2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Sebastian Vettel retired on the opening lap. Fernando Alonso finished second and Jenson Button third as the newly crowned champion suffered his first retirement of the season.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:38.481
Fastest lap	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:42.612 on lap 51
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Third	Jenson Button	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 November 2011	Practice 1	13:00 – 14:30
11 November 2011	Practice 2	17:00 – 18:30
12 November 2011	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
12 November 2011	Qualifying	17:00
13 November 2011	Race	17:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Sebastian Vettel arrived at round 18 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 374 points, with Jenson Button on 240. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 595 points.

Race entries

Vitantonio Liuzzi raced for HRT, replacing Narain Karthikeyan. Jean-Eric Vergne, Robert Wickens, Romain Grosjean also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Jenson Button led FP1 as teams sampled Pirelli development tyres alongside their normal programmes. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa had excursions, while Vitaly Petrov stopped with engine trouble and Rubens Barrichello failed to set a time. Reserve appearances included Romain Grosjean at Renault, Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso and Robert Wickens at Virgin.

Lewis Hamilton led FP2 as Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso separately went into the barrier at Turn 1. Sebastian Vettel returned after his car was recovered, while Nico Rosberg concentrated on a long soft-tyre run rather than a headline lap. Ferrari continued assessing its visibly flexing front wing as teams also helped Pirelli evaluate development rubber.

Lewis Hamilton remained ahead in FP3, with Ferrari splitting its front-wing specifications after Friday’s flexing concerns. Rubens Barrichello lost most of the session to an oil leak requiring extensive work around the engine and gearbox. Jarno Trulli also missed running with gearbox trouble, leaving both drivers poorly prepared for qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1, 11 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:40.263	21
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.126s	26
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.140s	27
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.492s	27
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.538s	25
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.997s	17
7	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.077s	23
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.867s	26
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.888s	28
10	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.114s	26
11	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+2.370s	26
12	9	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+2.422s	29
13	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.855s	13
14	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.992s	29
15	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+3.126s	24
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+4.149s	28
17	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+4.221s	18
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.302s	27
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.635s	25
20	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.122s	28
21	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+6.269s	27
22	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+7.761s	20
23	25	Robert Wickens	Virgin Racing	+8.288s	23
24	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	No time	3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP2, 11 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:39.586	31
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.199s	30
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.385s	20
4	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.394s	34
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.518s	35
6	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.546s	26
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+0.967s	34
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.365s	34
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.435s	37
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.904s	34
11	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.979s	34
12	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.094s	33
13	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.361s	31
14	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.397s	34
15	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+2.783s	36
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+3.212s	35
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.324s	34
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+3.976s	36
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.464s	38
20	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+4.679s	41
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.900s	34
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+6.556s	32
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.663s	21
24	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+6.742s	34

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP3, 12 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:38.976	17
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.427s	18
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.451s	18
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.453s	16
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.685s	16
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.159s	19
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.207s	18
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.453s	21
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.535s	19
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.962s	18
11	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+2.533s	21
12	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.551s	21
13	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.590s	20
14	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.618s	18
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.646s	18
16	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.879s	18
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.049s	19
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.433s	22
19	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+4.885s	5
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+6.286s	23
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.326s	20
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+6.533s	22
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+6.756s	20
24	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	No time	1

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed qualifying for Red Bull Racing, with Lewis Hamilton second and Jenson Button third.

Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourteenth pole of the season, matching Nigel Mansell‘s 1992 total. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button qualified second and third, while Rubens Barrichello was permitted to race after an oil leak prevented a timed lap.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 November 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:40.478	1:38.516	1:38.481	16
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:39.782	1:38.434	1:38.622	15
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:40.227	1:39.097	1:38.631	14
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:40.167	1:38.821	1:38.858	19
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:41.380	1:39.058	1:39.058	16
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:41.592	1:39.623	1:39.695	20
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:41.120	1:39.420	1:39.773	17
8	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:42.605	1:40.554	1:40.662	18
9	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:40.595	1:40.205	1:40.768	17
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:41.064	1:40.414	no time	15
11	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:41.311	1:40.874	—	18
12	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:40.955	1:40.919	—	18
13	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:41.737	1:41.009	—	15
14	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	1:41.391	1:41.079	—	15
15	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:41.386	1:41.162	—	16
16	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:41.613	1:41.240	—	17
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:42.258	1:41.760	—	13
18	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:42.979	—	—	11
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:43.884	—	—	11
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:44.515	—	—	9
21	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	1:44.641	—	—	9
22	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:44.699	—	—	8
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:45.159	—	—	8
24	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	no time	—	—	—

What happened in the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Vettel led into the first corner, but a right-rear puncture sent him spinning at the next turn. He returned to the pits with damage and retired, leaving Hamilton in front.

