Raikkonen & Vettel Shine In Dramatic Race! | 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Extended Highlights

And as we edge towards nighttime here in the desert, no sign of the sun setting on the Formula One Championship in 2012. Both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel keen this weekend to say that anything really could happen in the last three races. And maybe the events of the last 24 hours have proved both drivers just right. A track that has brought triumph and despair to many a driver. Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso losing a Drivers' Championship here, Sebastian Vettel winning it. Hamilton on pole then. It's lights out and away we go. It's a decent start from Hamilton. Look at Kimi Räikkönen though, swooping past Maldonado and Webber. And he's into second as they go into Turn 1. Maldonado stays ahead of Webber. Button just gets a bit squeezed. There's contact between Senna and Hülkenberg right at the first corner. Lewis Hamilton way out of trouble. Now Jenson Button being pressurized by Fernando Alonso. He's been overtaken by Alonso and Felipe Massa is all over his rear wing. Nico Rosberg there and Romain Grosjean is into the chicane they go. We haven't seen the Red Bull being released yet. It's just coming, I think, up the top of the hill. We got contact obviously down in the first turn. Nico Rosberg got a very poor start. I saw out of the window too. He's running, showing 8th at the moment as they slipstream down the back straight. And Paul Direster down into about 20th place as we ride on board with Fernando Alonso. He's got Mark Webber in his sights as they break now to a second gear corner. Has to slot behind Webber but he's got another long straight to come here. Hamilton from Raikkonen, Maldonado and it's Webber and Alonso. But for how long? On the gas we saw Alonso electric in the opening laps in India. He's getting ever closer to the concrete wall. He's getting ever closer to Mark Webber. And finally he manages to pass him under braking. Locks up but completes the move going into that next chicane. Excellent straight line speed from the Ferrari. And Alonso has got past a very slow starting Mark Webber. There's Nico Rosberg with looks like a bit of damage to his front wing. But getting past Sergio Perez as through the chicane they go. Yeah, Rosberg then left side of his front wing, as you say, damaged. But that was a bold move from Alonso and his eyes must have been on stalks. Because there was a very good chance as we see Romain Grosjean. He's got massive problems, hasn't he? First corner contact again and first lap contact anyway. But Alonso must have thought, oh, please do not let me run into the side of that Williams of Maldonado. But crucially into fourth place already then. Vettel showing 22nd. Yellow flags down in the first corner as clearly the Hülkenberg's car is still parked there. Yeah, you can just see it moving with the crane in the foreground of the shot as the rest of the field all stream through. Nico Rosberg has limped into the pits. Romain Grosjean will soon follow him. There's contact. 2.4india squeezing itself other out. DiResta got just away with it. Hülkenberg took the major impact with Senna. Yeah, four into one doesn't go. And there we have it. Well, you can see why DiResta got a bit of damage there. And it was Hülkenberg locking up, arriving late, that caused the problem. So 1.4india out of the race. One running in plum last. Here's the view from Raikkonen's car. Perfect start. Firstly, no wheel spin. Then he lets it go straight up into second place. Tremendous start from Raikkonen. And then Button very, very nearly got together with Webber and lost out to one Ferrari and nearly a second Ferrari Massa there. Because Button had a good start, but almost tangled with Mark Webber down into Turn 1. And here the view from Fernando Alonso as he managed to get past Mark Webber in the Red Bull. Webber made it difficult for him. This is the trouble. They gear it up to be slow down the straights and quick through all the corners for ultimate lap time. And that's the point where I would have had my heart in my mouth on the first lap without optimum temperatures anywhere. And the Ferrari just powers past. Look at this for a camera angle. Superb as we watch Alonso breezing past. They're almost giving him a little love tap as he went through. Now Sebastian Vettel on the inside of the HRT. And Noreen Karthikeyan managed to get past Bruno Senna. And now we can tell about Karthikeyan and what's happening to Hamilton. Going off