coming up to temperature quickly. The track
:10:04. > :10:08.temperature 33 degrees. It is similar to what they had in
:10:08. > :10:11.qualifying. Suddenly he makes a break. That was a prime opportunity
:10:11. > :10:16.for Raikkonen. I have to say, despite the fact he has had a
:10:16. > :10:22.fantastic come back to Formula One, very consistent, he is deservedly
:10:22. > :10:25.in the top three, he seems just a bit tentative when it comes to
:10:25. > :10:30.instinctive racing, that rewarded him with a lot of reliable race
:10:30. > :10:37.result, but in terms of getting that victory, sometimes he has to
:10:37. > :10:40.go for it. Damaged front wing. He has had contact. Always the danger
:10:40. > :10:44.from starting towards the back. Vettel is in 20th place. It's the
:10:44. > :10:47.front right. I can see the flap on the right of the wing. We can see
:10:47. > :10:53.the Red Bull mechanics coming out, so a difficult afternoon, looking
:10:53. > :10:55.like it is going to get worse for Sebastian Vettel. The World
:10:55. > :11:00.Championship leader. So Hamilton leads. The Red Bull guys have gone
:11:00. > :11:04.back in, so they are not going to change it on the lap. Maldonado is
:11:04. > :11:08.in third place. Let us not forget the Williams is running third.
:11:08. > :11:13.Alonso is chasing that, trying to get on to a podium place, DRS is
:11:13. > :11:18.now enabled so we will be seeing that rear flap coming into
:11:18. > :11:22.operation, next time round. As Kimi Raikkonen, in this lap in fact,
:11:22. > :11:27.coming down through the chicane, Kimi Raikkonen in second. Maldonado,
:11:27. > :11:33.Button in sixth. Massa is chasing him ch the Saubers, Kobayashi had a
:11:33. > :11:36.good first lap. He is up to eighth. Sebastian Vettel goes on the attack.
:11:36. > :11:40.There is the Marussia of Charles Pic to his right. And Charles Pic
:11:40. > :11:43.qualified well yesterday. No way he can hold him back. TEAM RADIO:
:11:43. > :11:48.There is damage on your right hand side. We can see it. It is up to
:11:48. > :11:54.you if you want to pit, we areed arey for you. That was a moment ago.
:11:54. > :11:58.He decided not to come in. David, here is a look at the start. Lights
:11:58. > :12:02.out and Red Bull of Mark Webber seemed to bog down, and that
:12:02. > :12:05.allowed him to get swamped by Raikkonen, who went down the inside
:12:05. > :12:09.of Maldonado. The forces for, coming in contact with each other,
:12:09. > :12:15.and that was a straight case of four into one will not happen. --
:12:15. > :12:19.Force India. And just see it at the back of the shot. Look to me like
:12:19. > :12:23.Hulkenberg was just being a bit greed wri there, trying to squeeze
:12:23. > :12:27.in between the two car, clipped the right rear of Paul di Resta. That
:12:27. > :12:33.is where Paul ended up with the puncture. This is interesting. Kimi
:12:33. > :12:36.made a good start but Webber didn't. There you go. Instinctive reaction,
:12:36. > :12:39.Webber slowed off the lines. He pulled to the left of you have to
:12:39. > :12:44.say that was probably the best start on the grid when you look at
:12:44. > :12:49.his relative position to Lewis Hamilton. I think we see Alonso
:12:49. > :12:53.getting up the inside of Jensen Button, in turn two, they go side
:12:53. > :12:57.by side through three. As Felipe Massa, sorry, Fernando Alonso was
:12:57. > :13:02.already in front of the McLaren. Having to go defensive for mas sa,
:13:02. > :13:07.as they come down to the end of the lap. And this is a replay of how
:13:07. > :13:10.Alonso went on the attack with Mark Webber. -- Massa. Very close as
:13:10. > :13:19.they make their way down, approaching 190mph as they run down
:13:19. > :13:23.into turn 11. And then a lock up, as they run into the apex but text
:13:23. > :13:27.book overtake. This is view from onboard Mark Webber's car. Scary
:13:27. > :13:31.enough for the camera, as you can see how close these cars are. It
:13:31. > :13:35.looked like they touched from that angle. How the camera can lie at
:13:35. > :13:41.time we, know from the overhead there was plenty of space.
:13:41. > :13:45.Hamilton make a mistake? That is when Raikkonen got close behind him.
:13:45. > :13:48.He is struggling to get heat in the Thais and very lucky as he came out
:13:48. > :13:57.of turn eight, he wasn't left vulnerable on the run down to turn
:13:57. > :14:01.11. He was very defensive. Now this was Vettel with Petrov. A moment
:14:02. > :14:06.ago with Petrov on the right hand side. Got past and went past Timo
:14:06. > :14:10.Glock. I am not sure he was thinking about that. He almost
:14:10. > :14:14.overshot the corner. Rosberg has crashed out of the Abu Dhabi Grand
:14:14. > :14:23.Prix and safety car has been deployed. We have done eight laps.
:14:23. > :14:27.There is another car involved. It is the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan.
:14:27. > :14:32.And Rosberg and a the safety car is out. We could see some pit stops
:14:32. > :14:36.during this safety car period. But interestingly, the good news is of
:14:36. > :14:41.course that Nico is walking away. Let us see if we can spot what
:14:42. > :14:45.happened. I think he vun up the back of Karthikeyan. He has some
:14:45. > :14:51.smoke out of the back and Rosberg didn't judge the closing speed and
:14:51. > :14:54.launched over the top of that car. Thankfully, coming down, on to the
:14:54. > :15:00.wooden plank, and that is a section where a car would normally be flat
:15:00. > :15:04.out, of course, and if you just look, you can see smoke coming out
:15:04. > :15:09.the back, and was he in the first part of an issue? With his engine?
:15:09. > :15:19.And had to lift out, but thankfully, both the drivers walking away from
:15:19. > :15:22.
:15:22. > :15:26.Rosberg's Park, into turn 16, into the Tech-Pro barrier, the energy
:15:26. > :15:30.absorbing barrier really doing its job. Still talking to each other.
