MOTORSPORT: Vettel's F1 title as Webber tilt fizzles

Having qualified only fifth, more than half a second slower than Vettel, Webber finished eighth -- the worst position in which he has taken the chequered flag since the Chinese GP in April.

Rather than team orders or assistance from Vettel for him to win the title, Webber's early pitstop was instrumental in Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finishing only seventh, thus -- inadvertently perhaps -- aiding his young German teammate Vettel's triumph.

Had Webber won in Abu Dhabi then Alonso needed to finish second.

With Vettel victorious in the race Alonso needed to finish at least fourth, but -- as Ferrari mirrored Webber's strategy with an early pitstop to change Alonso's tyres -- he got stuck behind Russian Vitaly Petrov's Renault for 40 laps and wound up four points behind Vettel, with Webber another 10 points adrift.

"You've got to take your hat off to Sebastian -- he's done a great job all year and to lead the championship at the last race, he's got the timing right and I fully congratulate him," Webber said.

It was the first and only time Vettel had headed this season's standings, and it made him F1's youngest champion at just 23 years and 135 days -- 166 days younger than Lewis Hamilton was in 2008.

"We [Vettel and Webber] have had our ups and downs, but we've pushed each other and it's always rewarding to get out of bed to do that," Webber said. "I was in with a chance of winning the championship until the last race, so I must have been doing something right and in the end there are a lot of positives.

"I feel I have driven very well for most of the season and that's the most important thing to me. This weekend didn't turn out and it's a shame, but in the next few weeks it will be a good time to look back and reflect on the highs and the lows.

"When you come so close to the top and just miss out it's a shame, but I tried my absolute hardest. I think two championships for the team [Red Bull clinched the constructors' title the previous week in Brazil] is not bad and I'll be fighting again next season.

"When you aim high and you miss the target, the arrow's got to go a long way down. I'm very disappointed by what happened [in Abu Dhabi]. I aimed for the biggest target in motorsport and it didn't work out, but there are still lots of positives to take out of the season.

"I've taken five pole positions, four victories and I'm even proud of some of my second places, because they were well-executed race weekends.

"Saturday was my worst qualifying since the season-opener in Bahrain. I struggled with a lack of grip in qualifying and then had the same problem at the start of the race. That's why I pitted relatively early, on lap 11.

"I wanted to get some different rubber on the car to see if it would give me more speed. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari as I exited the pits and the time I lost dropped me behind Fernando Alonso when he pitted four laps later.

"But that became academic because I was still behind Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg, who'd pitted while the safety car was out at the start of the race [after Vitantonio Liuzzi's Force India car climbed over Michael Schumacher's Mercedes], and it's very difficult to overtake at Yas Marina [the Abu Dhabi circuit].

"I'm reminded of that great adage: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. Well, I'm still alive and I'm sure I'll bounce back from this season a better driver.

"Right now, though, I need a good break. The gas has been wide open since the third week in January and it's been a long season.

"There's been a lot of travel, a lot of emotion and a lot of effort. It's time for some time out."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Webber's contribution should not be forgotten amid the celebration of Vettel's phenomenal triumph.

"Mark's done an incredible job," Horner said. "He's driven superbly well, he's won four grand prix victories and has taken the championship to the final race.

"It could have gone to either one of them this year and it's a great privilege to have these two guys in our team. But today belongs to Sebastian Vettel."

Indeed it did. Overcome with the excitement of his success Vettel rambled in the post-race press conference but struggled to explain his emotions. Despite having now won 10 GPs and had 10 pole positions this year the reality of becoming champion seemed simply to surprise Vettel.

As Vettel led from the front in the Abu Dhabi race and with Alonso needing to finish fourth, the Spaniard found himself unable to overtake Petrov, who is fighting to retain his seat in F1 for a second year.

Alonso was furious at the outcome and there will be repercussions at Ferrari, with the team's Australian engineering co-ordinator Chris Dyer under the microscope.

"Afterwards it (Alonso's early pitstop, after Webber's) was really clear it was a mistake," Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said. "What I feel inside is a lot of pain ... for sure it was the worst race of the year for us and that's why it hits you very hard in the head.

"There is a great sadness at the moment. We are Ferrari, which means we are condemned to having to win, so a second place [in the championship] is a defeat.

"But this is also a part of the sport and we have to accept it. In the good and the bad moments the team has to stay together."

Ferrari's post-season review will be in the spotlight, particularly in the Italian and Spanish press.

McLaren-Mercedes ended the season on a high note, with Hamilton and Jenson Button second and third in Abu Dhabi and the British team a very comfortable 58 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' championship.

And great drives in the finale by Nico Rosberg for Mercedes and Robert Kubica for Renault -- fourth and fifth respectively, ahead of Petrov, and way ahead of Michael Schumacher in the championship.

Schumacher's comeback season ended on the first lap, spinning after contact with Rosberg and then having Vitantonio Liuzzi's Force India car climb over his Mercedes.

Schumacher has plenty of soul-searching to do over the wisdom of his return, although he and Mercedes seem intent that he continue next season.

Webber's year has been by far his best of nine in F1 but the post-season analysis -- by him and Red Bull -- will need to address why he couldn't win any of the last six GPs as Alonso and Vettel won Vettel three each.

