Sebastian Vettel Wins Grand Prix Finale in Abu Dhabi

The venue for this year's F1 finale was the stunning, state-of-the-art new Yas Marina Circuit located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Yas Marina runs along the area's new marina, resplendent with its luxurious yachts and such. This racetrack runs counter-clockwise and has 12 left and nine right turns. The race started in daylight and closed out under the lights in the early evening.

The course has three chicanes, six 90-degree corners, and a hairpin turn, which leads to the longest straight in Formula One. In addition, the exit from the pit lane means drivers must zip through a tunnel under the circuit. Top speeds on the circuit are in the 320 km/h range, with average speeds of 198 km/h.

The Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirate's capital is 5.554 kilometers in length. The race is 55 laps for a total race distance of 305.470 kilometers. The highlight, from an aesthetic point of view, is the circuit's 500-room Yas Marina Hotel. The racetrack actually winds its way around the hotel and under its pedestrian walkway. All of the hotel guests can see the F1 race from their rooms.

There is also the 60-metre solar powered Sun Tower, which hosts invited guests of the race. For the drivers, the challenge of the Abu Dhabi race is the heat from the intense sun. In addition, there's the sand in the air, and the risk of dehydration. Drivers have to be in top physical shape as they negotiate the circuit in their very tight and hot racecar cockpits.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix event began with circuit familiarization. Being a new course, drivers and team officials walked the course to get a sense of its characteristics. The drivers ran their Friday practice runs and then moved to Saturday qualifying. Lewis Hamilton set a blistering pace in the desert heat to claim the pole for Sunday's race. Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull-Renault and teammate Mark Webber took second and third on the starting grid.

Race day would not prove so kind, however to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. He started well and used his KERS system to boost his position at the start of the race. However, it was apparent that the Red Bull drivers were running at top pace.

Lewis Hamilton was fighting to hold his position ahead of them. He never did build a substantial lead from his pole position. In fact, brake troubles plagued him from the get-go. Consequently, he had to retire from the race on Lap 20.

Sebastian Vettel with his car running at optimum performance took the race lead after his first pit stop. He never relinquished it from that point on. He did build up a significant lead, and eventually winning the race, scored 10 points. This left Mark Webber and Jenson Button of Brawn GP dueling to provide the real race drama.

These two drivers rose to the challenge and battled hard. Jenson Button, who started fifth on the grid steadily pushed on and secured third position. As the race wound down to its final laps, he pressured Mark Webber hard for second place.

On Webber's tail, Button tried to maneuver to overtake him before the checkered flag came down in the casino atmosphere. However, Webber held his line and position. In the end, he garnered second place and eight points. Button took the third spot on the victor's podium and won six points, which gave him 95 for 2009. He secured the World Championship two weeks earlier at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Button's teammate Rubens Barrichello drove a consistent race. He had a slight brush up with Mark Webber on the first turn of the first lap. This resulted in front wing damage. He ended up maintaining his original grid position, finishing fourth in the race.

Barrichello didn't secure enough points in the last two races of the season. He didn't hold his second spot in the Drivers Standing. Sebastian Vettel, with his win on Sunday, came in second in the overall season points with 84. Barrichello came in third overall for 2009 with 77 points.

Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber drove well and took fifth spot. He was very quick at times in the race. However, he could not consistently match the pace of the frontrunners. His fifth place finish propelled BMW Sauber into sixth-place overall in the Constructors Standings.

Kamui Kobayashi of Toyota, replacing the injured Timo Glock drove impressively and finished in sixth spot. This was only his second Grand Prix race of the year. He engaged in a spirited battle for position with Jenson Button at one point. With drivers jockeying for spots with teams for 2010, he definitely helped his cause with this driving effort.

Kobayashi's Toyota teammate Jarno Trulli also drove well and finished right behind in seventh spot. His effort was an improvement on the Brazilian F1 race where he retired on the first lap due to an accident.
Sebastien Buemi of Toro Rosso took the final point awarded in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton was not the only driver forced to retire early on Sunday. Jaime Alguersuari of Toro Rosso suffered the same fate. He left the race on Lap 18 with gearbox issues.

At season's end, the Constructors Championship went to Brawn-Mercedes, who secured the title in Brazil. They closed 2009 with 172 points. RBR-Renault came in second with 153.50 points. McLaren-Mercedes ended up third with 71 points, just ahead of Ferrari who had 70 points.

It should prove to be an equally exciting off-season in Formula One. Three new teams are set to enter the fray. These are Campos Grand Prix, Team US F1, and Manor Grand Prix. Additionally, new drivers from the junior series are hoping to gain drives with the big boys.

In fact, the news is coming fast in F1. The start of this week begins with news that Rubens Barrichello is moving from Brawn GP to Williams. He will be a teammate to new driver Nico Hulkenberg. A Williams tester, Hulkenberg is the reigning GP2 champion.

With the drama on the tracks over-and-out for 2009, the drama off-track is just beginning. It's leading up to another exciting Formula 1 season for 2010. Montreal, Canada will have their GP race back next year. There will also be a Korean Grand Prix next October. Stay tuned and stay ready for Formula 1 racing in all its coming permutations for 2010.

Next season's Grand Prix season starts in March and many people will take their 2010 holidays around the races and following it too through the internet blogs and news articles