:15:30. > :15:33.Wondering how they get back to the pits. They are the wrong side of
:15:33. > :15:37.the circuit, of course, they may need to see if they can shimmy up a
:15:37. > :15:47.drainpipe into the hotel and go and take a shower.
:15:47. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:52.TEAM RADIO: What is he doing? He is stopping all the time.
:15:52. > :15:57.It sounds like... The front windows completely flapping, I think he has
:15:58. > :16:04.made contact with the back of Ricciardo. -- the front wing. This
:16:04. > :16:14.has happened to Sebastian before. He didn't actually hit the car.
:16:14. > :16:18.he swerved to try and avoid the back of the Toro Rosso. He is
:16:18. > :16:22.surprised by how quickly the Toro Rosso slowed down and that has
:16:22. > :16:27.definitely damaged his front wing. The other flapper is broken and
:16:27. > :16:37.they have no choice. You can see the team is in the pit lane and he
:16:37. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:42.will need to come for that knows change. -- nose. Into the pit lane
:16:42. > :16:48.and this is where we will hopefully see a rapid front nose cone changed,
:16:48. > :16:54.along with the front wing. Let's see how the boys go. A change of
:16:54. > :16:58.tyres at the same time. A pretty rapid getting the old one off. A
:16:58. > :17:02.half turn and off goes Sebastian Vettel. A longer stop than normal
:17:02. > :17:07.but they are on the safety car and it wouldn't cost him as much as it
:17:07. > :17:11.would have done. Gary, you think this is really bad news for
:17:11. > :17:15.Sebastian, despite the fact that they are on the safety car? It is
:17:16. > :17:21.difficult now because he has to go on the soft tyre for the rest of
:17:21. > :17:26.the race and it'll be a struggle to get 41 laps on that soft tyre.
:17:26. > :17:30.safety car is coming in on his lap. He will find himself running behind
:17:30. > :17:35.Paul di Resta in 22nd place. Lewis Hamilton beginning to bunch
:17:35. > :17:40.them all up. Kimi Raikkonen still in second place. And how the cast
:17:40. > :17:44.respond on the restart is going to be crucial. They are on the softer
:17:44. > :17:48.tyre, which is so sensitive to temperature. A Lewis Hamilton
:17:48. > :17:52.allowing the safety car to pull away so that when he decides to go,
:17:52. > :17:56.and it is his choice, he will have a clean run to the last corner.
:17:56. > :18:04.Fernando Alonso trying to stay as close as he can to Pastor Maldonado.
:18:04. > :18:09.Hamilton has bolted. Alonso having to defend from Webber. It shows you
:18:09. > :18:14.how difficult it is on the restart. Webber has a real chance of getting
:18:14. > :18:19.back past Fernando Alonso. What a tussle this is. Just enough room
:18:19. > :18:24.for Webber to work with. Alonso still under pressure from the Red
:18:24. > :18:29.Bull and eventually, where there has to lift off a little bit. --
:18:30. > :18:34.Webber. A scary moment for Fernando as he tried to go with the top
:18:34. > :18:39.three group, clearly not having the rear of his car performing. He
:18:39. > :18:41.turned in and lost it and had to go defensive. You can see how that has
:18:41. > :18:46.broken the gap to Maldonado already and bunched up the group behind
:18:46. > :18:51.them. Hamilton has once again make the break. Kimi Raikkonen is not
:18:51. > :18:56.able to challenge on this restart in the Lotus on second -- in second
:18:56. > :19:00.place. And then a big gap back from Maldonado to Alonso. Those tyres
:19:00. > :19:06.were not a happy temperature. Michael Schumacher is still in
:19:06. > :19:09.there. We had a tussle between Timo Glock and Vitaly Petrov, chased by
:19:09. > :19:14.Charles Pic. There is Vettel are doing it all over again, coming
:19:15. > :19:21.from the very back of the field. has got two places already and next
:19:21. > :19:28.in his side, he has Grosjean. -- in his sights. Will he get his
:19:28. > :19:32.slipstream? No DRS at this stage. It is not quite enough. Grosjean
:19:32. > :19:36.does indeed, there may be an opportunity. Grosjean had his own
:19:36. > :19:42.problems, there was contact between Grosjean and Nico Rosberg on the
:19:42. > :19:48.opening lap and he has had an hour -- extra pit stop. He will probably
:19:48. > :19:53.still have Atir in the eye from the first-lap incidents -- ATF. He will
:19:53. > :19:56.be well aware that he has the championship leader behind him, he
:19:56. > :20:02.has no reason to make things easy for him. A in a way, it is the
:20:02. > :20:05.worst thing possible for Vettel, to be caught up behind a fast car.
:20:05. > :20:11.Lotus has good straight-line speed but it has to be noted that because
:20:11. > :20:17.Vettel had the chance to change his ratios, in qualifying his top speed
:20:17. > :20:21.was around 193 mph and in the race, he has already done 198 mph, so
:20:21. > :20:31.showing the benefits of taking the car out of the in the Aksa and
:20:31. > :20:31.
:20:31. > :20:35.setting it up for racing from the back. -- out of the limiter. Alonso
:20:35. > :20:40.is still in front of Webber but the Ferrari has struggled from the
:20:40. > :20:44.restart. Webber will try and get past the Ferrari. Red Bull need
:20:44. > :20:50.this crucially with Vettel even further back. We are on board with
:20:50. > :20:57.a Vettel. This could well work. Grosjean in the middle of the road.
:20:57. > :21:00.They are both trying to pass the Marussia as well of Charles Pic.
:21:00. > :21:05.Side-by-side into turn eight. Vettel gets the line but Grosjean
:21:05. > :21:10.holds on. Vettel will have to try and do it on the next straight as
:21:10. > :21:14.they all get past Charles Pic. Here comes Vettel, he has a much better
:21:14. > :21:20.run out of the corner, gets in front. Grosjean is not giving up.
:21:20. > :21:27.He goes one way, then the other. Vettel eventually get sick. Let's
:21:27. > :21:31.just see the repay as they run down into turn eight -- the replay.
