Hamilton Picks Up Luck And Victory In Abu Dhabi

With Sebastian Vettel crowned world champion long before this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the pressure was on for drivers to perform well as the end of the season and new contracts get nearer.

And it was appropiate that Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag in the desert race to end his dry spell of victories.

Sebastian Vettel has been not just the best driver this year, but some would say the luckiest as well, with the last time he had to retire from a race early over a year ago - but Lady Luck left him with a puncture and subsequent retirement on the very first lap, leaving the other drivers a clear field to impress team bosses and to get a place on the podium.

It was Lewis Hamilton who took full advantage of Vettel's retirement, taking over the lead and winning in convincing style to show McLaren that he is still among the top drivers the sport has today.

And the end result was interesting in many ways for Hamilton and the rest of the Grand Prix world, in one of the best races for spectators since the Monaco Grand Prix in May. The Monaco race is around the streets of Monte Carlo, with vantage points including the hotels and Monaco banks

Not only did he achieve victory, but teammate Jenson Button came third, reversing the recent trend that has seen Button outperform his fellow Briton in successive races, with Hamilton becoming increasingly frustrated at not only being an also-ran in this year's championship - but increasingly being number two in his own team.

And it was a good day for McLaren with their drivers not only getting number one and three positions, but also beating the Red Bull of Australian Webber who came fourth, which will encourage them between now and the start of the 2012 season into believing that Red Bull cannot just be caught in engineering performance - but beaten.

Before the race and the turn of events which helped Hamilton secure his place on the winners' podium he had said that Abu Dhabi and Brazil were important, and that winning them would help turnaround what has been by his standards a disappointing season, and with one of the two won victory in Brazil would make looking forward to 2012 a much better time for him, preparing to challenge Red Bull but in particular Sebastian Vettel. Important too for the popularity of Grand Prix as a sport as 2012 would mark the third successive year of Vettel Championship wins, and a certain inevitability would certainly make Grand Prix - even the Monaco Grand Prix - less attractive to many spectators and the wider global television audience, which attracts sponsors and the money needed to run F1.

Meanwhile Sebastian Vettel when asked about the puncture which forced his uncharacteristic very early retirement from the Abu Dhabi race said he wasn't sure what had happened, but that the car had lost pressure suddenly out of the first exit on Turn One.

Post-race Hamilton said that he felt fantastic and that it was one of his best races, and while it was early days he did feel that it could be the start of something, but did he say his mind now was on the last race of the season in Brazil due for two weeks time, Sunday November 27.

If Hamilton does well in Brazil it will add an edge to this winter as McLaren and Red Bull both try to improve their cars to give their respective drivers an edge, and the pressure will be on McLaren to come up with the goods as both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have proved they can win races, and consistently come second when Vettel is on top form.

Grand Prix fans will be hoping that the cars of both teams are pretty much equal, with driver skill the most important attribute for 2012.