Madly Abu Dhabi

There have been some memorable races in the 2012 Formula One Season but today saw perhaps the most memorable one. With Qualifying providing ample entertainment via Sebastian Vettel's fuel margin error, the race continued in a similar vein. Hamilton had secured his fourth front-row in as many races in the UAE, never lining up outside the top two there. Yas Island was an adequate setting for such a spectacular race and by 5pm local time the 23 cars were lined up for the start, with Vettel starting in the pitlane. His penalty warranted starting from the back of the grid, but the team opted to take him out of Parc Ferme conditions and work on the car, changing various engine maps and gear ratios. The grid then changed to 22 cars, as Pedro de la Rosa's HRT was wheeled into place behind Vettel, following a tyre blanket entangling itself round the rear axle of his car.

At the start Hamilton maintained his top spot, but Kimi Raikkonen blasted past Maldonado and then Webber before turn 1 to put himself second. The Finn might have gained places by overtaking but plenty of other drivers did so in less conventional fashion, when Hulkenberg, di Resta and Senna tangled. The latter two cars limped round for repairs but Hulkenberg, the soon-to-be-Sauber driver was out on the spot. The first lap saw further incidents between Rosberg and Grosjean and also Vettel, who whacked the rear of a recovering Senna.

The action did not die down early with many drivers passing one another, until an off-the-pace Karthikeyan slowed into turn 15, and a hard charging Rosberg launched over the back of him on lap 7. The Tech-pro barrier collected Nico safely and Karthikeyan was perfectly OK too, but the Mercedes flailed several feet into the air. The only real injuries in this incident were to Hamilton's lead as the Safety Car slashed it. Raikkonen, Maldonado, Alonso and Webber were all poised to pounce on it but Hamilton found himself pulling away after the restart. Alonso pulled a cracking move on Maldonado to move up to P3, but when Webber tried to emulate the Spaniard a few laps later, he got all in a spin and lost several places. More stubbornness from the Aussie rotated Felipe Massa when he went to avoid him.

Some masterful blocking from Romain Grosjean saw Vettel overtake him over the white lines and therefore off the track. The FIA got back to Seb and he duly let the Frenchman back past, but within a few corners the Red Bull was long gone once more. Hamilton, having been fastest in almost every session of the weekend, had a rotten stroke of luck when his engine suddenly died on lap 21. It was heartbreaking for him considering his supreme performances but it just wasn't to be. Investigations after the race proved that a faulty fuel pump caused his demise, a fault team prinicpal Martin Whitmarsh blamed squarely on Mercedes. That left Raikkonen to maintain a lonely campaign up front, pulling out a seismic lead over Alonso. Sadly that was ended on Lap 38 by yet another incident, this one involving four cars. As di Resta left Turn 10, Grosjean made up ground and looked to pass. In braking for turn 11 Perez also joined the Melee and went to overtake Grosjean as well. As di Resta took the corner Perez went wide to avoid him, and then cut accross Grosjean in the next corner. Mark Webber then swept through and snagged his rear right on Romain's front left, and the two were out on the spot.

The ensuing safety car leveled the playing field again with Kimi leading Alonso, Button, Vettel and Maldonado. Vettel managed to sneak past Button at Turn 11 - a place where most of the overtaking occured yet strangely, there are no grandstands. Vettel's progress had gone largely unnoticed due to all the incidents up front, but he had gone from the Pitlane to the podium following some brilliant strategising by the team. The final few laps saw Raikkonen under real pressure from Alonso but the Iceman clung on to win his first Grand Prix since Belgium 2009 and the first since returning to the sport. It also marked the end of a dry spell for the Enstone-based Lotus team, formerly known as Renault. Their last win came courtesy of none other than Fernando Alonso in the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji.

Lap Leaders
Hamilton (1-20)
Raikkonen (21-55)

Finishing Positions
1. K Raikkonen, Lotus
2. F Alonso, Ferrari
3. S Vettel, Red Bull
4. J Button, McLaren
5. P Maldonado, Williams
6. K Kobayashi, Sauber
7. F Massa, Ferrari
8. B Senna, Williams
9 P di Resta, Force India
10 D Ricciardo, Toro Rosso
11. M Schumacher, Mercedes
12. J Vergne, Toro Rosso
13. H Kovalalinen, Caterham
14. T Glock, Marussia
15. S. Perez, Sauber
16. V Petrov, Caterham
17. P de la Rosa, HRT

Out/Unclassified
C Pic, Marussia
R Grosjean, Lotus (Crash)
M Webber, Red Bull (Crash)
L Hamilton, McLaren (Fuel Pump)
N Rosberg, Mercedes (Crash)
N Karthikeyan, HRT (Crash)
N Hulkenberg, Force India (Crash)