:21:31. > :21:37.Grosjean affecting have passed on the Marussia and it all comes down
:21:37. > :21:42.to braking. Sebastian has the corner but Grosjean comes back and
:21:42. > :21:47.this is what they will look at here. Sebastian dives to the right hand
:21:47. > :21:52.side, which line constitutes the limit of the track? I have never
:21:52. > :21:57.seen two white lines. Andy Hamilton problem. Lewis Hamilton is in
:21:57. > :22:01.trouble, the race leader -- and a Hamilton problem. What is going on
:22:01. > :22:06.this year with McLaren and the Lewis Hamilton? He was in this
:22:06. > :22:12.position in Singapore. No engine. It has happened again. He was
:22:12. > :22:17.totally in command. Kimi Raikkonen leads the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
:22:17. > :22:21.Lewis Hamilton withdraws once again and you just can't believe that
:22:21. > :22:26.Lewis Hamilton is suffering another non- finish, his fifth of the
:22:26. > :22:33.season. He pulls off onto the grass, it is all over, and the opportunity
:22:33. > :22:37.of taking his 21st Korea went has ended. And Alonso goes up into
:22:37. > :22:40.second place, he goes past Maldonado. What a break for
:22:40. > :22:44.Fernando Alonso. Not only has Hamilton withdrawn but in the same
:22:44. > :22:48.lap, virtually, he is up into second position. As that is
:22:48. > :22:53.happening, we can see from the commentary position that Vettel has
:22:54. > :22:57.made a pass on Bruno Senna, so he is up to 11th place. He is to get
:22:57. > :23:00.into the points this afternoon. Fernando is in a position where if
:23:00. > :23:10.they stay in this order, he will lead the world championship if he
:23:10. > :23:18.is able to finish in second place. This is through 8 and 9. Per-second
:23:18. > :23:22.DRS zone. Ashby second DRS zone. the end, Maldonado was defenceless
:23:22. > :23:28.as they went down into turn 11. You can see the join in the Ferrari
:23:29. > :23:35.garage. TEAM RADIO: Kimi, the next car
:23:35. > :23:41.behind you is Alonso, five seconds behind you. I'll keep you updated
:23:41. > :23:46.on the gap and the pace. Leave me alone, I know! Brilliant,
:23:46. > :23:50.absolutely brilliant! "Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing". He
:23:51. > :23:56.is such a character. He is leading the race and he feels totally at
:23:56. > :24:05.home doing that, it is what it was built to do. 5 points seven seconds
:24:05. > :24:10.is the gap. -- 5.7 seconds. Alonso est simply not as fast as the Lotus
:24:10. > :24:14.at this stage and we saw a great race on Friday from Kimi Raikkonen.
:24:14. > :24:19.On board with Webber again. Gary, it does look as though Maldonado is
:24:19. > :24:26.struggling. Are you surprised they haven't brought him in? Not really,
:24:26. > :24:33.they are looking to get the hard tyre working. As for Kimi, he has
:24:33. > :24:38.just said what he is, he is a racing driver, just leave me alone
:24:38. > :24:42.and let me get on with it! It is certainly good to hear. Look how
:24:42. > :24:47.close Webber is once again, Maldonado will go to the left.
:24:47. > :24:54.Webber is going to go around the outside and there is contact!
:24:54. > :24:57.Webber spins, Red Bull's day goes from that -- bad to worse, but he
:24:57. > :25:02.does rejoin. Webber has lost several places as a result of
:25:02. > :25:05.trying to get past Maldonado. had to have a go but in the end,
:25:05. > :25:09.you can't just go around the outside and expect the car on the
:25:09. > :25:14.inside to disappear. He doesn't look to have picked up any damage,
:25:14. > :25:18.it looks like it was wheel-to-wheel. He has got to do it all again now.
:25:18. > :25:23.He lost three or four places there with the half spin. That is really
:25:23. > :25:30.not good news. Gary, you were watching, you are not too impressed.
:25:30. > :25:36.Really not. You can see it again here. He comes up the outside, he
:25:36. > :25:46.goes aggressive. He puts himself in the most vulnerable position and
:25:46. > :25:49.racing driver can be. What a big mistake he has just made. I think
:25:49. > :25:55.that is fair comment. He put himself in a situation, when you
:25:55. > :26:02.are on the outside, it is like basically leaving yourself open to
:26:02. > :26:10.that and he's been Sim around. And, well, I am sure he will see it
:26:10. > :26:16.differently. Luckily it was a wheel-to-wheel contact. These cars
:26:17. > :26:20.are on such a limit when you go into the turn that in that context
:26:20. > :26:26.-- enough contact sense in pirouetting. It will damage his
:26:26. > :26:30.potential to get on the podium this afternoon. There is a long way to
:26:30. > :26:35.go, but if Raikkonen does go on to win this race, he will find himself
:26:36. > :26:39.on 47 points -- find himself 47 points behind the leaders in the
:26:39. > :26:46.race for the championship and there will be 50 available in the last
:26:46. > :26:55.two races. Webber outside again in turn 11. They do touch and Webber
:26:55. > :27:02.is off! And Massa is off! Webber had to allow Felipe Massa to
:27:02. > :27:08.overtake him again but then to Felipe Massa or spun, and I don't
:27:08. > :27:12.think that Ms Webber has to let him overtake again. Mark again trying
:27:12. > :27:19.the outside line and they run side- by-side. There is contact and you
:27:19. > :27:23.can see that Felipe Massa takes the APACS -- apex and when Mark Webber
:27:23. > :27:29.rejoins, he keeps the kerb, and whether he was scared into avoiding
:27:29. > :27:34.action. Here we can see it from the cockpit. Turn 11, Mark Webber is
:27:34. > :27:40.well ahead as they enter the break- in but as they go through the apex,
:27:40. > :27:45.he gets a hearty cloud -- braking. And you can see Mark was back on
:27:45. > :27:49.the circuit and scared him into a spin. He has bailed out and gone
:27:49. > :27:52.for his prime tyres. It is a good move because if they penalise the
:27:52. > :27:56.other guy, he now cannot let him through and might end up with the
:27:56. > :28:05.drive-through penalty, which is what Ferrari will be pushing for.
