The National covered the events as the first Formula One race took place at the Yas Marina Circuit. Sebastian Vettel was the victor on the track while Aerosmith finished off the day's festivities on the island.
Send us your photos from the race and events to adgp@thenational.ae
9:40 The National: Good morning and welcome to The National's live text coverage of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. We'll be here throughout the day giving you as much news and information as we can before the main event begins at 5pm. The Briton Lewis Hamilton impressed in his McLaren to secure pole in yesterday's qualifying session with a 0.496secs ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. Read 'Comfortable' Hamilton leaves it late to grab pole First things first though, here is the schedule for today's events. The schedule for today - all visitors are recommended to be on Yas Island by 2pm. 9am Circuit opens 11am - 12pm Formula One Paddock Club pit lane walk 12.15pm - 12.45pm First race, Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge (12 laps or 25 minutes) 1.30pm - 2.20pm Second race, GP2 Asia Race Series (22 laps or 45 minutes) 2.45pm - 3.20pm Third race, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (14 laps or 30 minutes) 3pm - 4.20pm Formula One Paddock Club pit lane walk 3.25pm Formula One drivers' end-of-season photograph 3.30pm Formula One drivers board bus for track parade 3.30pm - 4pm Formula One starting grid presentation 4.30pm Pit lane opens. Drivers allowed in for 'sighting' lap, after which they must return to the pits or line up on the grid 4.45pm Pit lane closes 4.46pm National anthem 4.48pm Etihad fly-past 5pm Start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps or 120 minutes) 7pm Gates open to concert area 9pm Aerosmith perform at Ferrari World 9:40 The National: We also want you to get involved, have you been to the track or the concerts this week? What did you think of the facilities, the entertainment etc? Email us your comments and photos to adgp@thenational.ae, twitter us at thenationalUAE or just post a comment on this blog. 9:47 The National: Learn all about the Yas Marina Circuit with our interactive map, review the season so far, and for all the latest news and analysis go to https://www.thenationalnews.com/f1 9:53 The National: 11.53 Just to ensure there is no confusion, you may have to add two hours to the time that is showing up on the left. We are working to correct it! 12:10 The National: So the grid for the 5pm inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be as follows: 1st row Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull-Renault) 2nd row Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull-Renault) Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Brawn-Mercedes) 3rd row Jenson Button (GBR/Brawn-Mercedes) Jarno Trulli (ITA/Toyota) 4th row Robert Kubica (POL/BMW Sauber) Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW Sauber) 5th row Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams-Toyota) Sebastien Buemi (SWI/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 6th row Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/Toyota) 7th row Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/McLaren-Mercedes) Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/Williams-Toyota) 8th row Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) Fernando Alonso (ESP/Renault) 9th row Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Force India-Mercedes) Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India-Mercedes) 10th row Romain Grosjean (FRA/Renault) Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/Ferrari) Sunday November 1, 2009 12:10 The National 12:31 The National: With the 16th and final race of this grand prix season fast approaching, it is amazing how long ago the season opener in Melbourne feels. Back in March, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello clinched the old one-two for Brawn GP. As our article at the time noted it was the first time since 1954 that a debut team had captured the top two places in a race. The drivers for Mercedes in 1954? Karl Kling followed in behind the great Juan Manuel Fangio. What an achievement it seemed then, and what a remarkable season it led on to. 12:35 The National: And once again just to make sure you know, the time is now fixed on the left hand side and it is only four and a half hours before the big race! 12:39 The National: An exciting Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge with several three-car battles for position, a fair amount of contact and one car catching fire which the track marshalls soon extinguished. Sunday November 1, 2009 12:39 The National The National: Shuttlebuses line up at Marina Mall ready to carry people to Yas Island for the Formula One race. You can also catch them from Zayed Sports City and Shahama. (Rich-Joseph Facun / The National) [Comment From Marcus Marcus : ] will there be any live stream of the grand prix through the internet? Sunday November 1, 2009 12:49 Marcus 12:52 The National: Hi Marcus, as far as I'm aware there's no legal live stream of the event. And I'm afraid I can't include a link to any of the other ones on here! On television, it is being shown on Abu Dhabi Sports 2 and on Bahrain TV, which has two channels one with English commentary, if you can find it. 12:52 [Comment From TU, Dubai TU, Dubai : ] Enough about the big names on the track...what about the circuit celebrities off it? All sorts of chat about some big names flying in to "show their support" for AUH's inaugural race...did they follow through on their promises? 12:55 The National: Hi TU, I'm afraid I don't know who you mean. I guess Beyonce, Kings of Leon, Aerosmith are showing their support to the ADGP in their own way. I'll let you know if there's any celebrity spots though. Now you mention it, the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton did visit the island yesterday. 