ABU DHABI // Red Bull-Renault's title contender Sebastian Vettel took pole position for the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.
The German will be joined on the front of the grid by McLaren-Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton with Fernando Alonso in third. The last of the four title contenders, Red Bull's Mark Webber qualified in fifth, with Jenson Button fourth.
The four are all competing to win the world title in the final race - the first time in Formula One history that so many drivers have been in contention at this stage.
The competitive practice sets up an eagerly anticipated qualifying session which Red Bull is expected dominate in the same way they have in recent weeks. Practice is often not a good indicator of how the teams will fare tomorrow, since drivers are using it to test new equipment and get used the circuit.
A victory is worth 25 points, while second place is good for 18. Alonso can guarantee himself the title by finishing in the top two.
Alonso can finish as low as third or fourth if Webber doesn't win the race, and he can also win by finishing out of the points as long as Webber doesn't finish in the top five, Vettel is third or lower and Hamilton fails to win.
Webber knows he can win his first F1 title by leading a Red Bull 1-2, but with teams banned from giving team orders - telling drivers to let their teammates pass - it may come down to Vettel voluntarily letting Webber through if the team is to add a drivers' championship to the constructors' title it has already won.
To win the title, Vettel needs to win and hope Alonso is outside the top four. If Vettel is second, both Webber and Alonso need to finish low enough to allow the German to remain at the top.
Hamilton, however, can still win his second title, but the 2008 champion needs a victory coupled with Alonso finishing out of the points, Vettel no higher than third and Webber sixth or lower.
Vettel, after his 15th career pole, said: “We start from pole so it couldn’t be better.
“It was a tough qualifying, we knew conditions could be tricky because temperatures drop at night.
“But in the end we did it. A very good job by the whole team and we now look forward to the race. I’m obviously very pleased. Ten poles in qualifying in one season shows how great our car is.”
Last year’s race winner added: “We have to go step by step to make sure we stay where we are, and then we will see what happens.”
Hamilton, on the front row for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix, said: “Today is a much better weekend, or start of the weekend.”
Knowing he needs a win, Alonso not to finish in the points, Webber no higher than sixth and Vettel no higher than third, Hamilton then added: “I’ve a good feeling.
“We’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain. We’re quite chilled and quite happy. I’m just here enjoying myself and the car and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Alonso, who only crept into the top three on his final lap, said: “It was a tough qualifying for everyone, with positions changing constantly.
“I pushed on the limit, and third place is okay. It was a good qualifying, and now we just need one more day. But anything can happen in the race. We need to complete the 55 laps without any problem.
“It will be a tough race, a long race, but we are in a strong position.”
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Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
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Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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Results
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4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
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