:28:05. > :28:11.But whether they get that, or Felipe Massa or's spin was caused
:28:11. > :28:19.by Webber going off... We expect here the set of primes will be
:28:19. > :28:24.coming on for Alonso. No further action on the Webber-Massa incident.
:28:24. > :28:31.That was tidy and we will see where Alonso rejoins the field as he can
:28:31. > :28:36.out of this unique pit lane. Unique and another thing you may call it
:28:36. > :28:41.is pointless. He is going to be behind Vettel. Battle has gone
:28:41. > :28:44.through an Sebastian Vettel will be ahead -- Vettel has gone through.
:28:44. > :28:48.If he manages to go through to the end of the race on this set of
:28:48. > :28:53.tyres, he is in front of Alonso at the moment, but there is such a
:28:53. > :28:57.long way to go and he may have very little grip by the end. In Monte
:28:57. > :29:01.Carlo, there was something similar when Sebastian went further on the
:29:01. > :29:07.set of tyres that any projection -- than any projection said was
:29:07. > :29:10.possible. Sergio Perez and Maldonado, Maldonado is there
:29:10. > :29:15.compromised on the exit of the chicane and Sergio Perez will get
:29:15. > :29:23.DRS and should pull ahead. Maldonado goes in his slipstream,
:29:23. > :29:26.he won't have DRS. He wrote -- might have a little go. Webber is
:29:26. > :29:30.involved in this as well. Trying to get past that it is not quite
:29:30. > :29:34.happening. Now through the tight and twisty section. Gary, what are
:29:35. > :29:39.you thinking? We have seen how Vettel is going, could he go to the
:29:39. > :29:45.end of the race? There is a good chance, because there were 41 laps
:29:45. > :29:55.to go when he went on to the soft tyres. It is a track that is a bit
:29:55. > :29:56.
:29:56. > :30:03.more difficult for the tyres here. In its 34 laps -- she went 34
:30:03. > :30:07.laps... I think there is a good chance he can do it. Jenson Button,
:30:07. > :30:13.a quick stop for him. The only remaining back Harron in this race.
:30:13. > :30:17.Where will he come back there? -- rev -- remaining McLaren. Maldonado
:30:17. > :30:22.can begin in the Williams, he has struggled a bit full pace, but he
:30:22. > :30:32.still has a chance of scoring some points. He hasn't done that on many
:30:32. > :30:39.occasions, despite the victory in He is in the right zone. Raid if
:30:39. > :30:44.Sebastian gets a run, don't fight him. Clear message and a reminder,
:30:44. > :30:48.they are allowed to give instructions these days. Doesn't
:30:48. > :30:51.look like he has position properly. Emotions will be running high after
:30:51. > :30:57.the various incidents. I don't expect he will make it too easy,
:30:57. > :31:01.and some might say, why should he? They are both battling. What is
:31:01. > :31:05.interesting, as when Webber responds with the purple first
:31:05. > :31:10.sector is Raikkonen, he is 23 seconds ahead of this battle here,
:31:10. > :31:15.and as you rightly say, it is about 19 second, Ben, give or take for a
:31:15. > :31:19.pit stop. I would have thought the Lotus team, although Raikkonen is
:31:19. > :31:24.running slightly quicker because Vettel is losing time as he is
:31:24. > :31:31.running in the dirty air. TEAM RADIO: Box, box, box. They took the
:31:31. > :31:37.choice away him. That is how the make it happen. Vettel not held up
:31:37. > :31:39.because Webber is brought into the pits for his one and only stop. He
:31:39. > :31:43.goes on to the harder compound tyres. He shouldn't have any
:31:43. > :31:48.problem getting to the end of the race on those tiers. It is more a
:31:48. > :31:55.question mark over whether Vettel can sustain id. Perez gets out
:31:55. > :31:58.ahead of Webber. -- it. The losing time for the incidents he's had,
:31:58. > :32:01.particularly the one with Felipe Massa, the other with Pastor
:32:01. > :32:07.Maldonado. It has cost Webber dear in this race as he rejoins the fray.
:32:07. > :32:09.Right, we will see the race leader coming into the pits now, as Lotus
:32:09. > :32:13.prepare for Kimi Raikkonen, the Button is lighting up the timing
:32:13. > :32:17.screens on this harder tyre which seems to suit the McLaren better
:32:17. > :32:22.and Jensen Button's style perhaps. Race leader is in. Kimi Raikkonen,
:32:22. > :32:27.in charge so far. The pit stop goes OK, not as quick as some, they were
:32:27. > :32:33.a bit slow letting the back end of car down, now, where is he going to
:32:33. > :32:36.be coming out with respect to Vettel. He has just passed the
:32:36. > :32:40.commentary box. Raikkonen is under turn one. He will appear out of
:32:40. > :32:46.there, into the path and you will see Vettel, in the background,
:32:46. > :32:52.there he is: Wow. So Kimi Raikkonen retains the lead, but Sebastian
:32:52. > :32:55.Vettel is now in second place. And look how close he is to the Lotus.
