Vettel May Have Won The Race, But It's Mark Webber We're Saluting
Image source: Getty ImagesSebastian Vettel dominated the final race of the 2013 season to take his ninth consecutive victory and 13th of the year. However, he wasn't the centre of attention. All eyes were on Mark Webber as he ended his Formula 1 career with a second place finish.
Image source: Getty ImagesWith rain dominating proceedings on Friday and Saturday, the dry 71-lap race was full of uncertainties. Vettel had a poor getaway and lost the lead to Nico Rosberg at the first corner. However, Rosberg wasn't in front for long and soon dropped behind the Red Bull driver. Despite light rain in the closing stages and some unusually slow pit stops, Vettel remained unchallenged to finish the race with a lead of over 10 seconds.
Image source: Getty ImagesWebber had a poor start, but soon managed to move up to second place with some ballsy overtakes. He managed to hold off Fernando Alonso to make it a Red Bull one-two. Alonso returned to the podium for the first time since the Singapore Grand Prix.
Jenson Button started the race in 14th and climbed to fourth by the chequered flag. He made impressive progress in the first stint to score McLaren's best result of the season. Rosberg dropped to fifth from his front-row grid slot but his result helped Mercedes to secure second in the constructors' championship.
Image source: Mercedes AMG PetronasSergio Perez ended his McLaren career with a sixth-place finish and Felipe Massa completed his time at Ferrari with seventh at his home race after a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at the pit entry.
Nico Hulkenberg ended 2013 with a points finish in eighth, just ahead of a disappointed Lewis Hamilton who had an eventful race. He made contact with Valtteri Bottas mid-way through the race, which resulted in a puncture and a drive-through penalty. Daniel Ricciardo finished in the final points position.
Image source: Mercedes AMG PetronasPaul di Resta, Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil just missed out on a top 10 finish and Heikki Kovalainen (subbing in for Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus for the final two races) had a disappointing race to 14th.
Jules Bianchi's 17th place finish was enough for Marussia to hold on to the coveted 10th place in the constructors' championship, giving the team a considerable financial boost ahead of 2014. His team-mate Max Chilton crossed the line behind Giedo van der Garde in 19th, making him the first driver to finish every single race in his rookie season.
Image source: Marussia F1 TeamTo the relief of many, the V8-powered 2013 Formula 1 season is now over. The big question is, will Red Bull's dominance continue next year?
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