Simply Abu Dhabi VIII

Alonso keeps the leader leading Meanwhile, the determined Alonso pushed Räikkönen for his lead all the way. But the Lotus driver held on, and on, to take a dramatic first place. Alonso finished in second place and his championship rival Vettel in third. So Vettel held on to his championship lead despite his disadvantage in starting from the pit lane – but Alonso has now narrowed the gap to just ten 10 points, with two races to go. Venezuela’s Pastor Maldonado finished fifth ahead of Kamui Kobayashi from the Sauber team. Completing the impressive top ten line-up in this challenging race were Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Bruno Senna of Williams, Force India's Paul di Resta and Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo. Fans await the championship result with excitement – but for now, it was Räikkönen’s day. One of the most memorable events of the race was when the Finn was heard remonstrating with his team on the radio, saying, “Leave me alone – I know what I’m doing.” The words were certainly tough, but many of the personally successful spectators at the Yas Marina circuit would have admired such determination and self-confidence. That self-confidence is particularly impressive taking into account the track records of both Lotus and Räikkönen. It is 181 races since Lotus last won (when Ayrton Senna was the victor in America in 1987) and two years since Räikkönen himself last won a race in Belgium, in 2009. To win after such a lengthy drought requires passion, determination and drive – qualities that Räikkönen displayed in abundance. Spectators were delighted at Kimi Räikkönen’s spectacular victory – and they celebrated in style at the amazing events you can read about elsewhere in this section. 8 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Scuderia Ferrari Bernie Ecclestone &ChristianHorner – TeamPrincipal RedBull Racing Lewis Hamilton – TeamMclarenMercedes & Father Anthony Hamilton