:32:55. > :33:00.Remarkable when you think that Sebastian Vettel started from the
:33:00. > :33:05.pit lane. Had to make an early stop for a damaged front wing, and yet
:33:05. > :33:09.there he is in second place. Alonso won't be able to believe this, I
:33:09. > :33:13.shouldn't think. Ferrari will say don't worry, we think he has to
:33:13. > :33:18.make an extra pit stop. He may not. Vettel maybe able to manage this,
:33:18. > :33:24.all the way to the end of the race, on these yellow softer tyres, so we
:33:24. > :33:29.will have to see and Button still close. I would love, I don't think
:33:29. > :33:34.in an tis patience my heart could take it. I would love if Gary can
:33:34. > :33:39.find a Pirelli man and find out if there is in change in projection,
:33:39. > :33:44.the information we had is they can expect about 25 laps or so on the
:33:44. > :33:54.soft yellow tyre, and 30 or so on those white side walled medium tyre,
:33:54. > :33:58.they have to do more than that this afternoon. Gary, you are with Paul
:33:58. > :34:04.from Pirelli. Yes. Any better predictions to the tyre life they
:34:04. > :34:08.can do on the soft tyre? We have got the wear information back, we
:34:08. > :34:13.have an estimated life of 36 lapse. Red Bull are better than the rest,
:34:13. > :34:18.so it is right on the limit for them. It will be an interesting end
:34:18. > :34:22.to this race. TEAM RADIO: Box, box, box. They are not trying to do it
:34:22. > :34:27.on one-stop. They are going to put in another stop. But this will
:34:27. > :34:31.bring him out just ahead of Grosjean. This is fascinating. If
:34:31. > :34:35.they get a good pit stop, it will be right round that battle between
:34:35. > :34:38.Grosjean, di Resta that maybe in front. They want to line him up to
:34:39. > :34:42.be able to push all the way to the end of this Grand Prix. They don't
:34:42. > :34:51.want him to be wounded toward the end, with no rubber left, so you
:34:51. > :34:58.need a slick stop here. Not ass slick as it should have been but he
:34:58. > :35:02.gets going. Now where is that group of Grosjean, di Resta? Just out of
:35:02. > :35:07.the last corn e. I think this will be enough. Think he have the chance
:35:07. > :35:10.on the soft tyres again. He is under turn one. He will be existing
:35:10. > :35:15.into turn three. Look on the left hand side of the screen for
:35:15. > :35:20.Grosjean. He is not there. Good move by Red Bull. They have done
:35:20. > :35:25.that beautifully. They have put him ahead of Grosjean. He runs wide.
:35:25. > :35:32.Did he hit the bollard. Did he make contact. The front wing is still in
:35:32. > :35:36.place. Di Resta locking up as well. Perez, Webber, chasing, great stuff
:35:36. > :35:41.from Vettel. Despite this slight hiccup on the pit stop. Look at the
:35:41. > :35:48.left side as we view, it is the right rear. A bit ofs he's Tansey
:35:48. > :35:51.there with the gun, apparently. hesitation. Grosjean is under
:35:51. > :35:55.pressure from Paul di Resta. Behind him is Perez, a bit of a cut back
:35:55. > :36:00.as Grosjean went in deep. Could be an opportunity on the exit of the
:36:00. > :36:05.coner on to the next D rsm S done, he has got in before they got there.
:36:05. > :36:10.He has DRS so he flies past Grosjean. Perez down the outside in
:36:10. > :36:14.the Sauber. Grosjean not able to fight him of. Perez going side by
:36:14. > :36:21.side with di Resta, they are still side by side. He cuts the grass.
:36:21. > :36:25.Perez goes wide. Rejoins Grosjean is there. Oh, there is contact.
:36:25. > :36:30.Webber is out as well. Maldonado cuts his way through, so does
:36:30. > :36:36.Kobayashi. It has all gone wrong at the back. Will there be another
:36:36. > :36:41.safety car Ben? He is in a out. The Lotus is parked on the pit of turn
:36:41. > :36:47.14, and it all just got a bit messy, that started on the way into turn
:36:47. > :36:52.11. That car ain't going nowhere so safety consider will be deployed.
:36:52. > :36:56.Perezs into the pit, as does Daniel Ricciardo and the troestroe, did he
:36:56. > :37:00.get caught up in that? I think he did a bit. I any he has a puncture
:37:00. > :37:05.on the Toro Rosso, so they will have to whip another set of tiers
:37:05. > :37:09.on there. -- Toro Rosso, the damage may be worse on the Sauber behind,
:37:09. > :37:14.still no movement. They are sitting there, waiting, having a good look
:37:14. > :37:18.round the car, deciding whether to send him on his way, Perez has been
:37:18. > :37:25.involved in several incidents in a few Grand Prix, that went on for a
:37:25. > :37:31.long time. Here we see Perez gets the double tow and the DRS, then he
:37:31. > :37:34.tries to be a bit sneaky round the outside, and then Paul gives him
:37:34. > :37:40.space but forces Paul wide, and rejoins, tries to defend from
:37:40. > :37:45.Grosjean, and he gets hit on the rear, and you with wave all you
:37:45. > :37:50.want, but you can't turn in when a car is there. Yes, I understand the
:37:50. > :37:54.frustration. You can wave. In is a one line only corner, he gets
:37:54. > :37:58.pushed over the kerb and that forces Paul across the grass. It
:37:58. > :38:01.sorts itself out on the exit. But when he rejoins her rejoins into
:38:01. > :38:06.the path of Grosjean. In fairness to Grosjean he was trying to get
:38:06. > :38:11.out of it once he realised he was coming across the front of him. He
:38:11. > :38:15.has gone in there and realised in Mark Webber, getting caught up in
:38:16. > :38:22.the momentum that he had, running through the corner, took him into
:38:22. > :38:25.the back of the Lotus of Grosjean. Just clumsy stuff. What a mess and
:38:25. > :38:29.whether, as you say nowhere he could go, he was trying to keep to
:38:30. > :38:33.the inside here, the safety car is out for the second time this
:38:33. > :38:39.evening, Alonso is still in second place, then Jensen Button in third.
