Optimistic Vettel
Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari are capable of fighting Mercedes-GP for race wins more consistently in 2016 after signing off his 2015 campaign with fourth place at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The four-time world champion recovered from being knocked out in the first part of qualifying, which had left him starting 16th, to finish fourth as he overtook Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez in the closing stages. “We are very fired up about next year,” he said. “In the end, we don’t want to play chaser anymore. We want to turn it around and be the dominant force.” Of his drive through the field, where he finished 24 seconds behind his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, who finished third, he said: “It was clear that when you start P16 it’s not that easy to come through. But this was the best result we could have got for the team, anyway.”
No Christmas gifts
It is no secret that relations are tense between Mercedes-GP teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. An observer need not be an expert in body language to see that on Sunday as the pair went to great lengths, after the race, to avoid looking at each other before they stepped on the podium. In the news conference they were asked if they would be buying each other Christmas presents next month, given they work at the same team. After an awkward silence, Rosberg said “maybe a Christmas card” would be all Hamilton could expect from him. To which Hamilton retorted: “I don’t think we’ve ever done either so there’s no reason to change.”
Raikkonen not interested
The only change in the top 10 in the drivers’ championship on Sunday saw Kimi Raikkonen climb over Finnish compatriot Valtteri Bottas to take fourth place. The Ferrari driver finished third, while Bottas was 13th, but Raikkonen was hardly enthusiastic. When asked if he took any satisfaction from finishing a place higher in the championship, the 2007 world champion said: “Not really.” He added: “If you don’t win, it doesn’t make an awful lot of difference if you’re second or wherever you finish.”
Button satisfied
Jenson Button finished third in the first three stagings of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so finishing 12th on Sunday in his McLaren must have felt like a bit of anti-climax for the 2009 world champion. Far from it. “That was probably my best race of the year,” he said, after relishing an event where he was able to fight with faster cars in the opening laps, and then held off the challenge of Bottas in the closing laps. McLaren have struggled for speed all season, and Button said: “I’m happy with all we did today. I had to save fuel for the whole race, which hurt us and made things difficult, but I was still having fun out there.”
Perez happy with Force India progress
Sergio Perez had no complaints about losing out on fourth late in the race to Vettel and believed he and Force India had achieved all they could in the race. The Force India driver had run fourth for much of the event, but Vettel used fresher tyres to pass him, and the Mexican said: “I think we got the maximum that was available to us and we can be proud of our performance. It feels great to end the season with a strong performance and I’m very satisfied with how everything has gone this weekend – both in qualifying and the race.”
GP2 cancelled
Sunday’s GP2 race was cancelled due to a crash on the opening lap of the race that involved seven cars. The drama happened on the entry to Turn 3 as Pierre Gasly spun and was clipped by Norman Nato, whose car speared into the barriers in front of the Abu Dhabi Hill standing area. Nato’s car was also struck by the vehicles of Daniel de Jong, Nicholas Latifi and Sean Gelael, and all ended up in the barrier. Artem Markelov and Sergey Sirotkin also suffered damage in the incident. Marshals worked to repair the safety barriers, but after a 40-minute wait, and with the race needing to have been completed by 3.20pm before the F1 drivers’ parade began, the decision was made not to restart.
Ocon wins GP3
Third place was enough for Esteban Ocon to be crowned GP3 champion on Sunday. The Frenchman took a six-point lead into the final round over title rival Luca Ghiotto and a good start saw Ocon move up to third from fifth, and he held that position for all 14 laps, with Ghiotto finishing fourth. The result completes a good weekend for Ocon, 19, who was announced as joining the Mercedes-GP team for 2016, although whether he will be their F1 reserve driver, or will compete in another racing series, is yet to be confirmed.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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