2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (formally the 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) was the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It was held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, a man-made island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the third running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As is customary with the race, it was the only twilight Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula One season, with a start time of 17:00 local time.
| 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 18 of 19 in the 2011 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 13 November 2011 | ||||
| Official name | 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | ||||
| Course | Yas Marina Circuit | ||||
| Course length | 5.554 km (3.451 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 55 laps, 305.470 km (189.810 miles) | ||||
| Weather |
Fine and Dry Air Temp 25 °C (77 °F) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Red Bull Racing-Renault | ||||
| Time | 1:38.481 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | |||
| Time | 1:42.612 on lap 51 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First |
| McLaren-Mercedes | |||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The race was won by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Second was Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, with Jenson Button coming third in the other McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel, having won both of the previous iterations of the race for Red Bull Racing-Renault, had been in pole position, but retired after a puncture in the first lap, near the second corner, which was his first retirement since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, where he encountered a problem with his engine. As a result, this prevented him from equalling Michael Schumacher's record of 13 wins in one season, but Vettel did equal Nigel Mansell's 1992 record of 14 pole positions in one season. This was also the only race of 2011 in which neither Red Bull finished on the podium, as Vettel's teammate Mark Webber finished fourth.