12:57 [Comment From David David : ] I heard Janet Jackson attended the Grand Prix Ball last night and Hillary Clinton poked her head in at the circuit during her visit here yesterday. Sunday November 1, 2009 12:57 David 12:59 The National: Prince Khalid al Faisal secured victory in the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge at Yas Marina Circuit. The Saudi Arabian driver finished 7.6 seconds ahead of Bahrain's Salman al Khalifa, while last year's championship winner Faisal al Musalam came third. The small group of fans who decided to brave the midday heat to watch the day's first race caught a glimpse of Nader Zuhoor's Chevrolet engulfed in flames as he was involved in what seemed like a rather innocous collision on lap four. The Jordan-born driver was forced to retire from the track. 1:02 [Comment From TU, Dubai TU, Dubai : ] Cheers TN. All sorts of names doing the rounds...Pitt, Branson, Knightley, Frost (Sienna and Sir David), Moss (Kate not Stirling)...but no confirmed spots as yet, thanks for the updates. 1:07 The National: @TU: That's big names indeed. It's true that Janet Jackson was there last night and so apparently was Jeremy Irons. Someone else here has just added to the Pitt/Jolie rumour, but that's far from confirmed! 1:34 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] Who cares about Janet Jackson, and all those other stars??! Oh wait, I forgot that most people on here probably never even watched a formula race from start to finish ;) 1:36 The National: @Ramin: I don't know if that's fair. People can be interested in the celebrities who are turning up in Abu Dhabi to watch the Formula One and be interested in the race itself. 1:47 The National: Today at Yas Island is certainly a day of photo opportunities and it's impossible to begrudge Jenson Button from enjoying his day in the sun 2:01 The National: So far this weekend, just two drivers have dipped under 1min 40secs. Lewis Hamilton's has the fastest lap of the weekend (1-39.695) - three tenths quicker than Red Bull's second-placed Sebastian Vettel. In his post-qualifying interview Hamilton estimated that the Kers (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) has boosted the Briton by four tenths of a second per lap. That is a handy advantage, particularly to leave Vettel behind at the start. 2:12 The National: The new FIA president, the former Ferrari chief Jean Todt, is here for his first race in the post, and he's saying all the right things. He told Roland Hughes: "I am very impressed with the way it has been done and the speed with which it was built. I came here about two years ago and it was a piece of desert and drawings. Now I see this beautiful result and I want to congratulate all the people involved." 2:18 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] FP1 on Friday from the main grandstand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RbdYwvbhIY 2:20 The National: Just beware if you do click on the link above to turn the sound down to a decent level because there's a really loud burst of noise at the start! 2:22 The National: Roland Hughes adds: "Jean Todt said that today's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix coverage in The National was 'assez bien.' This could mean very good. Or it could mean quite good. I wish I knew which one he meant." The FIA president is quite the diplomat... 2:29 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] Hey, thats not "noise", thats music :) 2:32 The National: @Ramin: Really? Maybe I'm showing my age. I think it's what a crying dinosaur might have sounded like. Smile 2:34 The National: Roland Hughes writes: "In the space of 30 seconds in the paddock I just walked past Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone. It is packed and there are still two and a half hours until the start of the race." 2:54 The National: While the grand prix at Yas Marina Circuit is a first for Abu Dhabi, we shouldn't forget it's sadly also the last for BMW, with the German car manufacturers having sold the team to Qadbak Investments. 2:56 The National: The BMW Sauber team including drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica and the principal Mario Theissen pose with their collegues as they say goodbye to Formula One in Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Getty Images) 2:57 The National: The National's Gary Meenaghan writes: "Dams' Christian Vietoris took top spot on the GP2 Asia podium after a flawless race that saw him lead from the first lap. "The German started in third position, but quickly passed Oliver Turvey and Johnny Cecotto Jr to take the lead. Yesterday's winner, the Italian Davide Valsecchi of iSport, finished second after a superb manoeuvre on the final lap saw him pass third placed Josef Kral of the Czech Republic." 2:58 [Comment From Adham Adham : ] How's the atmosphere in Yas Island before the race?! 3:00 The National: @Adham. Hi Adham, it seems to be building nicely. The Porsche Supercub is attracting a lot of interest and the support pit grandstand is at least a quarter full. And there is still two hours until the main event! Some of the food vendors are apparently already out of some food items, but there are still soft drinks and water available. 3:01 [Comment From Adham Adham : ] So no more BMW? 3:05 The National: I'm afraid not Adham. Their place in the 2010 season was awarded to Lotus F1 and I'm delighted to see that classic name back in the F1 family for the first time since 1994. 