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.'

Reader's Guide

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).