the track further on at the chicane at Turns 8 and 9. And Kimi Raikkonen is slipstreaming him now. And Raikkonen might sense that the victory or the lead of this race could now be his. He's right behind Hamilton. Pulls out very late from behind the rear wing of that McLaren. Hamilton just manages to stay in front. And he seems to have got away with that one for the time being. It's really cold. 33 degrees track temperature. It is an issue McLaren have had on the softer compound tyre that warm-up has been a major problem. Here's Sebastian Vettel now and Bruno Senna. And that Charles Pic just ahead of him. So he's moved up into 16th place. Yeah, there is damage on the right-hand side. We can see it. It's up to you if you want to pit. We're ready for you. That damage came when he clipped his front wing trying to get past Bruno Senna. So down just before the hairpin where we saw him get past Karthikeyan on the previous lap. 2.3 seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen is Lewis Hamilton. This is how Sebastian Vettel got past Petrov and got past Timo Glock as well. And how he made his way up into 14th. This is how he got past Heikki Kovalainen. It's a run-up into 13th place. Ahead of him, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne. Lap 9 of 55 here in Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton leads. Oh! There is the HRT and there's Nico Rosberg who is definitely out of this race and straight out of the car as well which is great to see. But a major contact between Rosberg and Karthikeyan. Safety car definitely been deployed. And I wonder what has happened here. Yeah, it's Karthikeyan. Rosberg arriving at huge speed and then going over the top. Yeah, Karthikeyan was in the middle of blowing up. I think his engine was... And it just caught Nico out unsighted. And lucky that thing ended up rubber side down. And you can just see the smoke beginning to come out. We think, I'm pretty sure, it didn't hit him on the head. I'm pretty sure that the HRT was about to break down and that's a big crash. But luckily, big run-off area there and the safer barrier to go into that's done a brilliant job as his wheel follows him in. And both drivers OK, which is great to see. It burns! What is he doing? He's stopping all the time. I hit the front wing, I hit the DRS. DRS time, so check the front wing, please. He's getting agitated, Sebastian Vettel. Yeah, the front wing's flapping around like crazy now. Yeah, and this maybe is what he was referring to. Is this Daniel Ricciardo in front of Sebastian Vettel? Oh, yeah. That's why he'd be flapping around like crazy. He's had a brush with the barriers. Yeah, he said, I hit the DRS. That's to tell them when the DRS is available to them. He picked up that polystyrene as well. You see Ricciardo weaving around, trying to keep heat to his tyres. Well, that's finished the front wing off. Now he really will have some understeer. It's time to come in on that one. I would imagine they'll put him on the soft and then try and run him to the end of the race. The benefit is, is that now we've had... And he's a bit concerned, Lewis Hamilton, about the possibility of a puncture once again. Racing again, Alonso with a little bit of understeer as he now goes into the race proper once again. Lock up from Maldonado. Mark Webber thinks Fernando Alonso's there for the taking as Hamilton, Raikkonen and Maldonado sweep past him. They're on board with Mark Webber, going into Turn 1, very close to the wall. And Fernando Alonso just manages to hold on to 4th place, but Webber is all over the rear wing. And that Ferrari is up and over the crest they rise and on towards Turn 6 and 5. Yeah, Alonso nearly dropped it. You can overtake, of course, at the safety car line, which is before the last corner. Alonso fancied a run at Maldonado, nearly got it wrong. And that is what gave Webber the opportunity to have a go at him. Sebastian Vettel, who is an awful lot closer to Romain Grosjean, the car directly in front of him. And he's getting a very nice slipstream as well. Now pulls out, moves alongside and creeps up inch by inch towards Grosjean. It's almost three cars going into this chicane. Vettel dives down the inside. Grosjean comes back at him. And there's no contact. And maybe Vettel has learned his lesson from that clash with Bruno Senna. And he now goes off the track to try and have a go at Grosjean again. This time looks like he's made that move stick before they get under braking. So Grosjean's going to try and fight back. Vettel squeezes him over to the outside and