:38:39. > :38:42.Vettel is in fourth place, now. This closes it all up together and
:38:42. > :38:48.suddenly, Sebastian Vettel will be with the race leaders n a fast Red
:38:48. > :38:52.Bull, and who is to say he is not going to be able to challenge for
:38:52. > :38:57.the podium, maybe for victory. TEAM RADIO: We need to keep working all
:38:57. > :39:06.four tiers. Yes, yes, yes, I am doing all the tievers. I don't need
:39:06. > :39:10.reminding. I love that! I love that. -- tyres. He is on a good set of
:39:10. > :39:14.tyres. A clear lap is about two tenths, so Sebastian Vettel needs
:39:14. > :39:18.to get himself past these guy, that is the big problem. Slightly slow
:39:18. > :39:21.stop there. I said that muem is seventh. He isn't any longer, that
:39:21. > :39:27.will drop him to the back of the queue. I don't know what the
:39:27. > :39:31.problem was for Schumacher, whether it was tyre wear. The safety car is
:39:31. > :39:35.coming in. Kimi Raikkonen, he is building up to the restart then, of
:39:35. > :39:40.this Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which has been packed with incident. Are we
:39:40. > :39:45.going to see some more in the latter part of it? Raikkonen
:39:45. > :39:48.looking for his first win since 2009. He is chased by Fernando
:39:48. > :39:53.Alonso and behind him we have Jensen Button looking very fast in
:39:53. > :39:57.McLaren, then Sebastian Vettel on a relatively fresh set of the soft
:39:57. > :40:02.Thais. Away we go. Good restart by Raikkonen. Immediately fast out of
:40:02. > :40:05.that last corner, opening up the gap over Fernando Alonso. Behind
:40:05. > :40:09.there you have Massa chasing Kobayashi in the Sauber, so
:40:09. > :40:14.Kobayashi now in sixth place, look at Raikkonen go. Alonso we saw him
:40:14. > :40:18.struggle on the restart earlier on, David. I looks as though the
:40:18. > :40:24.Ferrari does struggle a bit with tyre temperature after a safety car
:40:24. > :40:27.period. That is fair comment. What I can't understand why Fernando was
:40:27. > :40:33.not right up the gearbox as they came through the last sequence of
:40:33. > :40:37.corner, they may be able to get the tyres working better than the turns,
:40:37. > :40:47.in terms of straight line speed and acceleration they should be evenly
:40:47. > :40:47.
:40:47. > :40:52.matched. Raikkonen has faulted. He will have broken the DRS zone. They
:40:52. > :40:56.are entering that zone now to see Bruno Senna, different crash helmet
:40:56. > :40:58.this weekend, some competition win otherer other. I think it is in
:40:58. > :41:03.difference to one of his upon source he has that. Sebastian
:41:03. > :41:13.Vettel, look, just right up behind Jensen Button here, and I can
:41:13. > :41:14.
:41:14. > :41:19.confirm that Kovalainen is in 13th place. Kovalainen may not be able
:41:19. > :41:23.to hold on tostth. We are trying to watch every aspect. It is vital to
:41:23. > :41:26.the smaller teams as well. Vettel chasing Jensen Button. Can he fiend
:41:26. > :41:30.a way past? That is the big question. This track, which was the
:41:30. > :41:34.one where Sebastian Vettel took the fist of his two world titles, that
:41:34. > :41:39.amazing race of 2010. Ten second top to go for Sergio Perez. That is
:41:40. > :41:43.interesting, because he was, or is sitting by Kovalainen. So Perez has
:41:43. > :41:48.been blamed for forcing another driver off track. That was the
:41:48. > :41:52.incident with di Resta and we saw the consequences of that accident
:41:52. > :41:57.which took out Mark Webber and Grosjean. So Perez does pick up a
:41:58. > :42:01.penalty, that will visit own bearing on this. Kimi Raikkonen,
:42:01. > :42:09.first lap after the safety car and he has opened up nearly two seconds
:42:09. > :42:13.over Alonso. Doing what he needs to do. I think it is interesting, you
:42:13. > :42:18.know, the reaction that Kimi has on the radio to his engineer, it is
:42:18. > :42:24.not someone he is working with for the first time. It is a chap called
:42:24. > :42:28.Mark Slade. They have a very strong close working relationship, we
:42:28. > :42:31.hence the slightly blunt nature of Kimi's response, but in the heat of
:42:31. > :42:37.the cockpit and with all the noise, and everything that is going on,
:42:37. > :42:42.you don't have time for small talk, but it does put a smile on my face,
:42:42. > :42:46.Kimi there as we can see, Sebastian getting himself into position here,
:42:46. > :42:50.Jensen feeling the need to go defensive in turn 11. Vettel is on
:42:50. > :42:53.very good tyres, the softer tyre, whereas Jensen Button is on the
:42:53. > :42:57.slightly harder compound tyre, so there is is a different in
:42:57. > :43:01.potential performance, but it evens itself out, the more laps you do,
:43:01. > :43:06.that little advantage tend to go away, so Vettel trying to take
:43:06. > :43:10.advantage of it early on and fastest middle sector of anybody in
:43:10. > :43:15.this race from Vettel, as he tries to find a way past Jensen Button.
:43:15. > :43:19.This is for a podium position remember. Jensen running third,
:43:19. > :43:23.where he always finishes in Abu Dhabi, well he has in the past. He
:43:23. > :43:27.has finished in third position. And right now, he is on target, but
:43:27. > :43:30.under pressure for that third place from this guy, Sebastian Vettel.
:43:30. > :43:40.Behind Vettel, the gap opening up slightly to Pastor Maldonado, who
:43:40. > :43:40.
:43:40. > :43:44.is running in fifth place, in a seesaw yo-yo race. Vergne is in
:43:44. > :43:48.tenth. Ricciardo in 11th and Perez is doing his drive-through penalty
:43:48. > :43:52.on this lap, and meanwhile Michael Schumacher has got past Heikki
:43:52. > :43:55.Kovalainen and that ten use grasp that Kovalainen had on 12th has
:43:56. > :44:01.gone again. There is Perez, and it is a stop and go rather, not a
:44:01. > :44:07.drive through. So he has to sit and wait painful time for him, and
:44:07. > :44:14.there the team principal now of Sauber. Fernando Alonso, with that
:44:14. > :44:17.fastest lap again. 1:44.2. It does look as though it might be
:44:17. > :44:22.relatively settled now. But Kimi Raikkonen I wonder how he is
:44:22. > :44:26.feeling now. It has been a long time since he has had a victory.
