Tuesday 27 October 2009

Abu Dhabi form card

The titles might be won, but there are still plenty of points to prove and scores to settle in the final round of this incredible world championship.

ITV.com/F1 runs through the form of all 20 drivers heading for the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.



1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren

Championship position: 5th, 49 points

When Lewis Hamilton tells Jenson Button that the world championship is only 'on loan', he isn't entirely joking. Hamilton's first two Interlagos races were scruffy as the title pressure got to him, but his pace and determination as he came from the back to third last weekend were outstanding. He is driving as well as ever and should have a very quick car in Abu Dhabi.

Last five race results: 3rd / 3rd / 1st / 12th / R
(most recent first)


2. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) - McLaren

Championship position: 12th, 22 points

Officially there has been no decision yet, but few expect to see Kovalainen in a McLaren after this weekend. It's easy to forget now how hard a time he was giving Hamilton in McLaren's dark days at the start of the season, but as the pressure to hang on to his drive grew, he has found it increasingly hard to deliver. Perhaps in a different team and with a different team-mate he will be able to relax and thrive.

Last five race results: 12th / 11th / 7th / 6th / 6th


3. Giancarlo Fisichella (I) - Ferrari

Championship position: 15th, 8 points

This Ferrari stint was supposed to be Fisichella's glorious F1 finale, but he seems little more comfortable with the car - and its KERS quirks in particular - than he did at Monza. That makes the top ten qualifying and points finish he craves in Abu Dhabi unlikely.

Last five race results: 10th / 12th / 13th / 9th / 2nd


4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) - Ferrari

Championship position: 6th, 48 points

So this is it for Raikkonen and Ferrari - the partnership that was supposed to pick up where Michael Schumacher left off but delivered many exasperating lows alongside the glorious highs of the 2007 title. This being Raikkonen, he will either go out with a whimper or totally dominate and crush all rivals...

Last five race results: 6th / 5th / 10th / 3rd / 1st


5. Robert Kubica (POL) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 13th, 17 points

Just in case anyone had forgotten he is one of the finest drivers in the world, Kubica issued a reminder with second in Brazil. While others used dry set-ups as an excuse after qualifying disasters in the wet, Kubica coaxed his BMW into the top ten, then kept pace with Webber as he charged to second - which suggested BMW might have made a breakthrough on the eve of its exit too.

Last five race results: 2nd / 9th / 8th / R / 4th


6. Nick Heidfeld (D) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 14th, 15 points

A back of the grid start and a lack of fuel in the race was not what Heidfeld needed in Brazil as he seeks to advertise his services for 2010. But for this weekend his main concern will be to help BMW bow out in style, having played such a big part in this chapter of the marque's F1 story.

Last five race results: R / 6th / R / 7th / 5th




7. Fernando Alonso (E) - Renault

Championship position: 9th, 26 points


Some of the drivers bidding farewell to their teams after this weekend will probably not be missed, but Renault and Alonso have a special bond. The arrival of the potentially equally brilliant Kubica is compensation, but this partnership will certainly want to say goodbye to each other in style.

Last five race results:R / 10th / 3rd / 5th / R


8. Romain Grosjean (F) - Renault

Championship position: 23rd, 0 points

Could this be the end of Romain Grosjean's F1 career already? That's entirely possible, for this is a cruel sport with a short memory, and his poor performances for Renault are undoing all the good work he did in his utterly brilliant junior career - which is a desperate because he looked like one of the most exciting rookies of his generation.

Last five race results: 13th / 16th / R / 15th / R


9. Jarno Trulli (I) - Toyota

Championship position: 8th, 30.5 points

Qualifying suggested a second straight podium was possible in Brazil, but Trulli's race ended with a big crash and a big row with Sutil - which made a change from the usual choice between sublime driving or total invisibility that Trulli offers. Either is possible for Abu Dhabi as his equally brilliant and frustrating Toyota stint almost certainly comes to an end.

Last five race results: R / 2nd / 12th / 14th / R


10. Kamui Kobayashi (J) - Toyota

Championship position: 20th, 0 points

Against most people's expectations, Kobayashi was impressively fast in Brazil - particularly compared to how other ill-prepared F1 novices have floundered this year. His racecraft was either feisty or insane, depending on how close you got to him. With Glock still injured, Kobayashi gets a second chance to underline his case for a 2010 drive.

Last five race results: 9th / - / - / - / -


11. Jaime Alguersuari (E) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 24th, 0 points

Alguersuari kept his nose clean in Brazil after the carnage of Japan, but didn't impress as much as his flying team-mate Buemi. Although the Toro Rosso is now a quick package, it looks like the very inexperienced Spaniard needs a full winter of testing and acclimatisation to really show what he can do with it.