he holds on to 19th place. Was that pass made with all four wheels off the track? You've got two white lines there and a bit of blue sea in the middle, it seems. But we'll have another look at that. But it was certainly initiated a long way off the track. But Vettel through then on Grosjean. That puts him into 17th place, having made his pit stop, of course. Look, he's given the place back anyway. Grosjean's ahead of him. So I think both Red Bull and Lotus both felt that that move wouldn't have been allowed to stick. So best give it back rather than take the penalty. Yeah. Oh dear. Will not work out. Now he's up the inside again. This time only two wheels. And he's going to make that one stick. So job done. And smart thinking there from Red Bull. Down into the hairpin. Sean Enric Vernton. Very wide line going into that hairpin. Didn't really challenge Sebastian Vettel much. And now Heikki Kovalainen will once again see the Red Bull of the Championship lead-up in his wing mirrors. And approaching at rather a rapid rate of knots as Ricciardo closes in on Michael Schumacher at a braking zone that Clarence was saying, you can pull about 6G as a driver. Certainly in qualifying at the end of that straight. Oh, a problem for Lewis Hamilton. Our race leader going very slowly indeed. And once again, it looks like something mechanical is going to rob Lewis Hamilton of victory. Not just here in Abu Dhabi, but in this 2012 season. He shakes his head. And after doing everything so right, something has gone so wrong. Hamilton out of the race. OK, we've lost all power. We're having a look into what's going on. Parks on the grass. And for the second time in the last five races, retires whilst leading. It was lap 23 in Singapore. It's lap 21 here in Abu Dhabi. And he is now definitely out of the Championship race as well. And Kimi Räikkönen leads the Grand Prix. In the heat of the desert, the heist man is in front. And now Fernando Alonso is in front of Pastor Maldonado. He's managed to swoop past him on the DRS zone. Ferrari up into second place. And re-leading the Championship effectively with the points as they are at the moment. We've got waved yellows as they try to work out what to do with that stricken car. OK, Kimi, next car behind you is Alonso. Alonso, five seconds behind you. Al-Kibi updated on the gap. Al-Kibi updated on the pace. Brilliant. He's three tenths of a second faster. Leave me alone. I know what I've got to do. Mark Webber now. Is he close enough to Pastor Maldonado in the second DRS zone to try and put his car up into the podium places? There he goes. About two car lengths between them. Now it's one. Now it's none. Can Webber get into the corner first? He touches with Maldonado, who keeps on going. And Webber spins around and faces the wrong way. And he's lost three places in that. Trying to get up to third. It was a collision with Pastor Maldonado. Webber had just about got in front. Did Maldonado... Could he have given him more room there? Could he have been a bit more careful? Well, Mark pinched him up against the apex curve. And... I... Yeah. I don't think he left him enough space. Now here's Felipe Massa. Oh, here's Jenson Button first on Pastor Maldonado. Button this time has got the inside line. Wes Webber tried around the outside. Button manages to make that move stick without any contact. And he puts himself up into the podium places. Behind... Look, there's Perez squirming away on his tyres. Felipe Massa fancies a go at fifth place. Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez. And once again, the braking zone at the end of the second DRS zone proving to be a good place to spot some overtaking. Here goes Mark Webber. Felipe Massa been told to stay out. Is he going to emerge out of this? Oh, behind the Red Bull. They've clashed again. Webber has clashed again. And Felipe Massa spinning round at the end of it has lost out big time here. And I'm not sure through that smoke he knows where he is. Well, let's have a look at this once again. On the inside, Felipe Massa runs Mark Webber out wide. Webber rejoins the track. Massa just clips the kerb and that's what spun him round. Vettel pits. This should get him out. Well, he's going to be right in the whole Grosjean mix. Oh, right. Rear seemed to be a little bit late arriving. But he'll be mighty fast now. But where's he going to fit in with that big fight? They're all coming into the pit straight. Grosjean and Co. He should be all right, shouldn't he? He might well just be OK here. It's not going to be, I think, as tight as it