Abu Dhabi, 3 November

Series leader Sebastian Vettel is third on the grid for tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That is the main fact that Scuderia Ferrari will be focussing on when the eighteenth round of the world championship gets underway at 17h00 on Sunday. Yes, as everyone in the team has said, to see Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa give their very best and only record the seventh and ninth fastest times in this afternoon’s top ten shoot-out that is Q3, is disappointing. But that is the situation and now it has to be dealt with calmly, making the most of any opportunities.

As usual, Fernando is able to rationalise the task he faces, as he has said he must score 14 points more than Vettel in the next three races if the Ferrari man is to win the title. It’s difficult task which has possibly been made easier here by the fact that, for the first time since the Singapore Grand Prix, the German Red Bull driver will not start from the front row. This weekend, Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren has clearly had the upper hand and the Englishman has the honour of starting from pole position. Alongside him, will be the other Red Bull driven by Mark Webber. Admittedly, the Australian might not provide too much opposition if Vettel is in his mirrors, but Hamilton is a fighter and there will be no quarter given if the German puts him under pressure.


Before Fernando can even think of closing on the championship leader there is the small matter of the three drivers that qualified between them, starting with Pastor Maldonaldo, a surprising fourth for Williams. Row 3 sees the outsider in the championship race, Kimi Raikkonen fifth for Lotus, with Jenson Button next to him in the second McLaren. As for Fernando on Row 4, he has eighth placed Nico Rosberg next to him in the Mercedes, while lining up behind the Spaniard in ninth slot we have Felipe Massa. The Brazilian was less than two tenths slower than Alonso, however it’s hard to see what he can do to help his team-mate’s title aspirations given that the contenders are all ahead of them, but he can aspire to bring home points to consolidate the Scuderia’s second place in the Constructors’ battle.

The strategic options in terms of tyres seem to be limited to a two or a one stop, as tyres are lasting well enough. If, as was the case in India, the single tyre change turns out to be the way to go, then that will make it harder to get ahead of cars in front, with the only real option being to pull a passing move on track, rather than jump them in a pit stop, in other words having to do it the hard way. Whatever happens, we can expect a long hard night as darkness falls after the opening part of tomorrow’s race.