2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The victory was Räikkönen's first of the season, his first since he returned to Formula One at the start of the year, and his first since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. It was the first time a Lotus had won a race since Ayrton Senna's victory in Detroit in 1987. Räikkönen's radio communications during the race were widely reported, particularly his comment to his engineer on lap 23: 'Just leave me alone, I know what to do.' Despite winning the race, Räikkönen was mathematically eliminated from championship contention alongside both Webber and pole-sitter Hamilton. Räikkönen amassed a total of 198 points, but his deficit towards championship leader Vettel of 57 points was too large to catch up, considering that a maximum of only 50 points could have been awarded for the final two races of the season. Meanwhile, Alonso's second place allowed him to reduce Vettel's lead in the World Drivers' Championship to ten points. In the Constructors' Championship, the result also saw third-placed McLaren let their title hopes slip away, meaning that Red Bull and Ferrari were left as remaining contenders for the Constructors' title. The result allowed Ferrari to narrow the gap to the leaders to 82 points, but Red Bull had the opportunity to clinch the title at the next round in Austin, needing just four more for their third title (overall and consecutively).

In Their Own Story

The sun dipped below the horizon at Yas Marina as the lights flickered on. Inside the Red Bull garage, silence hung heavy over the monitors. Sebastian Vettel gripped his wheel at the end of the pit lane; due to a qualifying penalty, he would launch into the race while 23 rivals already sped down the main straight. There was no 'box box' call needed—he began his fight from zero. As he navigated through traffic lap after lap, the tension in the garage spiked with every overtake. Then, on the radio, news came: Alonso had stopped with a tire failure. The roar of Vettel’s engine drowned out the doubt; he hadn't won the race, but he had saved the season.

Reader's Guide

Heading into the eighteenth race of the season, Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel led the Drivers' Championship with 240 points, ahead of championship rival Fernando Alonso on 227 points and Kimi Räikkönen with 173. Vettel's teammate Mark Webber was in fourth place on 167 points and Lewis Hamilton was a close fifth on 165 points. Red Bull were leading the Constructors' Championship with 407 points; Ferrari (316 points) and McLaren (306) were vying for second place. Lotus were fourth on 288 points and Mercedes were a further one-hundred and fifty two points adrift in fifth. The championship had so far been tumultuous, with seven different drivers winning the first seven races of the season. Räikkonen, his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean, along with Sergio Pérez and Felipe Massa had finished in second and both Michael Schumacher and Kamui Kobayashi had finished in third. After finishing in second place behind Vettel in the Indian Grand Prix Alonso stated it was crucial that he stayed within reach of the Red Bull team and hoped his Ferrari team would finish strongly and not become inflicted with mechanical failures. Despite winning the last four Grands Prix Vettel felt that his lead in the Drivers' Championship remained 'vulnerable' and did not believe his Red Bull team had proven themselves as the fastest in the field. Some teams made modifications to their cars in preparation for the event. Williams drivers Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado tested a new front wing during the Friday practice sessions which had three small flaps on its upper section but opted to run an older specification for qualifying and the race. Ferrari introduced upgrades for the F2012 as part of a strategy to remain in contention for the championship. The upgrades included a new front wing with updated main planes, flaps, and endplates, along with a revised front wing design. Additionally, the car's forward bargeboards were modified. Ferrari were allowed to break one of their four allocated curfews on the Thursday night before the race to allow mechanics to fit the updates onto the team's car. The team broke their second curfew one day later when a team member walked into the Ferrari garage early by mistake and did not work on both cars. Mercedes continued to evaluate a new 'double DRS' system. Force India introduced a new chassis for Paul di Resta who had struggled with handling issues wit

Did You Know?

• Kimi Räikkönen's victory was his first since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and the first for a Lotus since Ayrton Senna's win in Detroit in 1987.
• Sebastian Vettel started from the pit lane after being excluded from qualifying for having insufficient fuel for a sample, and Red Bull made set-up changes violating parc fermé.
• Despite winning, Räikkönen was mathematically eliminated from championship contention because his 57-point deficit to Vettel could not be overcome with only 50 points available in the final two races.