The race was won by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull, with polesitter Lewis Hamilton (driving for McLaren) having retired due to a brake failure. This was the last Formula One race for Kazuki Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella and the Brawn GP, BMW Sauber and Toyota teams. As of 2026, this is the last F1 race to feature in-race refueling, as the practice was banned for the 2010 season. It was also the last Grand Prix appearance of a BMW-powered car in Formula One.
Jenson Button had secured the title of World Champion in Brazil, but only two points separated the second-placed and third-placed Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello. Brawn GP was declared Constructors' Champion in Brazil with Red Bull second. Tyre supplier Bridgestone selected the medium and soft tyres for the Grand Prix weekend. This would be the last race in Formula One for Nico Rosberg at Williams and for Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber. Kamui Kobayashi continued to race for Toyota as Timo Glock was ruled out after he was injured in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
In keeping with FIA regulations, the practice sessions were run in the late afternoon and early evening to simulate the transition between day and night. The sessions were dominated by the McLaren team, with Lewis Hamilton setting the early standard. Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest time of the second session. At Ferrari, both Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella struggled. Robert Kubica stopped on the circuit halfway through the second practice session with a suspected engine failure. Nick Heidfeld spent most of the sessions at the tail end. Renault struggled all weekend, with neither Fernando Alonso nor Romain Grosjean finding speed. Kamui Kobayashi continued to impress, frequently out-pacing teammate Jarno Trulli. The Toro Rosso drivers continued their trend of being the very first out in the early sessions, with Sébastien Buemi breaking the 1:40.000 barrier in the third practice session. Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel also had strong sessions. Williams' Nico Rosberg liked the circuit. Force India's Adrian Sutil commented that he preferred Abu Dhabi over Marina Bay in Singapore. Jenson Button spent most of first practice exchanging blows with Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in the first qualifying session, becoming the first man to set a lap time of less than 1:40.000. Jenson Button was the only other driver who came close. For the fourth race of the season, a Ferrari qualified in twentieth and last place, with Giancarlo Fisichella finishing one second behind Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton once again topped the second session with another lap time under 1:40.000, though this time Sebastian Vettel was able to break the same barrier. Heikki Kovalainen came to a halt on the circuit with a gearbox failure, which would afford him a five-place penalty for the race. The second Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen was eliminated, as were Jaime Alguersuari and Kazuki Nakajima. Kamui Kobayashi was also eliminated after qualifying twelfth. The third session was unique in that once the drivers left the pits, they stayed out for the duration. Lewis Hamilton secured a front-row berth on his final lap with a 1:40.948, leaving Vettel and Mark Webber second and third respectively. Rubens Barrichello slotted into fourth, while Button edged out Jarno Trulli for fifth. The BMW Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld took seventh and eighth, followed by the Williams of Nico Rosberg and Sébastien Buemi taking tenth.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber gave Red Bull their fourth one-two finish of the season. Lewis Hamilton led the race from the start. Vettel leap-frogged Hamilton during the first round of stops before the McLaren pit wall reported that Hamilton had a problem with his right-rear brake. Hamilton was forced to retire the car after eighteen laps. The only other retirement of the race was Jaime Alguersuari during the pit stops. Jenson Button exited from his stop to find the Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, who was running on a one-stop strategy. Kobayashi would run as high as third during the race before his stop, and would ultimately finish sixth, collecting three World Championship points. Kazuki Nakajima finished in thirteenth, making him the only driver to race in every Grand Prix of the season without scoring a single point. Giancarlo Fisichella was given a drive-through penalty and finished his final race for Ferrari a lowly sixteenth. Kimi Räikkönen had a similar struggle from eleventh on the grid, finishing down in twelfth behind Heikki Kovalainen. Ferrari's failure to score points meant that the team conceded third place in the Constructors' championship, closing their worst season since Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger drove for them in 1993. The final few laps saw Jenson Button begin to rapidly reel in the second-placed Mark Webber. Sebastian Vettel won the race by seventeen seconds, securing the runner-up position in the championship from Barrichello, who went on to finish fourth ahead of Nick Heidfeld in BMW Sauber's final race. Kobayashi was sixth, with Jarno Trulli taking seventh, and Sébastien Buemi closing out the points-scoring positions in eighth, four seconds ahead of the Williams of Nico Rosberg.
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