Simply Abu Dhabi XXVIII

3 8 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I While both drivers had four wins apiece at the halfway mark, it was Vettel’s consistency to also nab four second places compared to Hamilton’s pair of seconds that helped the Ferrari driver into a decisive lead by mid-year. Remarkably, Hamilton’s lowest finish until then was seventh inMonaco, which was later matched by a reversal of fortune when Hamilton won the British Grand Prix and Vettel sat back in seventh, giving Hamilton his first chance to reel back some valuable points. Until then, the talk remained about a Ferrari renaissance to perhaps clinch its first world title since Kimi Raikkonen’s last championship for the Scuderia in 2007. But Hamilton bounced back from the break refreshed and mentally prepared for a fight to the end. A combination of determination and luck swung back in his favour and put him back on form and ready for the run to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. Rd1 Australia: The championship began as usual in Melbourne and after three years of Mercedes dominance, Ferrari came out fighting. Vettel won the opening round in a clean fight, outpacing pole sitter Hamilton around the streets of Melbourne to take the Mercedes team by surprise and give the Scuderia an early confidence boost into 2017. It was also the first race where the defending world champion wasn’t on the grid, as Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg – who took the title in sensational form in Abu Dhabi last year – retired from the sport and took the coveted number #1 plate with him. Drivers’ Championship: Vettel: 25 Hamilton: 18 Constructors’ Championship: Ferrari: 37 Mercedes: 33 Rd2 China: Hamilton is a master of Shanghai and claimed his sixth consecutive pole position to bounce back in superb style after the disappointment of Australia. He dominated the weekend, claiming fastest lap and his fifth win there. With Vettel finishing second, they were one apiece and went to Bahrain equal first on the ladder. Drivers: Vettel: 43 Hamilton: 43 Constructors: Ferrari: 66 Mercedes: 65 Rd3 Bahrain: Bahrain saw the rise of Mercedes’ second driver and the replacement to Rosberg in Valtteri Bottas. The young Finn stepped out of Hamilton’s shadow and put his Mercedes on pole from Hamilton, with Vettel third and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo fourth. In what was starting to show the signs of a heavyweight fight between the two leading protagonists punching blow for blow, Vettel struck back and took the win over Hamilton with Bottas third and Vettel’s teammate Raikkonen fourth. Vettel now held a seven-point advantage over Hamilton, with Ferrari holding a slender three-point buffer on the constructors’ table. Drivers: Vettel: 68 Hamilton: 61 Constructors: Ferrari: 102 Mercedes: 99