Top ten pictures from the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Ten of the best pictures which tell the story of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

Max Chilton, Friday practice

Max Chilton’s Marussia is dwarfed by the scale of Yas Marina’s architecture as he makes his first appearance at an official F1 practice session.

“I have been looking forward to this opportunity for a few weeks now,” he said afterwards, “but when the moment came – with all the pressure – I admit that I was a little nervous. I wanted everything to go well and to have as much track time as possible.”

Bruno Senna, Friday practice

As usual Bruno Senna only ran in the second practice session on Friday as Valtteri Bottas was given his car for the first one. Despite a tangle at the first corner with Nico Hulkenberg he reached the points for the ninth time this year.

Nico Rosberg, Friday practice

Nico Rosberg was pleased with his car on Friday and split the Ferraris in qualifying the next day.

But misfortune struck again on Sunday – he suffered a huge crash when Narain Karthikeyan slowed in front of him due to a hydraulic failure. Fortunately both were unhurt.

Sebastian Vettel, qualifying

Sebastian Vettel hurriedly stopped his car after being told to by Guillaume Rocquelin at the end of qualifying. Staring at his RB8, he must have suspected the mystery stoppage was going to lead to a penalty, and who knew what damage it might do to his championship lead.

Kamui Kobayashi, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Sauber mechanics push Kamui Kobayashi’s car onto the grid ahead of the start of the race.

Kobayashi was passed by the other Sauber of Sergio Perez early on. But while his team mate’s race was spoiled by a penalty for a collision, Kobayashi came in sixth and is now just eight points behind his team mate in the drivers’ championship.

Start, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

As the field rush into turn one Vettel and Pedro de la Rosa are waiting to be given their starting orders in the pit lane.

Lewis Hamilton, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

For the second time this year Lewis Hamilton trudged back to the pits, his car having failed him while leading. He has just two races left at McLaren.

Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Vettel’s progress through the field was quick enough for him to be within sight of Fernando Alonso in the closing stages. But he had to pass Jenson Button first – a task which consumed several laps while Alonso went after leader Kimi Raikkonen.

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Alonso pulled up beneath the podium after the race but can’t have been pleased to see Vettel arrive there too, which meant he’d taken just three points off his championship rival.

Kimi Raikkonen, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen may have dropped out of the championship running but he swept in to claim his first victory since returning to Formula One – and could yet have a role to play in determining the destiny of this year’s title.

More Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pictures

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Images © Marussia, Williams/LAT, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty images, Sauber F1 Team, HRT F1 Team, McLaren/LAT, Red Bull/Getty images, Ferrari/Ercole Colombo, Lotus F1 Team/LAT

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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20 comments on “Top ten pictures from the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix”

  1. That first picture. What a surreal and ridiculous mounstrosity ! It’s so cool that somehow it isn’t.

    1. I think it’s brilliant.

    2. Hmmm, I agree. That angle makes it look so different from the TV coverage. It looks pretty ridiculous in this picture to be honest and not very attractive at all.

      1. @bleeps_and_tweaks I don’t like it either. Some of the pictures are cool, you know, the hotel in the background with all the lights and colours. But it’s not a pretty thing, really.

      2. Yep. It kind of looks ordinary (compared to the ones taken at nighttime with all the colorful lights.) but I am sure it is impressive.

    3. I love it @fer-no65 I think the whole place looks out of this world.

  2. @keithcollantine I think “Yas Hotel’ will be more apt for the first picture. The marina area isnt visible in the picture

    1. Yas Marina is the name of the circuit.

    2. “architecture” usually refers to buildings, not tracks.

  3. I think first time I am liking the pictures of the drivers than the pictures of the cars.
    Vettel looking downcast, Hamilton walking back, Kimi with his arms out-stretched – great pics.

    1. Of Vettel and his car at the end of qualifying, I liked the picture of him sitting on the car better.

  4. Wow. Amazing pictures.

    1. As always!
      Rosberg, Vettel after qualifying and blurred Alonso with Vettel and Button in the back are my favs

  5. Thanks so much Keith. These have to be one of the best set yet ! I particularly loved the one with Vettel staring at his RB8. That is a class pic ! Looks more like an official PR photo than one that would show Vettel’s dissapointments !

  6. Kobayashi pic looks like the the CGI/video game art, imitating life, imitating art

    1. I was about to say the same.

  7. Where did the flexi wing thread go..?

    1. Yeah, I wanted to know if someone had explained it better and … puff. It just disappeared.

  8. I wondered the same, was interested in peoples opinions of this redbull flexing nose GIF

    http://www.gaiaconscience.com/img/trucorb2.gif

  9. Isn’t Vettel the first F1 champion to be in position to set a record of 3 consecutive WDC sequence including his initial tittle?

    I know Schumacher has a 5 titles sequence, but it’s his seconde sequence after beeing F1 champion. And Fangio has a 4 titles sequence but it doesn’t include his first title.

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