Under the lights of Abu Dhabi, Vettel reigns Supreme

“It was the stunning location and backdrop of the brand-new Yas Marina circuit which received most media coverage during and after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix…but it shouldn’t be forgotten that there was an actual race this weekend, and it was won in dominant style by Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

The best action of the entire race came in the final few laps, when Mark Webber somehow managed to hold off new World Champion Jenson Button to second place, even though both were off the road, at times, and complete Red Bull’s third 1-2 result of the 2009 season. They might have just been beaten to the punch in both the drivers’ and constructors’ World Championships, but Red Bull now enter 2010 on a roll, and full of confidence for the new year ahead.

One particularly fascinating feature of the race and which offers a clue as to what we can expect from 2010, was the importance of tires to the event, and their significance in influencing the end result. Because, if you noticed, Jenson Button, for instance, was relatively slow during the first part of the race, incredibly fast during its middle stages (having changed to a different tire type), and then only ordinarily fast during its late stages…even though that was still much quicker than a ham-strung Mark Webber!

The tough Aussie’s race very nearly fell away during those frantic last ten laps or so – with his final choice of tires absolutely shot, by the Grand Prix’s later stages - and he had to perform a master-class in the art of defensive driving in order to somehow stay ahead of Jenson to the chequered flag. But the reason why I mention next year is because, in 2010, re-fuelling is going to be banned, so drivers are going to have to take much more care of their tires with – in the early stages of a race, at least – 180 kilos of fuel on board, rather than just blasting flat-out for two or three ’sprints’ as they have done this year. Mark my words that the winning driver next season is going to be the ‘thinking’ man at the steering-wheel, the one with a real ‘feel’ for his equipment and an ability to think on his feet.

For the spectator and TV viewer, that’s going to mean that different cars and drivers are going to be fast at different stages of each and every race. It’s going to be fascinating stuff, and I continue to realistically hope that I might be involved, as a driver on the grid rather than as an expert and radio commentator.

Red Bull end 2009 as the best all-round car on the grid…but were just still beaten ‘over the line’ by Brawn, after a second half of the season when it looked like any one of the four drivers at the wheel of those machines might become this year’s World Champion. It’s easy to be blasé about that fact, now, but, in the context of the recent history of the sport, that’s a remarkable achievement. Because, ever since 1998, if you wanted to be a title-winning driver in F1, then you had to be driving a Ferrari or a McLaren.

Those two iconic teams will be back at the sharp end of the Grand Prix grid in 2010, I’m sure, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the winners and contenders this season have been the most almighty breath of fresh air for Grand Prix motor-racing that I can ever remember. Brawn’s story, in particular, is one of all sport’s all-time-great fairy-tales, and both outfits have shattered the myth that results in F1 are totally determined by each team’s individual budget.

The biggest budget on show this weekend was undoubtedly the astonishing level of investment – billions of dollars, we’re told - which went in to creating the Yas Marina circuit. It was a spine-tingling sight and setting, and just goes to show what kind of quality can be achieved if you put the right combination of money, vision and effort together. All the words which generally get associated with F1 – ‘glamour’, ’sex’, ‘risk’, ’speed’ – were magnified to the max by this place; it truly is a magical environment.

We return to this part of the world for the first race of 2010, at Bahrain in March, and I’ll be especially interested to see what might pan out in the Ferrari garage, that weekend. Because, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa on board, I can see a few fireworks being created! The Scuderia will be absolutely determined to mount a public comeback next season, but their determination will surely be as nothing compared to Massa’s. Just by looking at his body-language, here, he strikes me as being absolutely determined to return to the track better than ever… and also to beat his new team-mate, Alonso; who is generally considered to be the best all-round driver on the Grand Prix grid. It’s going to be tasty, I’m sure!

And finally… spare a thought for me as you tuck into your turkey on Christmas Day, because I probably still won’t know whether or not I’ve got a drive for next year, by that point. This is the most fluid off-season driver market that I can ever remember. With the racing now done for the year, famous names like Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Trulli and Kovaleinen still don’t know where they’ll be driving, next year. It will take a long time for all the various seats to be filled – don’t forget how many new teams are entering the fray, in 2010 – but I continue to hope that I might be racing in one of them. I really do believe that my career track-record justifies the chance. On that note - thanks for your support - and for reading my column this season!”