F1 drivers' world championship final standings -- Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Red Bull-Renault) 256 points, Fernando Alonso (Spain, Ferrari) 252, Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 242, Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 240, Jenson Button (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 214, Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 144, Nico Rosberg (Germany, Mercedes) 142, Robert Kubica (Poland, Renault) 136, Michael Schumacher (Germany, Mercedes) 72, Rubens Barrichello (Brazil, Williams-Cosworth) 47, Adrian Sutil (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 47, Kamui Kobayashi (Japan, Sauber-Ferrari) 32, Vitaly Petrov (Russia, Renault) 27, Nico Huelkenberg (Germany, Williams-Cosorth) 22, Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy, Force India-Mercedes) 21, Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 8, Pedro de la Rosa (Spain, Sauber-Ferrari) 6, Nick Heidfeld (Germany, Sauber-Ferrari) 6, Jaime Alguersuari (Spain, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 5.

F1 constructors' championship -- Red Bull-Renault 498 points, McLaren-Mercedes 454, Ferrari 396, Mercedes 214, Renault 163, Williams-Cosworth 69, Force India-Mercedes  68, Sauber-Ferrari 44, Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13. None of the three new teams -- Lotus, HRT and Virgin, all using Cosworth engines -- registered a top 10 race finish to score a world championship point.

Crunch week in Australian GP row
While Webber's finish to this season will have been a big disappointment to Australian F1 fans, a bigger worry for them could be a threat hanging over the staging of next year's grand prix in Melbourne -- scheduled for March 27.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport are in dispute over the fees the AGPC pay CAMS for its services at the event.

The AGPC claims the amount is $800,000 a year, while CAMS says it is below $500,000.

CAMS is threatening to formally recommend to the international governing body of motorsport, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), that the Australian GP be dropped from next year's calendar if a resolution is not found by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, Qantas has agreed to sponsor next year's GP again. So Australia's round of the world championship has a sponsor but no certain future.

Tons of spice as V8s season heads for chequered flag
The weekend's round of the V8 Supercar Championship produced some surprise results with just two rounds to go now -- and Ford factory team driver Mark Winterbottom is mounting a late challenge to James Courtney and Jamie Whincup for the title.

The big surprises were Greg Murphy's podium in Saturday's race and Paul Dumbrell and Jason Bright's podiums on Sunday.

The futures of all three have been in the spotlight lately, with Holden veteran Murphy's full-time future in the series uncertain, Dumbrell -- who had been fourth in Saturday's race -- reversing his decision to retire at the end of the year, and Bright having lost sponsor Trading Post for next season.

These types of results, Holden and Ford sharing victories at Tasmania's Symmons Plains courtesy of Craig Lowndes and Winterbottom, the woes that afflicted the Team Vodafone cars of Lowndes and Whincup on Sunday, Courtney's latest penalty and the continuing Dick Johnson/Jim Beam Racing ownership saga and the increasingly tight tussle for the title promise to make for plenty of excitement over the remaining rounds at Melbourne's Sandown this weekend and Sydney's Homebush in early December.

The focus on the V8 Supercar Championship should increase markedly now, particularly with F1 racing -- and Webber's quest for the world championship -- over for the year.

V8 Supercar Championship driver standings after 22 races -- James Courtney (Ford) 2662 points, Jamie Whincup (Holden) 2612, Mark Winterbottom (F) 2462, Craig Lowndes (H)  2405, Garth Tander (H) 2328, Shane van Gisbergen (F) 2178, Rick Kelly (H) 1936, Lee Holdsworth (H) 1919, Paul Dumbrell (F) 1848, Michael Caruso (H) 1835, Russell Ingall (H) 1676, Steven Johnson (F) 1589, Jason Richards (H) 1547, Jonathon Webb (F) 1525, Tim Slade (F) 1442, Jason Bright (H) 1408, Steve Richards (F) 1291, Todd Kelly (H) 1273, Greg Murphy (H) 1249, Alex Davison (F) 1179, Will Davison (H) 1158, Tony D'Alberto (H) 1094.

Loeb makes it eight WRC wins for the year
Seven-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb won his eighth WRC round of the year in the weekend's Rally of Great Britain.

Citroen factory superstar Loeb, of France, finished almost 20 seconds clear of Citroen privateer Petter Solberg, of Norway.

Finn Jari-Matti Latvala finished third in a factory Ford to wrap up second place in the championship, two points ahead of Solberg.

WRC final driver standings -- Sebastien Loeb (France, Citroen) 276 points, Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland, Ford) 171, Petter Solberg (Norway, Citroen) 169, Sebastien Ogier (France, Citroen) 167, Daniel Sordo (Spain, Citroen) 150, Mikko Hirvonen (Finland, Ford) 126, Matthew Wilson (Great Britain, Ford) 74.

WRC teams championship -- Citroen Total WRT 456 points, BP-Ford Abu-Dhabi WRT 337, Citroen Junior Team 217, Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT 176, Munchi's Ford WRT 58.

NASCAR set for thriller finale
Ford driver Carl Edwards broke a 70-race victory drought in the penultimate round of NASCAR's Sprint Cup at Phoenix, Arizona.

Toyota driver Denny Hamilton heads Chevrolet's champion of the past four years, Jimmie Johnson, by 15 points as the series heads for its closest finish of recent years at Homestead in Florida next weekend.

Australia's Marcos Ambrose finished a lap down in 22nd at Phoenix, his second last drive in a Toyota for JTG Daugherty Racing as Richard "The King" Petty continues to chase funds to keep his team -- and Ambrose's new drive, and return to Ford -- alive for next season.

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