3:12 The National: But, as it's the last race of the season, it's not just BMW Sauber who are posing for family snaps... (Brawn photo from Getty Images, Ferrari by Luca Bruno / AP Photo) 3:16 The National: @Adham: Roland Hughes writes: "Less than two hours to go and there is a real buzz here." 3:20 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] The two Porsche Supercup events were some of the most exciting racing I have seen, especially the one that just ended. Lot of paint-swapping going on!!! 3:24 The National: Looking at those team photos, it is worth noting as Brian Kerrigan just did, how few people the Brawn GP team have in comparison to BMW and Ferrari. It certainly makes their achievement even more remarkable. 3:28 The National: The National's Gary Meenaghan writes: "The Ferrari team have just posed for their end-of-season team photo in the pits. Kimi Raikkonen was in usual loudmouthed form, laughing and joking with anybody who'd listen... And if you believe that you may also believe the Yas Marina Circuit is actually just a desert mirage." When Graham Caygill interviewed him recently he was extremely pleasant. I wouldn't say he was overly friendly or effused, but he was perfectly nice. 3:36 [Comment From Brian Brian : ] Williams was missing from the favourite f1 team pole?!? 519 races, 9 constructors championships, 7 drivers championships, 113 race victories, 125 pole positions, 130 fastest laps (thank you wikipedia) and they get lumped into other? 3:39 The National: @Brian: It is a fair point, when you hit me with that statistic. I just plucked the top four from the constructors' championship as I could only choose four. 3:39 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] Are the winners going to spray champagne at each other or will it be rosewater (as in the case of the Bahrain GP)? 3:43 The National: @Ramin: It will be rosewater I believe. 3:45 The National: Roland Hughes writes: "The King of Spain is here, our man in the Yas Hotel tells me. Also spotted is Sir Richard Branson, a regular on the F1 circuit." There you go TU, Dubai@12:52. 3:45 [Comment From Claire Claire : ] What time is the last shuttle bus onto the island? and if I miss that what time are they shutting the island off cause I am going to Aerosmith but can't get out of work till 6pm. 3:46 [Comment From desertbound desertbound : ] be interesting to see stats for lotus, returning in a new guise next season! 3:49 The National: @Claire: I'll do my best to find out. 3:50 The National: From The National's Matthew Chung: "The F1 drivers have just been on parade, riding around the circuit on a flat bed truck. The truck driver was setting a good pace himself!" 3:53 The National: @desertbound: Yes I agree. It will be interesting to see how all the new teams get on with Campos GP, Manor and US F1 joining as well, but I want them to do well because you don't want to see such an illustrious name bringing up the rear. It won't be easy for them, but Brawn have shown what can be done with good planning. 4:01 The National: From The National's Gary Meenaghan: "Team Abu Dhabi's Red Bull Air Race pilot Hannes Arch is wandering around the paddock at the tension heightens. He's tipping Hamilton for today's race." 4:01 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] Sorry for flooding your inbox with comments, questions, pics and videos, but here is another video I took on Thu while the McLaren team was practising their pitstops http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNNgZVGNXOU . I wish Ferrari wouldnt be soo secretive and would have shared something like this with their fans :( 4:02 The National: There is one hour to go folks! 4:07 The National: From The National's Gary Meenaghan: "Boris Becker is making a racket in the paddock. The German is with pregnant wife Lily. The flame-haired former Wimbledon champion was looking uber-smooth with his tinted blonde hair and designer sunglasses." 4:10 The National: The traffic co-ordinator from Transport Management Services at Zayed Sports City says the last shuttle leaving there for the island is 8:30pm. He believes this is the same for the Marina Mall loading zone. 4:17 [Comment From John John : ] Will it be possible to get onto the island via car after 6. If we are just going for the concert? 4:23 The National: @John: Apparently the best way to find out is to call 800F1 (80031) and that's the official transport information line. I hope that helps! 4:23 The National: News from the paddock - William's Patrick Head believes the team faces a tall order to hang on sixth place in the constructors' championship. They start the race 2.5 points ahead of BMW Sauber, but BMW's drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld make up the fourth row, while Nico Rosberg is ninth on the grid for his last race for the team. 4:26 The National: Now here is a coup for Abu Dhabi if it's true. According to Roland Hughes at the track: "The Beckhams' arrival is "imminent", well-placed sources say..." 4:27 The National: Also according to Roland: "The stands are nowhere near as full at this time as you might expect." I guess now is the time to stock up on food and drink before the main event. 4:29 The National: At the support pit the GP2 teams are disassembling their cars, and apparently it's almost full down there. 4:29 The National: With just over 30 minutes until race time, we have action on the grid as preparations in the public eye begin on the home straight. 4:30 The National: The annoucement of the post qualifying weights makes Hamilton an even firmer favourite in my mind to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this afternoon. He is lighter than the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, but not by much, and his seven tenths off a second advantage in qualifying looks genuine. 