Formula One Highlights: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Race day Part 3
Welcome back to the action from Yas Marina.
The start of lap 12 saw a couple of Red Bull hearts miss a beat as the team was getting ready for Mark Webber’s pit stop. He seemed to have been struggling with graining on the rear softer tyres.
The Australian rejoined the track in 16th place on the harder compound tyres behind the Toro Rosso of Alguersuari. Ferrari got ready for a pit stop, who was heading in for the scarlet team, Fernando Alonso or Felipe Massa?
The pit stop did not work well for Webber. He rejoined behind Rosberg, Petrov and Aguersuari – drivers that had already pitted earlier in the race. The rather impatient and evidently frustrated Red Bull driver was right on the back of Alguersuari and looking
to get past as soon as possible to remain in the hunt.
Vitaly Petrov, rather surprisingly in his Renault, set the fastest time for the first sector of lap 14. Felipe Massa on the other hand, dived right into the pits. The Brazilian took on the harder compound Bridgestones and made his way back on track effectively
17th–behind the battle between Alguersuari and Webber. The 34-year old Red Bull ace got past Alguersuari and went on to set the fastest 3rd sector time for the lap.
The story at the front was still about the duel between Red Bull and McLaren. Lewis Hamilton closed the gap between him and Sebastian Vettel to a mere 1 second. While the race leader could have been accused of being a touch slower, his team mate on the other
hand, set the quickest sector 1 time.
Ferrari prepared for a pit stop after seeing Webber’s pace on a free track. Massa looked fine after making his stop and go, this was evidently for the championship leader. Things were going to get
very, very interesting!
Alonso was in the pits at the start of lap 16. He too, took on the set of harder compound tyres and rejoined ahead of Webber, who set the quickest lap time at 1 minute 45.086 in his Red Bull. Felipe Massa had increased his pace as well, he had caught right
up with Alguersuari.
The ‘tale of the championship’ was winding up with every passing lap. The story at the start of the seventeenth lap saw 2 pawns in the way of Fernando Alonso and the elusive championship, Petrov and Rosberg had track positions over the championship leaders,
the Ferrari needed to pass them on the track to win the championship. Sounded simple enough but its implementation was another story.
The leading trio were setting impressive lap times on the softer tyres. All of them were in the 1 minute 45.7 second range. Just 6 seconds separated the top 3. While we had our attention set at the leading Ferrari behind, many had discounted the fact that
the battle up front could have much of an effect on the outcome.
If Hamilton was to take the lead, Vettel would have missed out on 7 points, effectively handing over the championships to Alonso.
The Ferrari ace was 1.4 seconds behind Petrov and was lapping close to a second quicker. Barrichello headed into the pit lane and stopped his car right in front of the Williams crew for a scheduled tyre change.
Meanwhile, Nick Heidfeld set the fastest lap time from way back in 16th place, a whole second quicker than anyone else on track. Who said Formula One is becoming a predictable monopoly?
The BMW Sauber’s fastest lap was a clear indication that one neither has to be fighting for a race lead, nor the championships to be hungry enough to drive the wheels of one’s car. Could it be down to increasing pressure over his position?
The German recently joined the team at the back of his stint for Pirelli, the official tyre manufacturer for the next season. Either way, it broke the building monotony from the Red Bull–Ferrari–McLaren battle!
19 laps were completed, stay tuned for the action from lap 20 and onwards...
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