possibly looks. Look, clear track. Sebastian Vettel now joins it and he is clear. Well clear. And going to the far extremities of the track as Grosjean goes even further over through Turn 4. Di Resta on Grosjean. Under braking at the end of the DRS zone. He's still hanging in there, trying to get past the Lotus for fifth place. Now he's got a great run. Has Paul Di Resta. Wheel to wheel. Sergio Perez getting a good slipstream behind Grosjean as well. He might lose two places down this straight. Di Resta pops up in the fifth. Perez goes around the outside. Might take fifth away from him. Great opportunist move if Di Resta can make it stick. Perez can make it stick. Di Resta goes onto the grass. Oh, now it's a tap. Grosjean. Grosjean hits Perez and then Mark Webber gets collected. The Williams makes its way through. An absolute chaos at the end of that. Yellow flags. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a safety car as well. And Mark Webber, who has had his incidents through the chicane today, twice getting involved with Massa and Maldonado and his third time unlucky as he gets involved with Grosjean. Both out of the race. Perez was just waiting to pounce. Di Resta ahead of Grosjean then. Perez waiting to pounce here. Gets past Grosjean and now thinks, well, I've got a much better line around here. I can squeeze you. And forces Di Resta onto the grass. He then has to go wide. And Di Resta pops ahead of him and that's where Perez gets clouted from Grosjean behind. Grosjean slowing down. That catches out then Mark Webber. And that's why for the second time in four races, Grosjean and Webber have a collision. Yeah, as I said, Paul was quite cautious on the brakes there. Perez saw that. Perez then has to go off the track to avoid contact. Gets a clout because Grosjean's already up the inside of him. It was inevitable that Perez was going to turn in but Perez came off. Perez came from off the racetrack. OK, Kimi, we need to keep working all four tyres, please. Keep working all four. Yes, yes, yes. I'm doing all the time. You don't have to remind me. Just leave me alone, I think is the message. I've won a world title, you know. I know what I'm doing. Safety car comes in on this lap. Race control has the top four. You can ride on board with him as we watch Raikkonen, head Alonso, head Button, head Vettel, head Maldonado, the top five through towards the first turn. Yeah, he's trying to do a late apex, get on the throttle early. That one was extreme actually but he's got DRS. And we know he's better on the brakes than the McLaren down there. Oh, no room on that one. He'll get a good run out of here though. He's got on the throttle early and he'll get DRS any time now. So there it goes. Hasn't got KERS though. Jenson Button using a bit of KERS to help him defend through this second DRS part. Both of those flaps wide open. On each driver goes as wide as he possibly can. Vettel hoping that Button maybe gives him the inside line through the right-hander. Nothing doing. Button trying to make that car as wide as he possibly can to hold on to that third place. So Kimi Raikkonen out in front. Fernando Alonso second. By the way, here goes Sebastian Vettel on Jenson Button. Through the chicane they go they're wheel to wheel. They haven't touched yet. Sebastian Vettel gets himself up into third place which for his own title chances are absolutely brilliant. Jenson covers him and he's straight down the outside and great driving between those two. There wasn't much space left. He kept the car on the track. It's a clean move. Definitely a clean move. On his return to Formula 1 we're about to see Kimi Raikkonen win once again in Formula 1. 18 wins. Now made that 19 wins. It's Lotus' first of the season. It's Kimi Raikkonen back on top as he wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso comes home to claim second. A brilliant drive by Sebastian Vettel keeps him on top of the Drivers' Championship as he takes third place. Jenson Button for whom his teammate Lewis Hamilton retired claims fourth ahead of Pastor Maldonado in fifth. It's Kobayashi who comes home in sixth. Massa beats Senna for seventh. DiResta beats Ricciardo for tenth. Yee-haw! Nice job, Kimi. Absolutely brilliant. Thanks, guys. Great job. It's been a hard season for the team and not the easy times lately. Hopefully this gives a bit more belief not just for the guys making all the work but also for the guys who run the team. I hope this can turn around the tables and give us many more good races and wins if not this year then next year again.