German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing sits in his car during the second practice session at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, yesterday. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place tomorrow.
ABU DHABI: Newly-crowned four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel showed no signs of easing up as he led a Red Bull one-two in free practice for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix yesterday.
The 26-year-old German, who secured his fourth successive title in India last weekend, scorched around the Yas Marina Circuit with a best time of one minute 41.335 seconds in the evening session.
Australian team-mate Mark Webber was 0.155 slower.
Lotus’ Romain Grosjean, whose team-mate Kimi Raikkonen won last year’s race, was fastest in the searing heat of the afternoon in 1:44.241 but had a front brake failure under the floodlights.
Force India’s Paul Di Resta and McLaren’s Jenson Button both suffered punctures.
Lewis Hamilton, winner in 2011 and twice on pole at the circuit, was second quickest for Mercedes in the opening session, just 0.192 slower than Grosjean, and third in the evening.
Raikkonen, who triggered speculation about his relationship with the team when he failed to appear for Thursday’s media activities at the circuit, finally turned up and was sixth and fourth fastest respectively in the two sessions.
Grosjean has beaten Raikkonen in the last two races and finished on the podium in the last three.
Vettel, the sport’s youngest quadruple champion, is chasing his seventh successive race victory to equal fellow-German Michael Schumacher’s 2004 streak.
That is the longest winning run of the modern era, with the record of nine set by Italian Alberto Ascari over the 1952 and 1953 seasons.
Red Bull have already clinched their fourth successive constructors’ title and the focus is now on whether anyone can stop Red Bull and Vettel winning the last three races of the year.
Vettel has won two of the four races held in Abu Dhabi, including 2010 when he clinched his first championship.
Webber was fourth quickest before the sun set and the floodlights came on, with Nico Rosberg fifth for Mercedes in both sessions.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who had been the only man mathematically capable of making Vettel wait for the title in India, was 12th and eighth with Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa 17th and 10th.
Meanwhile, James Hunt would doubtless have done it differently but Vettel’s idea of bliss after winning the Formula One championship for the fourth year in a row was a few quiet days at home.
The partying can wait for Red Bull’s 26-year-old German, the sport’s youngest quadruple champion, who still has unfinished business this season with three races yet to be won.
“We want to race, race the others as hard as possible,” he told reporters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where he is chasing a seventh successive win to equal compatriot Michael Schumacher’s 2004 seven in a row.
“If we have a chance, we want to win.”
No other driver in the modern era has won seven times consecutively, with Italian Alberto Ascari setting the record of nine in 1952/53. Vettel had little time to celebrate his success in India last Sunday, with team members having to dismantle cars and equipment before some of them took early flights the next day.
On Sunday, after hours of media activity, Vettel stayed on to help mechanics pack up and then indulged in a few ‘Jaegerbombs’ in the hotel bar with those team-mates who happened to be there.
The next day he flew home to Switzerland.
“Obviously, there’s not a lot of time between the race in India and the race here, so the team is very busy,” said Vettel. “So we couldn’t go completely mad, but I had a time on Sunday night and then I had two days at home before coming here, again fairly quiet, not very spectacular. I just enjoyed the peace at home.
“I had some time for myself, back with my girlfriend as well,” he said.
Team principal Christian Horner said a bigger celebration was planned for the whole team after next month’s final race of the season in Brazil. REUTERS