4:31 The National: From the Associated Press: "The government says no taxpayer money will be used to bale out Formula One's under-threat British Grand Prix, and the business secretary Peter Mandelson has called on the F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to come up with the cash to stage it at Silverstone next year. "The British race has been on the F1 calendar every year since 1948. But Donington Park's failure to find the money to stage next year's race means it either returns to Silverstone in 2010 or doesn't happen at all." 4:32 The National: Vettel is the heaviest car of the top seven and will make his first pit-stop last, but realistically his only hope of beating his McLaren rival is to get ahead at the start, but that may be nigh on impossible with Hamilton having the Kers button, with it's speed boost, at his disposal. 4:32 [Comment From Marcus Marcus : ] Will there be a replay of the grand prix after the live telecast? I could not find a decent stream on the net and would probably have to settle with blogs as the race commences. I knew I should have just stayed home and not come to work today. 4:33 The National: The pit lane is now open. The drivers are on their 'sighting lap' 4:34 The National: For those thinking of travelling soon, The National's Charlie Hamilton writes: "The roads outside the circuit are moving really quickly. Everyone seems to have arrived already." 4:34 The National: @Marcus: Well it's a pleasure to have you with us. Once again I'll try and hunt down the answer to whether there is going to be a replay of the race. 4:36 The National: Back to the fuel weights and measures, Rubens Barrichello, fourth on the grid, is the lightest car amongst the frontrunners. He is pretty much racing against Sebastian Vettel today for the battle to finish second in the final championship standings. Oh, of course, Jenson Button. The world champion is fifth on the grid. He suffered from some 'vibration' problems in qualifying. He will have to drive a blinder to finish on the podium. 4:41 The National: It is as ever, an absolute scramble on the grid. News crews, photographers, pundits, drivers, mechanics and celebrities are all brushing shoulders. 4:44 The National: England cricket hero Andrew Flintoff and his wife are at the circuit. Flintoff is recovering in Dubai after an operation on his crocked knee. (Picture by Clive Mason / Getty Images) 4:45 The National's Daniel Bardsley is in the support pit grandstand and says "it is packed now with just 15 minutes left. There's a huge Jenson flag in the back." The one driver to just keep an eye on today is the Finn Heikki Kovalainen from 18th on the grid. This could well be his last race in a McLaren. He will have a heavy car and the five grid placing penalty because of a gearbox failure in qualifying will mean he is displaced. He has a cracking car at his disposal and will be driving for a contract next season. 4:47 The National: The national anthem has just finished, and there is real anticipation at the track now. 4:54 The National: So less than 10 minutes to go. Two years, millions of man hours and all round hard work in getting Yas Marina up and running. All I will ask from a personal point is a cracking race that this beautiful circuit deserves. I am sure we will not be disappointed. 4:58 The National: Humidity is about 45 per cent, but the temperature has dropped to almost 31C. 5:00 The National: The grid is clearing. The cars are running. We are ready for the procession lap. 5:01 The National: The noise is spectacular and everyone is away safely. The stragglers on the grid clear and in a minute or so we will start. 5:01 The National: Jeroen Bleekemolen of Konrad Motorsport won the Porsche Supercup title - and then the race that he just finished. In a dramatic turn of events, the Dutchman was confirmed title winner after securing second place behind German Rene Rast. But after official classification, Bleekemolen was promoted from second place to first after race-winner Rast was subject to a one-second penalty for causing a collision with his rival." 5:03 The National: It is GO GO GO! 5:05 The National: Hamilton gets through. The Red Bull's are behind him followed by the two Brawn's. Hamilton pulls off on the back straight.Trulli and Kubica are scrapping for sixth and touch. 5:05 The National: Kovalainen picks up five places to 13th. 5:07 The National: Barrichello seems to be struggling on lap two. He has lost ground on Button who is swarming over Mark Webber in third. Barrichello is under pressure by Kubica. Hamilton is cruising in first. 5:09 The National: Lap three. Hamilton leads by eight tenths from Vettel. Webber is a further two seconds behind with Button in tow. A note that Giancarlo Fisichella is on the move too. He is 16th from last on the grid. We understand that some parts have came off Barichello's car which justifies his lack of pace with the top four cars. 5:09 [Comment From Marcus Marcus : ] Go going Kov! Picking up the 5 place loss on the first lap 5:10 [Comment From Marcus Marcus : ] Looking at it from the replay. It looks like the front right wing got chipped from Rubens' car 5:11 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] ADS2 TV has some great coverage by the way. 5:11 The National: On lap five. Hamilton has pulled out a 1.5 second lead over Vettel as the race settles down in the sunset. Webber is pulling slightly away from Button. 5:12 The National: Further down the track, the two Renault's have an exchange, with Grosjean taking a place from the departing Alonso. 5:12 The National: @Ace: It certainly does. I love watching the driver's view. Their reaction speeds are quite remarkable. 5:13 The National: So Hamilton needs to start to pull away from Vettel. He is due to pit in 12 or so laps. He currently holds a 1.6sec lead. He needs to build that up to 5 seconds to create an advantage. 5:16 The National: Hamilton is lacking a bit of grip through the chicanes. He has the power and the Kers to keep him on top, but Vettel is doing a grand job in keeping close. 