Stefan GP planned to take the place of US F1 after the team pulled out shortly before the season began. However the FIA did not grant them permission to compete.

Two TF110 chassis were built but not raced by Toyota as they pulled out at the end of 2010.

This car, TF110-01, was eventually driven by Toyota-backed driver Kazuki Nakajima in a private test session last year.

The car is pictured in its ‘testing specification’. A race upgrade package was also planned which included an exhaust-blown diffuser as several teams ran in 2010.

It also featured alterations to the front and rear wings. The team did not have an F-duct for the car, although according to Toyota “we had done plenty of work on rear-wing stalling”.

A second chassis, which remained in black, has not turned a wheel.

Stefan GP applied for the 13th grid slot again in 2011 but no team was awarded the place.

Here are a few technical details on the car:

Engine: Toyota RVX-10, 2.4-litre 90-degree V8. Limited to 18,000 rpm, produces “over 700 bhp”.
Transmission: Toyota seven-speed unit plus reverse with a Toyota-designed main case.
Dampers: Öhlins
Wheels: BBS forged magnesium
Electronics: Toyota / Magneti Marelli / McLaren Electronic Systems

Weight: 620 kg including driver
Overall length: 5050 mm
Overall height: 950 mm
Overall width: 1800 mm
Wheelbase: 3300 mm

Here are the pictures of the Toyota TF110 in Stefan GP colours:

Stefan GP

• US F1 officially out and no place for Stefan GP as 2010 entry list confirmed
• Stefan GP to reveal car next week
• Stefan GP to test two drivers in February
• Stefan GP agree deal with Toyota
• Stefan Grand Prix still wants 2010 slot

Image © Toyota Motorsport Gmbh

Vitaly Petrov, Renault, Abu Dhabi, 2010

Ferrari snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Abu Dhabi.

Fernando Alonso’s race hinged on a critical strategic decision to pit early, which left him stuck behind Vitaly Petrov.

How did Ferrari get the crucial call wrong? Find out in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix analysis.

Lap 1

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix lap 1 position change

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
in pictures

There were fewer changes of position on the opening lap than usual. But one that did happen was highly significant – Jenson Button passing Fernando Alonso for third.

With Sebastian Vettel leading, that made it imperative for Alonso not to lose track position to Mark Webber. Finishing fifth instead of fourth would cost him the world championship with Vettel leading.

Unfortunately for Alonso, Ferrari’s preoccupation with Webber meant they lost out to several other cars.

Pit stops

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pit stops

Ferrari brought Alonso in on lap 15, four laps after Webber pitted. It’s easy to criticise strategic decisions in hindsight – particularly one as costly as this – so it’s important to understand why they did it.

Webber was delayed by Jaime Alguersuari following his pit stop and Ferrari tried to take advantage of that by pitting Massa two laps afterwards in an attempt to get him out ahead of the Red Bull.

But this didn’t work: Webber made it past Alguersuari on the lap Massa came in, and the Ferrari driver lost 1.4 seconds more in the pits compared to Webber.

Ferrari’s concern now was that Webber was going to do the same as he did following his early pit stop at Singapore – keep picking off the cars in front of him quickly enough to stay in touch with the leaders. Some of these – Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg – did not need to pit again following earlier stops under the safety car.

At that point Ferrari knew they had enough of a gap over Webber to bring Alonso in and keep him in front of the Red Bull. In essence, they were wagering Alonso’s ability to get past Petrov and Rosberg against Webber’s – and the gamble failed.

Their thinking was probably also influenced by the loss of pace the front runners were experiencing on the super-soft tyres at that point in the race. Look at how Vettel’s lap times increased from laps eight to 13 on the chart below – from 1’45.337 to 1’46.667.

Ferrari called Alonso in on the lap after that – just as the super-soft tyres came back to life and the other cars’ lap times improved.

Race progress

View interactive chart full screen

Tick/untick drivers’ names to show their laps, click and drag to zoom

Alonso came out of the pits ahead of Webber but behind Petrov. He had some experience of the Renault driver’s defensive tactics from Istanbul, where Petrov frustrated the Ferrari driver for 40 laps before Alonso finally got through with a rather physical move.

He couldn’t risk such contact with the championship hanging in the balance – at least, not until things got really desperate.

Some speculated that Renault were especially keen to keep Alonso behind because they are Red Bull’s engine suppliers.

A more realistic explanation for why Alonso had such a hard time passing the R30 is that Petrov was one of only two drivers on the track who used a new engine for this race. He was the third-quickest car through the speed trap in qualifying, 3.3kph quicker than Alonso.

Lap chart

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix lap chart

The other driver who had a hard time getting past a Renault was Lewis Hamilton, stuck behind Kubica, who also had a new engine for this weekend’s race.

It seems McLaren had no choice other than to bring Hamilton in when they did. It’s clear from the lap times graph (below) he was no longer pulling away from Kubica and the gap between them (graph above) was never sufficient for him to pit and get out in front of the Renault.

