ABU DHABI (AP) ― Lewis Hamilton showed signs of his old self as he stormed to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, after Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel retired on the first lap.
Vettel’s Red Bull picked up a right rear puncture and spun off at Turn Two. The German driver made it back to the pits but the damage was too great for him to continue and he retired for the first time this season.
Hamilton, the 2008 champion, took over the lead and finished 8.4 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso for his third win of the season. Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button was third, followed by Red Bull driver Mark Webber at the Yas Marina Circuit.
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Lewis Hamilton celebrates his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory. (AP-Yonhap News) |
“Mega job ― mega job, guys ― as usual,” Hamilton said over the team radio as he crossed the finish line. “I want to dedicate this win to my mum. Happy birthday and thanks for coming out here.”
Hamilton did a brief jig on his car in front of the crowd before jumping over a barrier and hugging his mother.
It was a solid return to form for Hamilton, whose season has been overshadowed by several costly penalties, a running feud with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and off-track distractions. Last year, Hamilton dropped his father, Anthony Hamilton, as manager and last month he confirmed he had broken up with longtime girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger of pop group The Pussycat Dolls.
“I feel fantastic. I think it was one of my best races,” Hamilton said. “To hold off one of the best drivers in the world is something that is very tough to do. Obviously, the team did a fantastic job with pit stops. I’m very happy to be back up here.”
Alonso briefly took the lead when Hamilton pitted with 14 laps to go, but Hamilton regained the lead three laps later when Alonso pitted. The Spaniard never posed a threat after that.
“I had a very good start and the first lap fighting with Jenson,” Alonso said. “Then we found ourselves second and we were 3 to 5 seconds behind Lewis. In the last stop we were 2 seconds later than the McLarens. But there was a bit of traffic and I’m not sure that even with the faster stop we could have overtaken.”
Despite Vettel’s retirement, Red Bull was on course to secure a podium finish with Webber holding on to third place coming into the final lap. But the Australian had yet to make his obligatory pit stop for the harder tires, which handed third to Button and ended a streak of 19 races that Red Bull had finished on the podium.