5:17 The National: From Roland Hughes at the track: "An astonished 'Wow!' in the press room as soon as we saw the first glimpse of that new technology that freezes an image from the first lap and scans around it - we didn't know THAT was coming!" 5:18 The National: Lap seven. Barrichello has recovered somewhat. He survives the onslaught from Kubica and is reeling in Button. Back at the front, Vettel is closing in on Hamilton. Over the radio it reveals that Hamilton is losing time in the third sector. 5:19 [Comment From David David : ] C'mon Webber. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oi, Oi, Oi 5:20 The National: An interesting constest for 12th. The two flying Finns, Kimi Raikkonen in a Ferrari and Heikki Kovalainen in McLaren. The pit strategies should be interesting. 5:22 The National: Lap 10 and Hamilton is starting to respond. He sets the fastest lap. A recap. Hamilton leads followed by Vettel, Webber, Button, Barrichello, Kubica, Trulli and Rosberg. 5:23 The National: Hamilton locks his right front wheel and loses eight tenths from Vettel. Less than a second is between them now. 5:24 [Comment From Eug Eug : ] Over 250kph and not an inch to spare. Unbelievable. 5:26 The National: On the radio to Button. He is in danger of coming out behind the one-stoppers and needs to get a shift on. A 1.5 second shift on to be precise or he will come out behind Kobayashi in the Toyota. 5:26 [Comment From KS KS : ] The top shot of Marina was awesome, pity they are not showing much of those 5:26 The National: The floodlights are powering up. Get ready for the transition to night folks. 5:29 The National: Hamilton is due to pit in a lap or two and he just has not got the gap to keep first place. Even Webber fancies his chances in third to take the Briton. He is a mere 2.3secs behind. 5:30 The National: There are nerves in the McLaren garage. A flurry of discussions on what to do with Hamilton. Some report that even Button could be in contention to take him. 5:31 [Comment From David David : ] When might we expect to see a pit stop? 5:31 The National: Barrichello is in the pits. And Kubica matches him. Barrichello in 9 seconds. He maintains an advantage. 5:32 The National: That I think answers your question David! Barrichello returns to action in 10th. Hamilton sets a fastest lap. 1.40.300. 5:34 The National: And Hamilton pits. 8.6 second stop. He returns in clear air and in seventh. Button pits too and in eight but he has a Toyota up his backside and Kobayashi is not standing down on ceremony to the world champion. He scraps the place from him. Brilliant stuff. 5:35 The National: Webber pits on lap 18. He is behind Hamilton in fourth now. 5:37 The National: Hamilton gets a radio call. A right-rear break problem. In the pits, Sebastien Buemi over-shoots his pit stop, or does he? Nope the Torro Rosso team tell the Swiss driver to go round as Sebastian Vettel was pitting for Red Bull. They wanted clear air and they got it. 5:38 The National: They are clearing space in the McLaren garage. Hamilton is retiring. 5:38 [Comment From David David : ] That pit exit is awesome 5:39 The National: From The National's Roland Hughes: "Trulli overtaking Button is greeted by a huge round of applause in the media centre. Exactly the kind of overtaking it was hoped the Yas Marina Circuit would provide." 5:39 [Comment From Marcus Marcus : ] Hamilton is out! 5:39 The National: Lewis Hamilton retires on lap 20. 5:40 The National: So that means Vettel leads with Webber in second. Kobayashi is in third. 5:41 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] the pit exit has almost the same layout as the one in Interlagos. 5:41 The National: Ali Khaled writes: "Attempting photos of cars with my mobile. Got some great shots of empty track!" It has to be tricky eh? 5:42 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Looks like Ham's LR brake locked up 5:43 The National: In the confusion of the Red Bull/Toro Rosso pit stop. It seems that Jaime Alguersuari had a problem and was retiring. He is out with a mechanical problem. In any case the two Brawn's are fourth and fifth, Button ahead. Raikkonen and Kovalainen are sixth and seventh. 5:45 The National: We are on lap 23. We need a recap. Vettel leads, Webber second. Kobayashi is third but has yet to pit. He is on a one-stopper. Button and Barrichello are next with Raikkonen, Kovalainen and Rosberg making up the top eight. 5:46 The National: I must say, what a drive by the young Japanese driver in the Toyota. Sign him up! He is lapping at the same times as Vettel in front. 5:49 The National: Hamilton says: "My right-rear brakes were not working. I was coming offf the track at the same place a few times. "Without them I can't stop the car" Meanwhile Vettel has an eight second lead over Webber and it is now dark. 5:52 The National: Well Vettel will struggle to lose this one unless he has a complete horlicks of a lap. I am impressed with Kobayashi. Only his second GP. Yes he is a ballsy driver, some may say dangerous but he is a racer that is for sure. I would like to hear from you on the opinions of him? Good enough for third today? Sunday November 1, 2009 5:52 The National 5:52 [Comment From Pedro, UAE Pedro, UAE : ] Lewis Hamilton clearly knows his brakes 5:54 The National: Lap 29 of 55 and Kimi Raikkonen pits from sixth position. 5:54 The National: He is in a battle with Heikki Kovalainen today and re-emerges in 15th. 5:56 The National: And Kobayashi pits a lap later. He puts on the softs and comes out behind Buemi. 