The win for Vettel will only act as a boon for his promising season, with victory in the United Arab Emirates sealing his 4th win this season as well as his team’s (Red Bull) third one-two this year.
Pundits had originally tipped Englishman Hamilton to cruise to victory after a hugely impressive display during the qualifying heats, where the young F1 champion said he hadn’t been better all season. Unfortunately for Hamilton however, he suffered rear brake problems from the start and was given no respite from Vettel after leaving the tracks.

"I was locking and locking and locking it was harder than ever to drive the car‚Äù. "It’s a shame as the car felt so good these last couple of days, but we haven’t had many brake problems this year so there you go. "But I still think the whole team should be really proud of how we have recovered this season."
BMW’s Nick Heidfeld finished 5th, while Toyota’s rookie Kamui Kobayashi and his team-mate Jarno Trulli finished 6th and 7th.

The new Yas Marina circuit also received special praise and recognition from F1 drivers and teams alike. The new track in the United Arab Emirate (situated 30 minutes from the capital Abu Dhabi) has received huge amounts of investment from the Abu Dhabi government in recent times.

The victory put Barrichello just 18 points off the Englishman, with 60 remaining for the last 6 races of the season.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber only managed 9th, causing him him to slip in the rankings to 3rd, over 20 points behind Button. His team mate Sebastian Vettel failed to finish the race after an engine failure, and now lies fourth in the proceedings.

Kimi Raikkonen got Ferrari a third place finish, and Williams’s Nico Rosberg came fifth.

Barichello dedicated his victory to fellow countryman Felipe Massa, who’s recovering steadily in hospital after a crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"I had two wishes. First that he would be the same guy, and he is, and second that he will be the same driver, and I think he will be better. We knew if everything went to place we could win the race. You don’t forget how to do it, even though it’s five years. They were telling me push, push, push. You want to do it for yourself, your team, your family, your country. So there was a lot going through my mind."

The sensational move to Ferrari, which will Whitmarsh alleges will spark a cascade of other movement in the motorsport, comes after Ferrari’s heed to find a partner for Massa.

Whitmarsh‚Äôs remarks were originally made in a BBC Sport interview, where he addressed rumours that McLaren would replace Kovalainen with Nico Rosberg as Lewis hamilton‚Äôs team-mate next year. "At the moment we have not had, nor are we in, conversations with any other drivers and we will see in the future. In reality, there are some changes probably with Fernando and Ferrari and that frees up the driver market. Every year there are a number of pivotal points during the season which determine what is going to happen in the drivers’ market. This year I think we all know that the Fernando-Ferrari move has a knock on and that ripples through the other teams. Clearly the BMW withdrawal will also have an impact. So I don’t think we see a need at the moment to rush into it. I think we are concentrating on developing the car and making sure we are more competitive, which I think we will be this weekend. Heikki is pushing hard. He is a driver who can drive the car very quickly – if you look at his fuel corrected qualifying times, he has been massively competitive. But he hasn’t performed quite as well as he – and we – would like him to in the races."

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Massa were are contracted till 2010; however Alonso has avoided and dodged questions about his future since arriving in Valencia for the weekend’s European Grand Prix.

Ferrari are now set to pay off the Finish racer’s (Raikkonen’s) contract Рwith Brawn, Renault and Toyota all interested in taking on the 29-year old, who won the 2007 World Championship in his first season for Ferrari.

However the proposed move is further complicated with the possibility of Massa failing to make a full recovery in the near future.
A Ferrari spokesperson said of Massa’s improved recovery "We are all happy Felipe is getting better and better every day. But we are all Рincluding Felipe Рaware that we have to be patient. He is having another CT (brain) scan at the end of this month or the beginning of September and we will have a better picture after that. From the human point of view, he is already close to 100%. Then he has to complete a physical recovery process. After that he will have to start again his physical preparation, because at the moment he cannot do anything (about improving his fitness). At the moment we are all happy he is recovering so quickly. We are pretty confident. For him and everyone it would be a dream if he could race in Brazil. But we know we have to face the reality and the reality is to take it step by step."