:44:26. > :44:29.Spa 2009. He has sat out two seasons of Formula One when he went
:44:30. > :44:33.off to compete in the World Rally Championship, but David, he has
:44:33. > :44:43.looked so at ease, as soon as he has been back in the Formula One
:44:43. > :44:47.car, this year, he has looked championship because he has
:44:47. > :44:51.delivered consistent results. When younger, less experienced drivers
:44:51. > :44:54.have been tripping over others, he has kept out of trouble. You have
:44:54. > :44:58.had the feeling this year that all he needed was a stronger qualifying
:44:58. > :45:04.to get track position and then Lotus could have won a Grand Prix
:45:04. > :45:10.earlier this year. But with four laps remaining, it does look like
:45:10. > :45:14.the dream could come -- become a reality. I suspect it will put a
:45:15. > :45:19.smile on Kimi Raikkonen's face. It takes a lot, he keeps his emotions
:45:19. > :45:26.to himself, but he is a character. He was a team-mate for a couple of
:45:26. > :45:33.years and they were funny days. He is a conservationist when it comes
:45:33. > :45:38.to tyres. And when it comes to energy. He was either extremely --
:45:38. > :45:41.driving extremely quickly or sleeping in the back of the truck.
:45:41. > :45:51.Coming down a bit on this first sector. But he looks reasonably in
:45:51. > :45:55.control. Let's watch and listen with Kimi Raikkonen.
:45:55. > :45:59.And there is Vettel trying to get past Jenson Button! He might have
:46:00. > :46:04.done it this time! Beautifully done. That will have a bigger effect to
:46:04. > :46:09.the championship, he gains a few more points, and Red Bull celebrate.
:46:09. > :46:13.Sebastian Vettel is into third position and it puts him on the
:46:13. > :46:18.podium, and Jenson Button's run of third position finishes here in Abu
:46:18. > :46:23.Dhabi looks to be coming to an end. Out of the slipstream. He carries
:46:23. > :46:28.the momentum crucially around the outside and fair racing from these
:46:28. > :46:34.two, they managed to do what the other group earlier didn't, get
:46:34. > :46:39.through to buy two in a corner. Jenson had no choice but to back
:46:39. > :46:43.out once Vettel had the majority of his car alongside him. And that
:46:43. > :46:47.feels as good as taking the lead of a Grand Prix, given the
:46:47. > :46:53.difficulties they had started from the pit lane. Alonso is fired up to
:46:53. > :46:59.challenge Raikkonen. He knows him well, they get on well these two.
:46:59. > :47:05.He is within one second, and he is in DRS range if he still wants
:47:05. > :47:11.second -- if he is still one second. Alonso is charging, in his chase
:47:11. > :47:17.for the title, can he do it? They Reg Romain Grosjean, out of the wet.
:47:17. > :47:26.Can Kimi Raikkonen hold on for his first went since his comeback 22
:47:26. > :47:31.races ago? It is any 22 races since he -- it is only 22 races since he
:47:31. > :47:34.won, but he has been out for so long. Can we see Lotus at the top
:47:34. > :47:40.of the podium for the first time since 1987? Can you tell me when
:47:40. > :47:43.they get to the end, I am covering my eyes! You feel so much for this
:47:43. > :47:49.team as they try and find their first victory and for the
:47:49. > :47:53.championship, an amazing story. Heading down towards the end of
:47:53. > :47:59.this second DRS zone. And of course, we talk about the Lotus name, it is
:47:59. > :48:06.very much the name in terms of this team. They have had several names
:48:06. > :48:11.over the years, Tolworth, Renault, and in many ways, not so people
:48:11. > :48:17.consider it the Renault team, but it has been along time since they
:48:17. > :48:20.had a win -- a long time. And Fernando Alonso was driving them.
:48:21. > :48:27.So he is up against a team that he had so much success with, he won
:48:27. > :48:32.the two world titles with them, but Kimi Raikkonen is leading this race.
:48:32. > :48:37.Coming around the closing stages of this race. Alonso running out of
:48:37. > :48:41.time as he tries to close that gap. It looks like he is running out of
:48:41. > :48:51.tyres as well, a power slide out of the last corner and that gap looks
:48:51. > :48:51.
:48:51. > :49:00.a bit bigger. It is 1.27 -- 1.2 seconds. Any chance that Alonso
:49:00. > :49:03.House, he has to get into the first of the DRS zones. It doesn't look
:49:03. > :49:09.like he is any closer, the car is staking as he tries to position it,
:49:09. > :49:17.and Raikkonen has done enough to keep that gap. In its perfect
:49:17. > :49:20.braking then into turn eight. -- he needs perfect braking. We are
:49:20. > :49:26.getting confirmation that he is delivering on his lap. Mike Hare
:49:26. > :49:33.holding on for the moment. The final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand
:49:33. > :49:39.Prix. Jenson Button is going very fast but he is a long way back.
:49:39. > :49:46.Vettel is flying. No surprises there. Maldonado in fifth.
:49:46. > :49:52.Kobayashi in sixth. The first one outside the points is Michael
:49:52. > :49:57.Schumacher. Heikki Kovalainen is in 13th place, how frustrating is that
:49:57. > :50:01.for Caterham? Kimi Raikkonen has got through the danger area of the
:50:01. > :50:07.DRS zones. Now it is the tight with Leigh Park beneath the hotel. And
:50:07. > :50:13.then just the last couple of sections of the Abu Dhabi track.
:50:13. > :50:18.Kimi Raikkonen returning to Formula One in 2012 after two years away.
:50:18. > :50:24.The 2007 world champion, but this time, he is the eighth different
:50:24. > :50:28.winner of 2012! He has done it, Kimi Raikkonen went on his comeback
:50:28. > :50:32.in Formula One! Alonso in second, Sebastian Vettel in a brilliant
:50:32. > :50:38.third place to retain the championship lead. Jenson Button in
:50:38. > :50:43.fourth position. Maldonado, the only other top-six finish this year
:50:43. > :50:53.apart from his victory in Barcelona. Kobayashi in sixth, Felipe Massa in
:50:53. > :50:54.
:50:54. > :51:04.seventh. Bruno Senna in eighth, di Resta in nine. But Kimi has done it.
:51:04. > :51:06.
:51:06. > :51:10.TEAM RADIO: Yeehaw! Nice job, Kimi, brilliant.