5:58 The National: So we need to keep tabs on Heikki as our newest poll indicates he carries the baton for the Woking-based team for the third place tussle with Ferrari. He pits on lap 31 and comes out with a clean track ahead of him in 13th. 5:59 The National: Nakajima pits in his Williams. Fisichella has a drive through penalty for speeding through the pit lane. 6:01 The National: Recap on lap 33. Vettel leads from Webber. Button and Barrichello third and fourth. Heidfeld, Trulli, Kubica and Rosberg complete the top eight. 6:03 The National: Fernando Alonso, who had a howler in qualifying takes 10th from Kobayashi. But he pits. A true champion, racing still on his in-lap. 6:04 [Comment From David David : ] Go Webber .... go you good thing 6:06 The National: 20 laps to go. And we are settled at the front. Vettel is in complete control, so sorry David the German is looking good value today. It will be a hat trick of victories for the Red Bull team though, with Vettel winning at Suzuka and Webber at Intelagos. 6:09 The National: Nico Rosberg pits. The first of the two-stoppers to jump in. 6:10 The National: He is ahead of Kovalainen in 10th. So good job from the Williams team. 6:11 The National: But there will be a good scrap for the remainder of the race. Kubica is in and out from seventh. He has a nice clean track and is in 9th. 6:12 [Comment From anita williams anita williams : ] I would like to watch the live video of F1 car race 6:12 The National: @anita williams, it is on Abu Dhabi Sports 2 if you can get it. Or Bahrain TV. 6:13 The National: Mark Webber is the first Red Bull to pit in. Nice 7.6 second stint and out in sixth, but Jarno Trulli is just ahead of him in fifth. 6:14 The National: Barrichello and Heidfeld are in together. Barrichello takes longer but just gets ahead of the BMW driver. 6:15 The National: They reappear in fifth and sixth. 6:16 The National: Kubica has a go at Buemi and they touch and spin off. They recover and Buemi comes off the better of the two. 6:16 The National: Button pits and come out in third. His crew are happy enough with that effort. 6:17 [Comment From KS KS : ] Does anyone know if a DVD on the "making of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix" or today's race will be available on a DVD, later? 6:19 The National: 12 laps to go and after the final pit stops we now have a straight shootout to the finish line. The race order: 1 Vettel 2 Webber 3 Button 4 Barrichello 5 Heidfeld 6 Kobayashi 7 Trulli 8 Buemi 6:23 The National: Just looking up and down the track and the interesting developments is Button's charge on Webber. He eats 1.5secs in two laps and is now 4.4secs behind. Barrichello and Heidfeld resume their fight for fourth. 6:24 The National: @KS: I have to admit I don't know. But it would seem a merchandising opportunity that would be mad to miss. Sunday November 1, 2009 6:24 The National 6:24 The National: Nine laps to go. The gap for second is now 3.6secs. Top stuff from the world champion. Can he send off the season with a belting crescendo? 6:24 The National: Richard Cregan, the CEO of the Yas Marina Circuit, took time out from the race to tell Roland Hughes of his pride at the event passing off successfully. "You have all these meetings, all these get-togethers, all these project meetings and during those, you are just hoping that what you are discussing is going to be delivered and the last couple of days is that they have and the circuit is what it was meant to be." 6:25 The National: Eight laps to go. It is 3secs. Button is on fire here. 6:27 The National: Seven laps to go and it is 2.2 seconds. Button is even quicker than Vettel at this point. 6:29 The National: To be fair Vettel is in cruise-mode and he looks towards lapping the back markers. Button has five laps now to take Webber, He is all over Webber's rear-wing. Webber is struggling with his braking. Button is the best in the business. 6:30 [Comment From Mike T Mike T : ] Where's Adrian Sutil? 6:30 [Comment From David David : ] Hang in there Webber 6:31 The National: Button gets right on Webber's gear box. But the dirty air is affecting Button. Four to go. 6:32 @Mike T Sutil is last. 6:32 The National: Jenson Button passes the futuristic Yas Hotel. Photo by Luca Bruno / AP 6:32 [Comment From jamil jamil : ] Whats the gap between Button and the rest? 6:32 The National: Button is just not getting close enough to Webber to pounce. Just a reminder Vettel is leading, comfortably. this is the battle for second. 6:33 The National: "Button is so close to Webber. Would love to see another take over before the race ends," says our Marin Devine from the stands. 6:33 The National: @Jamil Button is a country mile ahead of Barrichello, who is fourth. 6:35 The National: Action at the back. Fisichella and Grosjean have a to do into a corner. The Renault driver Grosjean goes wide allowing Sutil to escape last place. Nice one guys! 6:37 The National: It is all action! Button is really putting the pressure on Webber. They slip and slide. Button makes a move. Webber blocks. 6:37 The National: They go into the chicanes side by side. But Webber prevails. Vettel wins it. 6:38 The National: And Webber survives, just. Superb racing. 6:40 The National: So that was something at the end with Webber and Button. Phew! Sebastian Vettel wins the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A sterling drive from the German in the Red Bull. 6:42 The National: The yachts in the marina were all honking at the end of the race. The hotel is now flashing in Red Bull's colours: nice touch. 6:42 The National: Mark Webber brings the other Red Bull home in second under some severe pressure from the world champion Jenson Button. Those ten laps were gripping stuff. Rubens Barrichello finishes fourth ahead of Nick Heidfeld's swan song for the departing BMW in fifth. 6:42 [Comment From jamil jamil : ] An exciting finish. Again, my thanks for your coverage, well done. 6:44 The National: The two Toyota's are sixth and seventh with Kobayashi and Jarno Trulli driving superbly. Finally Sebastien Buemi in the Toro Rosso finishes eighth. 