That left Hamilton stuck behind Kamui Kobayashi (who he quickly dispensed with) and Kubica.

At first Hamilton’s attempts to pass Kubica cost the Renault driver some time (see lap 30). But Kubica was soon able to settle back into his rhythm, lapping 0.5-1s faster than Alonso.

That meant by lap 46 he had enough of a lead over Alonso to pit and come out in front of him. It was another nail in the coffin for Alonso.

Fastest laps

View interactive chart full screen

Tick/untick drivers’ names to show their laps, click and drag to zoom

After being released by Kubica on lap 46 Hamilton banged in the fastest lap of the race – 1’41.274, just one second off the lap record set by Vettel last year.

But he couldn’t sustain this pace and Vettel upped his to keep Hamilton in check over the closing laps.

With Alonso still tucked up behind Petrov, it was mission accomplished for Vettel.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

Image © Ferrari spa

But it was Sebastian Vettel driver who snatched the championship title and the parties began in the Red Bull garage.

See more in this collection of pictures from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

Images © Ferrari spa, www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Williams/LAT, Virgin Racing, Lotus Racing

Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Abu Dhabi, 2010

Sebastian Vettel is the 2010 Formula 1 world champion after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

He was aided by rivals Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber pitting early and getting stuck in traffic and finishing in seventh and eighth.

The two McLaren drivers joined Vettel on the podiums.

Vettel made a clean start from pole position, while Lewis Hamilton tried and failed to squeeze through at the first corner.

Behind them Jenson Button also got away smartly to take third from Alonso.

But the race only lasted a few cars before the safety car came out following an alarming collision between Michael Schumacher and Vitantonio Liuzzi, which ended with the Force India perched on top of the Mercedes.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
in pictures

Schumacher spun while trying to pass team mate Nico Rosberg at the exit of turn six – the pair did not make contact – leaving Liuzzi with nowhere to go.

It took several laps to clear the wreckage away, during which time Rosberg, Vitaly Petrov, Jaime Alguersuari, Christian Klien, Bruno Senna and Lucas di Grassi all pitted to discarad the super-soft tyres they had started on for mediums. This was to have a significant role in deciding the outcome of the race – and the championship.

Ferrari react to Webber

After the restart Vettel and Hamilton pulled away from Button, while Alonso dropped back with Webber and Massa behind him.

Webber was clearly struggling on the super-soft tyres and made an early pit stop on lap 12 to get on the mediums, falling behind several cars that didn’t have to make further pit stops.

At first Ferrari reacted by bringing Massa in. But even though Webber took two laps to pass Jaime Alguersuari, he was able to keep his position ahead of Massa.

The next time by Ferrari brought Alonso in. He came out ahead of Webber – but behind Petrov, who proved a tougher nut to crack than Ferrari expected.

The leading trio of Vettel, Hamilton and Button stayed out, trying to build enough of a gap over Kamui Kobayashi and Robert Kubica.

McLaren eventually gave up and brought Hamilton in, sending him out on track behind the Renault and Sauber. Unfortunately for Hamilton he was held up as Kubica chose this moment to muscle past Kobayashi around the outside.

Hamilton picked off Kobayashi but got stuck behind Kubica. That allowed Vettel to make his pit stop and stay in front of Kubica, building up a ten-second advantage over Hamilton.

Button stayed out until lap 39, before pitting and coming out behind Hamilton, who was still stuck behind Kubica.

Alonso stuck behind Petrov

He wasn’t the only driver struggling to pass a Renault – Alonso was still stuck behind Petrov. He made one attempt that ended with him going off at turn 11, though Webber wasn’t close enough to capitalise.

The time he lost behind Petrov meant that Kubica eventually had a large enough gap to make his pit stop and get out in front of Alonso. This he did on lap 46. Alonso was now in seventh, needing to pass Petrov, Rosberg and Kubica to keep Vettel from the title.

He was giving it his all – running off the track again at turn 17 when he made another attempt – but this was how the championship slipped out of Alonso’s grasp.

Vettel takes the title

Vettel, up front, was unaware that he’d been in a position to win the championship for much of the race – his team only told him about the points situation after he crossed the line.

After 55 laps of Yas Marina, Vettel crossed the line to win his fifth Grand Prix of 2010.

And a few seconds later, the team told him he had also won the 2010 world championship.

He was followed home by the two McLarens – Hamilton unable to reduce Vettel’s lead after Kubica pitted.

Kubica finished fifth behind Rosberg and one place ahead of his team mate. Alonso, seventh, saw a potential third world championship slip through his fingers by just four points. He shook his fist at Petrov on his way back to the pits.

Long-term championship leader Webber was eighth, falling to third in the world championship. Massa never managed to find a way past Alguersuari and ended the race in tenth behind the Toro Rosso.

