Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourth victory of the season under the artificial lighting of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a flawless drive that confirms the Red Bull – Renault star as championship runner-up behind Jenson Button.

Vettel had to work hard for his victory in he opening laps of the 55 lap Grand Prix, hounding pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton and then taking the lead following the first round of pitstops. KERS-equipped Hamilton had been expected to run away with the race after qualifying on the pole by over six-tenths of a second, but race day saw the out-going champion unable to pull the gap required to ensure he retained the lead in the first round of stops.

Jenson Button ends the season as 2009 champion with 95 points, 11 ahead of the race winner Sebastian Vettel as the teams pack up and head back to base to begin preparations for the 2010 season…

Lewis Hamilton has claimed pole position for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the impressive Yas Marina Circuit as the out-going champion absolutely dominated the hour of evening running, topping the time sheets in each of the three qualifying rounds by a significant margin.

Despite a small error on his first qualifying run that left him tenth on the provisional grid, Hamilton saved his best lap to the end of the ten minute pole shoot out, crossing the line an astonishing six-tenths of a second clear of the field. With his KERS advantage on the long 1.2km back straight, it is hard to see anyone other than Hamilton taking victory in the final race of the season.

Heikki Kovalainen’s woes deepened (*) when it emerged he will drop even further down the grid after suffering a gearbox failure during the ‘Q2′ segment.  The McLaren transmission cannot be repaired and therefore must be replaced for the race, incurring a five-place grid demotion for an unscheduled change. Kovalainen therefore drops from 13th to 18th.

The second Friday practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend got underway as the sun dipped below the horizon, allowing the impressive lighting system taking over the task of illuminating the new 5.556km Marina Bay Circuit. Heikki Kovalainen saved his best to last, as he moved to the top of the time sheets in his McLaren Mercedes with a best lap of 1:41.307s just ahead of the checkered flag.

Lewis Hamilton was second fastest to make it a McLaren one-two, the duo using the KERS advantage down the long 1.2km back straight. Hamilton ended the day two-tenths off the ultimate pace with champion-elect Jenson Button close behind in third position in his Brawn Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest in the leading Red Bull Renault, and frequently the quickest racer in the tighter segments of the circuit.

FiA Formula One Race Director Charlie Whiting has arrived in Abu Dhabi the capital of the United Arab Emirates, direct from Suzuka, to approve the venue ahead of Formula 1’s 2009 season finale.

The new Yas Marina Circuit has only just been handed over from the construction company to the race organizers, as FIA race director Whiting touches down to give the venue the final approval of the sport’s governing body.

“The initial inspection has already been done. Whiting comes here on October 5 to do the final tick-off of the boxes,” race boss Richard Cregan told the Gulf News.

Follow the construction of the future home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix here.

The world has become acutely aware of Dubai in the last decade, but the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is building its own architectural wonder right now. The 6,177 acre, $40 billion (US) dollar Yas Island will not only hold the Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit, but a Ferrari branded theme park as well. According to the organizers at Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, there are at least 4,000 workers on the circuit at any one time and a sign on the entrance to the island keeps a running tally of man-hours worked. It currently reads: 47,250,000.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set to join Bahrain to become the second grand prix in the region. The Yas Island racing circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, the track architect known for his work in Bahrain, Shanghai and Sepang, Malaysia. It is being modeled after the temporary circuit used for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, and sections will be used as part of the “Ferrari World” theme park. One of the more unique parts of the track includes a gravel run-off trap that will go underneath the West grandstand. Imagine a front row seat, with a F1 car spinning off right in front and under you.

photo credit ©yasmarinacircuit