6:45 The National: @Jamil. It was superb racing. Cheers. 6:46 [Comment From David David : ] What a race. Great stuff. 6:46 The National: The German national anthem is playing now. Button and Webber exchange their views on the final few laps with smile son their faces. 6:47 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Was there even one car overtaken the whole race? Looked like qualifying. 6:49 The National: Vettel looks exhausted. The Austrain anthem is played for the Red Bull team and Vettel holds aloft the winners' trophy. Webber takes his acolade and Button is still smiling after his part of the race. The sparkling rosewater is sprayed. 6:51 The National: @Ace. Yes there were a few overtakes during the race. Notably the Kobayashi move on Button. The Japanese driver was at it again when Alonso made a pass and there were a few spins when Kubica and Buemi had a go together. Not the most exciting race ever but it was interesting nonetheless. 7:02 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Sorry, i am a NASCAR fan and this is my first time watching F1. There are a lot of differences. 7:05 The National: @Ace Yep, the Nascar racing is more rough and tumble. But this was a fair race. It reminds me of the European GP at Valencia last year when that street circuit made its debut. It was not a classic but give it another year here and the racing will improve considerably. 7:06 The National: The National's Daniel Bardsley writes in from the stands: "Button's podium finish was very popular with the fans here in the support pit grandstand." 7:08 The National: So to clarify, here is the official race results from Yas Marina: 1. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull) 1hr 34min 03.414sec 2. Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull) at 17.857sec 3. Jenson Button (GBR/Brawn) 18.467 4. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Brawn) 22.735 5. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW Sauber) 26.253 6. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/Toyota) 28.343 7. Jarno Trulli (ITA/Toyota) 34.366 8. Sebastien Buemi (SWI/Toro Rosso) 41.294 9. Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams) 45.941 10. Robert Kubica (POL/BMW Sauber) 48.180 11. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/McLaren) 52.798 12. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 54.317 13. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/Williams) 59.839 14. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Renault) 1min 09.687sec 15. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Force India) 1:34.450 16. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/Ferrari) at 1 lap 17. Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India) 1 lap 18. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Renault) 1 lap 7:13 The National: Marin Devine has some tips for the organisers for next year. "For the most part I enjoyed my F1 weekend, but there are some things I would like to see next time around: similar food stands and tents around each grandstand, a better map locating points of interest around the circuit, more food options following the races and before the concerts, bigger words on the screens (almost too small to read without binoculars), running standings listed on the screens, worded updates for the screens since we all have earplugs in and can't hear what the announcer is saying and more overall communication about how the event is being run (what is not allowed, how to get places, etc.)." 7:35 The National: Vettel said afterwards: "Unbelievable. I came here and obviously I think even though we tried to prepare as much as possible by doing laps in simulators ... it was extremely slippery. "It was really enjoyable, the whole race. It is a challenging circuit - every lap you needed to focus and keep up the concentration. It was pretty easy to do a mistake. "All in all, great place. It is amazing what they have done here in that short period of time, so winning the race and a one-two for Red Bull Racing, it can't be much better." 7:56 Twitter khashogi: Race was awesome..go vettel! Off to aerosmith now! 7:57 Twitter __Robbie_: The background at the Abu Dhabi circuit is awesome, but only a few overtakings. They should work on this. It seems they will 7:58 Twitter SophieSheriff: Thought Abu Dhabi was a bit dull, last few laps brilliant driving from Button and Webber though... if it was one lap longer... 8:14 The National: Reuters report that Mercedes will stay long-term partners to McLaren, the carmaker said today in the face of persistent talk of them buying a majority stake in the Formula One champions Brawn GP. "There is a very firm decision that we have a long-term commitment to our partner McLaren," the Mercedes motorsport vice president Norbert Haug said at Yas Marina. 8:16 [Comment From salem salem : ] The formula one is super what is needed to be qualified as a driver? 8:21 The National: Hello Salem. Many F1 drivers undertake a long process to get to where they are today. It is a huge commitment from both the drivers and their family so to speak. Take Lewis Hamilton for example, he first started racing at a young age racing karts. It is not a cheap past-time and his father, Anthony, undertook many jobs to finance his racing. I think there is a huge amount of luck to it too. Hamilton was spotted and fast-tracked by McLaren to higher classes in more international competitions. After racing through these, he moved up to the feeder class, GP2, where many of today's F1 drivers come from such as Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen. Tomorrow's F1 racers will continue to be pooled from these classes of competition. 