Jenson Button had secured the World Championship in Brazil the previous round, but only two points separated Vettel in second place from Rubens Barrichello in third in the battle for the runner-up position. Brawn GP had also already been declared Constructors' Champion in Brazil with Red Bull second; third place among the constructors remained undecided between McLaren and Ferrari.
The race carried considerable significance in terms of farewells. It was the last Formula One race for Kazuki Nakajima, Giancarlo Fisichella, and the constructors Brawn GP, BMW Sauber, and Toyota. It was also the last Formula One race for Nico Rosberg at Williams and the last for Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber before his move to Renault. As of 2026, it remains the last Formula One race to feature in-race refuelling, the practice having been banned from the 2010 season. It was also the last Grand Prix appearance of a BMW-powered car in Formula One, and the last race to use the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 points scoring system introduced in 2003. Timo Glock remained sidelined by injuries suffered at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Kamui Kobayashi continuing in his place for Toyota.
The FIA required practice and qualifying sessions to be run in the late afternoon and early evening to replicate race-day conditions as the sun set over the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton dominated qualifying. He became the first driver to set a sub-1:40.000 lap time in Q1 with a 1:39.873. In Q2 he again set the only sub-1:40 time alongside Vettel. Heikki Kovalainen came to a halt in Q2 with a gearbox failure, earning a five-place grid penalty. Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari was eliminated at the Q2 stage, and Ferrari qualified last on the grid for the fourth time that season.
In the final session drivers stayed out for extended runs rather than making single-lap attacks, as the Bridgestone tyres required several laps to reach working temperature. Hamilton took provisional pole before Vettel and Webber both went faster, only for Hamilton to secure front row on his final lap with a 1:40.948. Vettel and Webber started second and third. Rubens Barrichello was fourth, Button fifth, with the BMW Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld seventh and eighth. Nico Rosberg qualified ninth in his final race for Williams, and Sébastien Buemi — celebrating his twenty-first birthday — took tenth.
Hamilton led from the start but did not build the dominant gap expected. Vettel stayed within a few seconds during the opening phase. There was contact between Barrichello and Webber at the first corner, with Barrichello losing part of his front wing.
Vettel leapfrogged Hamilton during the first pit stop cycle when McLaren reported Hamilton had a problem with his right-rear brake. Hamilton retired after 18 laps, the circuit's three large braking areas making it unsafe to continue. It was briefly suggested a faulty data logger might have been misreporting the issue, but McLaren opted to retire the car regardless.
The other retirement came from Jaime Alguersuari, who mistakenly pulled up in the Red Bull pit garage instead of the adjacent Toro Rosso garages during a stop cycle — the crews wore similar uniforms. Red Bull were forced to send him back out with Vettel incoming; Alguersuari later retired on track.
Jenson Button was unable to find a way past Kamui Kobayashi, who was running a one-stop strategy in the Toyota and simply drove around the outside of Button at the large hairpin. Kobayashi ran as high as third before his stop and ultimately finished sixth in only his second Formula One race, his performances in Brazil and Abu Dhabi impressing Toyota's management.
The final laps produced a hard-fought duel for second as Button reeled in the tiring Webber. Both drivers made errors at the chicane and hairpin. Button drew alongside Webber heading into the bottom corner, but Webber defended and held second by a margin. At the front, Vettel won by 17 seconds to secure the runner-up position in the championship from Barrichello, who finished fourth.
Vettel's victory and Barrichello's fourth place resolved the driver's runner-up battle in Vettel's favour. Ferrari's failure to score points in Abu Dhabi meant the team conceded third place in the Constructors' Championship, closing their worst season since Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger drove for them in 1993. Jarno Trulli made what proved to be the final refuelling pit stop in Formula One history on lap 42 of this race.
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