:51:10. > :51:15.The time for the champagne shower. It is not champagne in this country,
:51:15. > :51:21.of course, it is a rosewater shower taking place here in the United
:51:21. > :51:24.Arab Emirates. JAKE HUMPHREY: What are completely
:51:24. > :51:27.amazing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Before we came here this year,
:51:27. > :51:35.people said this place was a great for overtaking. They have just
:51:35. > :51:38.proved everybody wrong. That wasn't great. Lotus with their first win
:51:39. > :51:42.since 2008. The championship contenders on the podium together,
:51:42. > :51:47.Sebastian Vettel from the back all the way up to third place. And this
:51:47. > :51:52.is what it means for the championship, just 10 points
:51:52. > :51:56.between the top two as we head to Austin. Kimi Raikkonen is 57 points
:51:56. > :52:01.off the lead and is officially out of the championship. Felipe Massa
:52:01. > :52:04.moves up to seventh ahead of Nico Rosberg and Grosjean. And for the
:52:04. > :52:08.constructors battle, Red Bull were hoping to wrap it up this weekend
:52:08. > :52:14.and it wasn't to be, but the chances are for them to do that in
:52:14. > :52:17.Austin in two weeks. And look at McLaren, now just 30 points ahead
:52:17. > :52:21.of the Lotus F1 team. Let's hear from the guys who were central to
:52:21. > :52:25.from the guys who were central to the amazing drama. I think it is
:52:25. > :52:32.more important for the team and for the people involved, they are the
:52:32. > :52:37.people who do all our hard work, I just try to deliver on a Sunday. It
:52:37. > :52:44.is one win for me, but for them, I think it is a much bigger thing.
:52:44. > :52:50.had yesterday a problem for... Sebastian -- Sebastian and we were
:52:50. > :52:55.hoping to exit place back with a 20 point deficit and now it is 10, so
:52:55. > :52:58.it is good for us. They will have the fastest car in the final races,
:52:58. > :53:01.there is no magic we can come up with four Austin or Brazil but a
:53:01. > :53:06.couple of races ago, they had the fastest car, we have the best team,
:53:06. > :53:11.so we will see who wins. We have a very good car at the moment. The
:53:11. > :53:16.team is switched on, they are sharp, everybody is enjoying the moment
:53:16. > :53:21.and obviously we didn't have always one of the best cars, but good
:53:21. > :53:27.enough to finish in the points. 12 points, the reason we are still
:53:27. > :53:31.here, looking forward to the next two races. We have a fantastic
:53:31. > :53:35.chance, so it is up to us. It was going really well and the car was a
:53:36. > :53:41.dream to drive at the time, so I was cruising, really and still
:53:41. > :53:46.pulling away. A real shame the engine just died, some kind of fuel
:53:46. > :53:51.problem, but anyway, I got to watch the race and it was an interesting
:53:51. > :53:55.race. Incredible, actually, to watch. I thought I could find a bit
:53:55. > :54:00.more pace, because the car is working, because Lewis has been
:54:01. > :54:04.very quick all weekend, but my race pace is something that is normally
:54:04. > :54:07.pretty good so I will go and have a look at why that is, but hopefully
:54:07. > :54:13.we can sort it out for Austin. David, you were in the commentary
:54:13. > :54:16.box for the whole race, how do you feel? The circuit has not delivered
:54:16. > :54:20.fantastic Grand Prix in the last few years but today, it was off the
:54:20. > :54:25.scale, with all sorts of incidents and accidents and an amazing
:54:25. > :54:28.comeback from Sebastian Vettel. Fernando Alonso got himself up from
:54:28. > :54:33.six... To battling for victory and when the chequered flag dropped,
:54:33. > :54:38.Kimi Raikkonen did not look like he was there to celebrate much but the
:54:38. > :54:41.team certainly were, it is a great victory. It was a great victory for
:54:41. > :54:45.Kimi which will be overshadowed because of the impact on the
:54:45. > :54:50.championship today. Fernando Alonso did everything he had to do, he has
:54:50. > :54:55.just got to keep a cool head. has managed to close the gap, 10
:54:55. > :54:59.points into the closing two races with 50 points available. With that
:54:59. > :55:04.sort of championship battle, it is about which car suits the Austin
:55:04. > :55:07.circuit, which casts its Brazil. We don't know. If you look back to the
:55:07. > :55:11.Indian Grand Prix, Red Bull were dominant and McLaren were
:55:11. > :55:15.struggling and Lewis Hamilton was happy with Ford. One week later, no
:55:15. > :55:19.one could match him with qualifying pace. He was leading the Grand Prix
:55:19. > :55:24.until the fuel pump failure, so we don't know what Formula One holds
:55:24. > :55:28.for us, but I sincerely hope it is right there to the last lap of the
:55:28. > :55:34.last race in Brazil. What of the breast Grand Prix ever? That one of
:55:34. > :55:39.the best? There are a lot of Grand Prix this can hold that mental but
:55:39. > :55:43.-- metal, but this is one of the best that we have seen, and I think
:55:43. > :55:46.the local sheikhs that have invested in this dream, this was an
:55:46. > :55:49.island just covered in sand five years ago, the whole thing from
:55:49. > :55:53.design to completion took three years and they have been rewarded
:55:53. > :55:58.with a great Grand Prix. The most expensive Formula One circuit in
:55:58. > :56:01.the world, you can see how great it looks at night. Today, Sebastian
:56:01. > :56:05.Vettel and Fernando Alonso proved their worth to their teams. 10
:56:05. > :56:15.points between the men fighting for the title as we head to Austin for
:56:15. > :56:21.
:56:21. > :56:28.the penultimate race of the year. # You've given me more than I can
:56:28. > :56:33.return. # There is oh so much that you
:56:33. > :56:39.deserve. # Got nothing to say, got nothing
:56:39. > :56:42.to do. # I must live without you.
:56:42. > :56:49.# You know we are heading separate ways.
:56:49. > :56:56.# And it feels like I am just too close to love you.
:56:56. > :56:59.# There ain't nothing I can really say.