8:22 The National: We're keen to know what the travel situation is like out there so if anyone happens to know anyone on the roads or the airport we'd be interested to know how it's going. 8:23 [Comment From salem salem : ] It makes me happy to see all these great events happen here in Abu Dhabi and Yas the city beside the sea. 8:23 [Comment From viniljith viniljith : ] congrats vettel,all the best 8:29 The National: So do we have any Aerosmith fans out there? 30 mins until Steven Tyler et al take to the stage. I didn't know that Tyler is now 60 years young. 8:29 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Traffic rather sparse and moving normally towards Abu Dhabi on the motorway in the Al Raha Beach area. Couldn't tell you about the airport. 8:30 The National: Cheers Ace. 8:32 [Comment From Mike T Mike T : ] Tyler is like the American Mick Jagger. I mean how old is Jagger now?!?!?!?!?!?!?! 8:32 [Comment From Mike T Mike T : ] Tyler is like the American Mick Jagger. I mean how old is Jagger now?!?!?!?!?!?!?! 8:32 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] 60 is the new 40, and yes i have been a fan for years. I will shut-up now! 8:32 The National: Back to Tyler. He is 61 to be precise. Mind you, I don't mind the old rockers. I will have a wiki on Mick Jagger for you Mike T. He must be even older. 8:34 The National: Well Mick Jagger can officially claim his pension in the UK. He is 66. 8:39 The National: On the subject of geriatric rock n roll band members. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame is still going strong. At 63, he is bass player in some sort of super-band called Them Crooked Vultures who have Dave Grohl (Nirvana and Foo Fighters) returning to drums and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on lead. Look them up. Not a bad act for the modern sound. 8:39 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Like he really needs it. 8:43 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] I am a big LZ fan from back in the day, I haven't heard of this so I will investigate. Bob Dylan just did a Christmas album, believe it or not! 8:45 The National: From our man at the concert The National's Matt Kwong, "I just spoke with Aerosmith's opening act, the Abu Dhabi musician Paul Akiki. No doubt this is the gig of his life, playing before nearly 40,000 people. He describes his music this way: 'A mix between Radiohead and Coldplay - with a bit of tabbouleh and hummus!'" 9:07 The National: Air guitars are at the ready on Yas Island... 9:14 Twitter moneymunot: first song - eat the rich! Here we go aerosmith! @zooberry 9:14 Twitter BethParetta: think aerosmith will let me carpool home with them? 9:16 The National: Meanwhile, in the tennis, Serena Williams won has the WTA Championships title in Doha beating her sister Venus, the defending champion, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) in the final. Full report from The National's Bill Johnson at https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport 9:23 Twitter cailinohare: They may be vintage but Aerosmith are rocking it right now!! #abudhabif1 9:25 The National: The National's Sarah Ferguson is there and she says: "Aerosmith kicked off on time and there's a great atmosphere. Weird but there's no queue for the beverage stalls." 9:31 The National: And just in case you were wondering: In the New York Marathon today Meb Keflezighi won the men's title and Derartu Tulu took the honours for the women. 9:44 The National: In the English Premier League, with ten minutes to go Manchester City are being held goalless by Birmingham City. Shay Given saved a second-half James McFadden penalty. 9:45 Twitter acerbi: I promise not to make fun of aerosmith any more. They are REALLY good live 9:58 The National: Still rocking it at 61 years old. An inspiration to us all. 10:05 The National: Sarah Ferguson writes in: "Aerosmith seem on top form but loads of people are leaving." I guess the desire to beat the rush is pretty strong. 10:11 The National: Our Matt Smith texts in: "What a send off. Aeromazing." While Charlie Hamilton says that people have indeed been streaming out in droves. 10:28 [Comment From Ramin Ramin : ] I saw Aerosmith in 91 along with Whitesnake and Poison in Berlin (first concert I had ever been to!). I was very keen to see them live, and the race of course also, but 1500+ AED is way too overpriced. 10:45 The National: Not one to shy away from a bold claim, Matt Smith declares: "Best guitar solo ever!" 10:53 Twitter timothyburton: #F1 #Aerosmith rocking Ferrari stadium in abu dhabi, making kings of leon look like a pub band! Great end to the season, roll on march 2010! 10:54 The National: @Ramin: There's some names from the past. There must have been a power ballad set. Rock on! 11:09 [Comment From Ace Ace : ] Easy going traffic still near Al Raha Beach Resort.. 11:23 The National: Thank you for joining in today, the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is over and Aerosmith have played out a memorable weekend. From Lewis Hamilton's storming weekend to Sebastian Vettel rising above the field to take the first victory at the Yas Marina Circuit and not forgetting all of the off-track entertainment. Beyonce, Jamiroquai, Kings of Leon and Aerosmith have been top drawer acts that the grand prix has attracted to the UAE. Above all it is a pleasure to see that the UAE has grabbed the F1 spirit with both hands and the race action will only get better. For all the news and analysis of the weekend don't forget to visit https://www.thenationalnews.com tomorrow! Only 133 days until we do it all over again for the start of the 2010 Formula One season starting on March 14 in Bahrain. We'll be continuing to do live blogs and our next one is on Tuesday for Pakistan v New Zealand at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Join us for that. We hope to see you then, thanks again and goodnight!