Last five race results: 14th / R / R / R / R


12. Sebastien Buemi (CH) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 17th, 5 points

Friday practice crash aside, Interlagos was Buemi's finest F1 weekend yet, and his first points since China were a deserved reward. The improving car is getting more credit than the Swiss rookie for his upturn in pace, but that's beside the point - the important fact is Buemi is now a genuine top 10 contender.

Last five race results: 7th / R / R / 13th / 12th


14. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull

Championship position: 4th, 61.5 points

Even in moments of huge success, things don't quite go Webber's way. His maiden win in Germany marked the end of Red Bull's mid-season dominance, and victory number two in Brazil - a commanding performance from the front - was totally overshadowed by Button clinching the title. Never mind, he'll just have to win again in Abu Dhabi - which is highly likely on Red Bull's current form.

Last five race results: 1st / 17th / R / R / 9th


15. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull

Championship position: 2nd, 64 points

Fifteenth on the grid to fourth in Brazil was a great effort by Vettel - especially as he started behind Button and finished ahead of him. That made no difference to the title outcome, though. But while this year's chance has gone, Vettel continues to drive like a man who will be champion one day.

Last five race results: 4th / 1st / 4th / 8th / 3rd


16. Nico Rosberg (D) - Williams

Championship position: 7th, 34.5 points


Rosberg was in the hunt for a podium at Interlagos until his transmission wilted, and he deeply deserves at least one top three finish to show for 2009 given the quality of his performances all year. He hopes that 12 months from now he will be in the hunt for a title. In the meantime, leaving Williams (although his departure remains unconfirmed) with a big points haul would be thoroughly appropriate.


Last five race results: R / 5th / 11th / 16th / 8th


17. Kazuki Nakajima (J) - Williams

Championship position: 19th, 0 points


You had to feel sorry for Nakajima in Brazil. His successor as Toyota's chosen one - Kobayashi - turns up and out-performs him, then takes him out of the race as well. Kobayashi earned plenty of plaudits on his debut, but as Nakajima could tell him, sustaining that form is the hard part. Nakajima has failed to do so, which means it could be farewell to F1 after Abu Dhabi.


Last five race results: R / 15th / 9th / 10th / 13th


20. Adrian Sutil (D) - Force India

Championship position: 16th, 5 points


Most felt that Trulli's histrionics in Sutil's direction after their first lap crash were misplaced. And yet still it's true that Sutil seems to get involved in more incidents than anyone else on the grid, even if it's not always his fault. That means a lot of missed chances, because he is maturing into a very, very fast driver - as third in Interlagos qualifying emphasised.


Last five race results: R / 13th / R / 4th / 11th


21. Tonio Liuzzi (I) - Force India

Championship position: 22nd, 0 points



Liuzzi's Interlagos weekend was spoiled by the massive qualifying crash that was more down to a flooded track than anything he did or didn't do with the car. He needs another weekend like Monza to make a compelling case for a full season in 2010, although Yas Marina looks like the sort of technical track where not being fully at one with your car might be costly.

Last five race results: 11th / 14th / 14th / R / -


22. Jenson Button (GB) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 1st, 89 points


Finally it is done. Button is the world champion and can now go to Abu Dhabi with nothing on his mind other than driving as fast as possible. Will that mean a big change in form? It would certainly be ironic if after months of scavenging odd points and causing fans to fear for his title chances, Button starts winning again once the championship is resolved.


Last five race results: 5th / 8th / 5th / 2nd / R


23. Rubens Barrichello (BR) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 2nd, 71 points


The late-race puncture was cruel, but the main reason Barrichello didn't get the result he needed at home was because once again he wasn't consistently fast enough on race day. Fluctuating - or just disappointing - race pace has been so costly for Barrichello on the days he looked to have Button on the ropes. Now the title fight is settled, he will hope to have the last word by beating Button in the finale and giving Brawn a one-two in the points.


Last five race results: 8th / 7th / 6th / 1st / 7th


ITV.com/F1's top tips for Abu Dhabi


Winner: Hamilton


The outgoing world champion has been on the podium for three straight races, and if Abu Dhabi turns out to be mostly slow corners and long straights - as the maps suggest - then a McLaren could be the car to have.


Star performer: Button


He might not have the car to win anymore, but expect the newly carefree Button to fly - especially in the race.


Disappointment: Fisichella


The verdict on his 231-race F1 career is set to read 'promise unfulfilled' - and the same is true of his Ferrari sojourn, so expect Fisi's finale to be a flat one.

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