Formula One Highlights: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Qualifying Part 5
After what seemed to be one of the most exciting finishes to Q2, the final qualifying session finally kicked off. 10 cars remained and the battle for a good launch pad began. All our readers should be reminded that the final qualifying session is a 10 minute
affair – Q1 being a 20 minute dash while Q2 is 15 minutes long.
The final qualifying session got underway. The McLarens and Ferraris were one of the first to head out. Webber came out of the pit lane shortly afterwards as well. Only 6 were on track as Barrichello began the first hot lap for the period.
Rosberg, Vettel and Petrov were the only cars still in the pits. Were they gambling with a 2 lap stint without a tyre change?
Petrov on the other hand, had managed to out qualify his team mate for the second time this season. With Kubica out of the running for Q3, the remaining Renault driver had to contend with a touch more pressure for the sake of the team. They needed to end
the season on a high.
Sebastian Vettel had done the least number of laps in qualifying which made his blistering lap times and unparalleled pace even more impressive.
A bunch of times came in led by Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. McLaren followed by Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Vettel finally headed out onto the track. Petrov remained the only man yet to post a time. What was Renault waiting for?
All eyes were on the Red Bull of the young German as he was about to begin his hot lap. Mark Webber set the 6th quickest time, seven seconds off the pace. It was still unclear whether the lack of performance was due to an incident on his first
lap or the fact that he had opted for a two lap run.
Lewis Hamilton was on provisional pole, the Red Bulls were certainly not quicker in the first 2 sectors. Was there drama in store for us at the end of the qualifying session?
Were the Red Bulls simply bidding their time, only to make their move when it would be too late to hit back?
As Mark Webber set the 4th quickest time, Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest third sector time. The 23-year old was on provisional pole. The Red Bulls were finally flexing their muscles. The only question was, where would Webber end up with respect
to the championship leader Fernando Alonso?
The pressure was on Webber now as time was running out. He was still setting times. So was Vettel. Webber was unable to improve while his team mate went on to further improve his P1 time. There was no stopping the young German. He was getting better and
better with every passing lap. This also played into the hands of the Ferrari ace, Fernando Alonso, as Vettel finishing on pole in the race meant the Ferrari merely needed to finish 4th or better to be able retain the gap in the title race and be
able to lift the championship trophy at the end of the Grand Prix.
Final minute of Q3 qualifying this season...the chequered flag was out. All cars were on track, battling it out for a workable start come the race on Sunday. Could Webber improve? Could Hamilton improve? Could Alonso improve? We were about to find out in
the next couple of minutes that followed.
It was exactly what all the top running drivers had worked for during the 19 race season. After toiling extremely hard, from practice sessions, qualifying stints and marathon races, it was time to make one final lunge to have a good launch pad for the race
that followed.
Who was going to make headlines heading into the final race of the 2010 season?
Stay tuned to bettor.com for the conclusion of the final qualifying session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix...
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