Alonso passed Button on the opening lap to take second and became Hamilton’s principal challenger. The Ferrari remained in contention, but Hamilton controlled the pace and retained the advantage through the stops.

Webber fought Button for the final podium position, without finding a lasting way ahead. Behind them, Massa headed the Mercedes pair as the leading order settled into its final shape.

Hamilton won ahead of Alonso and Button, with Webber fourth and Massa fifth. Rosberg and Schumacher finished sixth and seventh, while Kobayashi claimed the final point. Vettel’s retirement ended a remarkable run of finishes.

Further down the points places, Michael Schumacher, Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Kamui Kobayashi completed the scoring positions. Mark Webber set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 374 points, followed by Jenson Button on 255. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 607, with McLaren on 482.

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 13 November 2011, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	55	1:37:11.886	25
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	55	+8.457	18
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	55	+25.871	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	55	+35.784	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	55	+50.578	10
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	+52.317	8
7	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	55	+1:15.964	6
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	55	+1:17.122	4
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	55	+1:41.087	2
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	54	+1 Lap	1
11	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	54	+1 Lap	0
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	54	+1 Lap	0
13	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	54	+1 Lap	0
14	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	54	+1 Lap	0
15	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	54	+1 Lap	0
16	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	54	+1 Lap	0
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	54	+1 Lap	0
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	53	+2 Laps	0
19	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	53	+2 Laps	0
20	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	53	+2 Laps	0
Ret	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	48	Alternator	0
Ret	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	19	Hydraulics	0
Ret	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	18	Brakes	0
Ret	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1	Puncture damage	0

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	51	1:42.612	194.854
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	51	1:43.154	193.830
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	51	1:43.461	193.255
4	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	47	1:43.521	193.143
5	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	52	1:43.673	192.860
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	41	1:43.914	192.412
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	1:43.993	192.266
8	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	47	1:44.093	192.082
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	49	1:44.120	192.032
10	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	51	1:44.288	191.722
11	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	50	1:44.438	191.447
12	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	41	1:44.566	191.213
13	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	52	1:44.628	191.099
14	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	53	1:44.709	190.952
15	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	48	1:44.916	190.575
16	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	32	1:46.150	188.359
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	50	1:46.610	187.547
18	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	17	1:47.094	186.699
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	36	1:47.444	186.091
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	42	1:48.085	184.987
21	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	35	1:48.274	184.664
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	52	1:49.242	183.028
23	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	16	1:51.196	179.812

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2011 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	374
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	255
3	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	245
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	233
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	227
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	108
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	83
8	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	76
9	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	36
10	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	34
11	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	34
12	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	28
13	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	26
14	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	23
15	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	15
16	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	14
17	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	4
18	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Renault	2
19	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	1
20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Sauber	0
21	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
22	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
24	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
25	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
26	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
27	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	HRT	0
28	Karun Chandhok	Indian	Team Lotus	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	607
2	McLaren	482
3	Ferrari	353
4	Mercedes	159
5	Renault	72
6	Force India	57
7	Sauber	42
8	Toro Rosso	41
9	Williams	5
10	Team Lotus	0
11	HRT	0
12	Virgin Racing	0

2011 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2011 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	27 March
2	2011 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	10 April
3	2011 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2011 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	8 May
5	2011 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	22 May
6	2011 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2011 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2011 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	26 June
9	2011 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
10	2011 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 July
11	2011 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
12	2011 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
13	2011 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	2011 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	25 September
15	2011 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
16	2011 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	16 October
17	2011 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	30 October
18	2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	13 November
19	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	27 November