Unfortunately for the 40 year old German, who won 4 of his last F1 titles with Ferrari, the strength and physical properties of his neck have prevented him from returning to the professional F1 arena. The build up and strength of muscles in the neck is paramount to all good drivers Рwith the immense G-forces undergone through long series of turns, and at high speed during races. Schumacher find out his neck wasn’t up to scratch after practicing with Ferrari and going through a stringent series of tests. "Unfortunately we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private F1-day in Mugello.” The German stated that the practice laps undertaken had aggravated a recent neck injury that was suffered in a motorcycle accident last February. "The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike accident, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe. That is why my neck cannot stand the extreme stresses caused by F1 yet. These are the clear results of the examinations we did on the course of the past two weeks and the final examination on Monday afternoon. As there were no improvements after the day in Mugello, I decided at short notice on Sunday to do that thorough examination on Monday."

After Schumacher contacted Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo outlining the problems, Montzemolo told the media "I’m very sorry about the problem that will stop Michael returning to racing," said Montezemolo. "His return would surely have done Formula 1 good and I’m certain we’d have seen him fighting for victory again. I want to thank him in the name of Ferrari and all the fans for the attachment to the team he has shown in these circumstances."

With all this in mind, Ferrari have now called upon veteran driver Lucas Badoer to stand in for the injured Massa, who is thought to be making a through and steady recovery. Currently working as a test driver for Ferrari, the Italian motorsports doyen Badoer is himself almost as old as Schumacher at 38, but is determined to pass the tests and be fit enough to race alongside Raikkonen in Valencia. He told Ferrari‚Äôs website "I have prepared myself to be ready under any circumstances just as I’ve been doing in previous years. I’ve been in this business for quite a while. After Felipe’s accident (in Hungary last month) I intensified my programme and I’m sure I won’t have any problems."

Although an experienced test driver however, Badoer unfortunately doesn’t cover the same abilities and racing capacities as Schumacher. While fairly experienced, the Italian veteran failed to score a single point for Scuderia Italia, Minardi or indeed Forti in 49 races for a 6 year period from 1993 – 1999. His last competitive race was at the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix; and ultimately the driver will never draw the same success nor public attention to the motorsport as Schumacher would.

Schumacher, who retired in 2006, won an impregnable seven formula one championship titles (including 2 with Benetton, then a record 5 consecutive titles from 2000 -2004 after his move to Ferrari). The German is also acclaimed for instilling German interest in F1, as well as holding a number of records in the motor sport including most race victories; fastest laps; points earned, and the most races won in a single championship season. The immensely popular F1 driver, who has been working as an ambassador for Ferrari, is set to race competitively at the European Grand Prix this season which starts on the 23rd August. Ferrari are ready to announce that the 40yr old German will replace Massa, who suffered serious head injuries recently in the Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying round.

Schumacher‚Äôs driving skill and competence in the F1 arena is palpable, however what usually hinders older drivers in the game is loyalty and commitment. Older drivers tend to require more commitment to race at high speeds, and in dangerous circuits, when they start families and loyalty lies elsewhere. Noting his own loyalty however, Schumacher said “For team loyalty reasons I can’t ignore this unfortunate situation.‚Äù

Although Schumacher will stand in for Massa this season, it is assumed he won‚Äôt be making a permanent comeback to the sport. “It is true that the Formula 1 chapter has long been closed for me. The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive and I wish him all the best again. This afternoon I met with team principal Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe. As the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge.”

Schumacher, who last drove an F1 car in 2008, and last competed in a Grand Prix in 2006, will have just over three weeks for ready himself for the European Grand Prix in Valencia. “Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa’s car for as long as the Brazilian driver is not able to race. Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific programme of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship, starting with the European Grand Prix.”

Before racing for Ferrari, Schumacher will first have to pass a stringent series of safety tests, ensuring his body won’t be susceptible to the harsh conditions in F1 racing. He will have to strengthen his neck for example, in order to cope with the straining incorrigible G-forces.

Schumacher’s return to the European Grand Prix have propelled excitement in the sports, where doting spectators will be able to see Schumacher, Button and Hamilton feature side by side. Indeed, British 2008 champion famously noted his biggest regret, or rather wish, was to race the 7-time champion Michael Schumacher.