Outside the points were Heidfeld, Barrichello, Sutil, Kobayashi, Buemi and Hülkenberg, followed by top new team driver Kovalainen, ahead of di Grassi, Senna and Klien.

Jarno Trulli was classified last but retired four laps from the flag when his rear wing fell off.

For the second weekend in a row, Red Bull celebrate a championship victory – first the constructors’ championship, and now the drivers’ title.

Remarkably, it’s not their driver who had the most point going into this weekend who won the title – it was Sebastian Vettel, Germany’s new world champion.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

Constructors’ championship

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

The action took place under floodlights at the futuristic Yas Marina circuit.

Here’s a selection of pictures from today’s qualifying session and final practice in Abu Dhabi.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

Images © Ferrari spa, Bridgestone/Ercole Colombo, www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Abu Dhabi, 2010

Having been the two most closely matched drivers in qualifying all year on average, a crucial gap opened up between the Red Bull pair in qualifying.

Qualifying times in full

Going into the final part of qualifying Nico Rosberg looked likely to get in among the championship contenders.

But the lap before his final effort in Q3 was disrupted by traffic and he ended up half a second slower than he had been in Q2.

Team mates

The Red Bull drivers have been the most closely-matched drivers in qualifying this year.

Going into this session Vettel had been on average just 0.02s quicker than Webber in the same qualifying sessions in 2010.

For Webber, this was the worst possible time for that trend to change. He was half a second slower than his team mate in Q3, having been two tenths off in Q2.

Nico Hülkenberg came back down to earth after his Interlagos pole position – he was almost a second slower than team mate Rubens Barrichello.

Ultimate laps

Even if Robert Kubica had done his perfect lap in Q2, he wouldn’t have made it into Q3 ahead of his team mate.

Adrian Sutil once again delivered his three best sectors on his fastest lap, putting him 13th, his best qualifying position since Monza.

An ultimate lap is a driver’s best time in each of the three sectors that make up a lap combined.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Abu Dhabi, 2010

Sebastian Vettel will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from his tenth pole position of the season.

But team mate Mark Webber suffered a serious setback, only able to qualify fifth behind all his championship rivals.

Q1

The drivers found the track surface improving rapidly at the start of qualifying, with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel going fastest seemingly with every lap they did.

Alonso stayed out later than his rivals and set the fastest time. Nico Rosberg also did a late lap to go second.

Jenson Button, meanwhile, ran into trouble with a brake vibration, and had to do a second run to improve his time.

As usual the three new teams were eliminated, with Jarno Trulli once again the fastest of the six.

The two Toro Rosso drivers found themselves in a battle to get into Q2. Jaime Alguersuari scraped through with his final lap, as team mate Sebastien Buemi failed to beat him by one tenth of a second.

Driver eliminated in Q1

Q2

It was an eventful Q2 for Lewis Hamilton who who had two off-track moments and a controversial encounter with Felipe Massa.

Hamilton took to the kerbs and demolished a corner marker as Massa went around the outside of him. Both drivers made it into the top ten – Hamilton making it in with just a minute to spare.

Sebastian Vettel was the only driver to lap the Yas Marina track in less than a minute and 40 seconds and none of the others could match that.

Button improved to second with his last effort but just a few hundredths covered Rosberg behind him in third and Mark Webber.

A late improvement by Vitaly Petrov surprisingly eliminated his team mate Robert Kubica.

He was knocked out in Q2 along with Kamui Kobayashi, Adrian Sutil, Nick Heidfeld, Nico Hülkenberg, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jaime Alguersuari.

Driver eliminated in Q2

Q3

The Red Bulls held back at the start of Q3 while the McLarens and Ferraris went first. And their first times were set in that order – Hamilton doing a 1’39.582, leading Button, Alonso and Massa.

While those four did two separate runs Vettel and Webber did just a single run at the end of the session. While that worked like a dream for Vettel, who who improved his time progressively to a 1’39.394, Webber ended up over half a second off his team mate.

The other drivers were all getting in each others’ way as the final laps begin, Rosberg threading his way through the Ferraris to ensure he didn’t miss the cut-off. Massa started his final lap the instant the clock ticked to zero.

Hamilton improved his time but fell short of beating Vettel by a few hundredths. But Alonso was the big winner, pulling together a lap good enough to salvage third place, splitting the McLarens.

The grid tees up a fascinating battle for the championship tomorrow with Alonso surrounded by McLarens, and Webber facing a mountain to climb to keep the Ferrari driver from the title.

Top ten in Q3

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend review
• Steven's view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers' and teams' end-of-season photographs
• Alonso's role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages
• Hamilton: McLaren learned a lot in 2010
• Button vows to address qualifying weakness
• Vettel ends season on a high to snatch title
• Ferrari hit back at criticism of race strategy
• McLaren rediscover their form at final race
• New engines help Renault to best result of 2010