Vettel takes stunning win in Abu Dhabi

He may have already sewn up the championship, but Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel is obviously planning on seeing out the rest of the 2013 season in style. The German Formula 1 driver won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in commanding fashion on Sunday, racking up his seventh victory in a row. Spain’s Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, managed a valiant fifth place after having started 11th on the grid.

Vettel, who began from second place, got the jump on his polesitting teammate Mark Webber at the start, and soon pulled away into the lead. He managed to stay out in front for the remainder of the race, crossing the line a full 30 seconds in front of his teammate’s Red Bull. Nico Rosberg finished third in the Mercedes.

Alonso was able to get past his teammate Felipe Massa thanks to differing pit strategies, although the Spaniard’s return to the track after getting fresh rubber was not without incident. With just 11 laps to go Alonso came flying out of the pits, where he found the Toro Rosso of Jean-Éric Vergne. The double world champion had to take evasive action, overtaking off the track in order to avoid a collision. Despite being investigated by the stewards, Alonso escaped penalty for the move, meaning his fifth place was secured.

With 217 points under his belt, Alonso is likely to finish second in this year’s championship, with just two races left to run and a 34-point gap to third-placed Kimi Raikkonen, who failed to complete even one lap in Abu Dhabi after a collision broke his suspension.