Ultimately, Ferrari were boosted by Raikkonen’s second place finish after their other driver, Felipe Massa, missed out after sustaining injuries during the qualification round. The 2007 F1 World Drivers Champion had lost control of his car in a high speed crash into a tyre wall. F1 fans should be up heaved to hear however that the Ferrari driver has shown signs of improvement after surgery on his fractured skull
A spokesman for Ferrari said: “Felipe had a quiet night. He is okay, and he is due to have another CT scan today.” Hungarian winner Hamilton spoke out to Massa after the race, saying “Maybe I can speak for all of us, but today was a sad day given what happened with Felipe. We miss him, wish him well and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

Alonso, who started first on the grid, had managed to stay ahead of the pack for much of the race, with Hamilton and Webber fighting it out for 2nd place. On lap five however, Hamilton finally overcame Webber with some great skill, thus searching for 1st place Alonso. However, Alonso was forced to retire after being released too early from the pit stop on the 11th lap, due to an unsecure wheel attachment that caused his car consequent structural damage. Webber, racing for Red Bull, drove reasonably well throughout the day securing him and his team a 3rd place finish.

McLaren‚Äôs victory had incidentally come merely weeks after revised aerodynamics had been introduced to the car in Germany. Hamilton congratulated his team and showed his joy at winning saying “It’s an incredible feeling to be back here after what feels like such a long time away, and such a struggle with me and my team. I’m just so proud of the guys. Everyone’s pushing and wants to win as much as I do, which is pretty rare with such a large group of people. But we didn’t expect to win this weekend. Undoubtedly we have caught up, but we didn’t think we could win.”

McLaren had originally started the season with a relatively weaker car, with the team struggling in many races. Indeed, Hamilton had not finished in a podium position this season until now.

Mark Webber, who has moved to 2nd in the Grand Prix Championship season, muted comments and speculation of him winning this season’s Formula One Title. Webber, who finished 6th yesterday only weeks after winning the German GP, is now just 18.5 points off the leader Button, who has already clocked up six wins during the first half of the season.

The hectic qualification session for the 10th Grand Prix of the season, was enthralled with technical problems and confusion and also saw Felipe Massa crash head on into the tyre walls. After a system fault with the computer timing system, most drivers in the qualification round were unsure of their times after completing their laps.

After the system was fixed, it showed Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber would start 2nd and 3rd respectively for the Grand Prix in Budapest. Lewis Hamilton, racing for Mclaren, also managed to pick up a 4th starting position, his season’s best as of yet. Taking up 5th place on the starting grid is Nico Rosberg, who beat Hamilton’s Mclaren team mate Heikki Kovlainen who came 6th. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, Button and Nakajima will take the 7th, 8th, and 9th positions respectively. Notably Button’s season took a turn after his personal worst qualification time this season.

With plenty of action at the qualifying stages, the crowds saw helicopters airlift Massa to hospital after the Brasilian was struck by flying debris, thought to have come from Rubens Barrischello’s Brawn. The 28 year old is last reported to be in good condition. After problems with Barrischello’s car however, his team mate’s time was directly affected as Button was called into the pit stop on in the third qualifying session to check for the same problem.

Afterwards however, drivers and teams were unsettled and disillusioned as drivers exchanged lap times with each other after leaving their cars to be weighted and assessed.

Leading the race for the Grand Prix, Alonso stated “It was quite a stressful qualifying to be honest. The times were not working at the end and we were in parc ferme chatting between ourselves to ask what times we did to see who was on pole position. It is nice to start on pole anywhere, but here it is particularly good. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, we are more competitive, but we are not as quick as the Red Bulls. We will try to win, but being honest and realistic our target is to get some good points, we need some points for the constructors’ championship. We were aggressive this time and got what we wanted – or maybe even better than we wanted.”

Alonso, nicknamed El Nano back at home, at 24 became the youngest driver ever at the time to win the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship back in 2005. Lewish Hamilton of course broke this record at the 2008 Championships, by one point. However, Alonso, after retaining the title the following year, also became the youngest double Champion (in 2006). Other notable records of his include being the youngest driver and least number of races to score 500 points at the French Grand Prix.