2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix recap: Vettel wins the first race at Yas Marina
The inaugural race was F1's first day-night Grand Prix and ended with a Red Bull one-two.
The first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place on 1 November 2009 as the 17th and final round of the season. It was also Formula 1's first day-night race: the start was at 5pm, as the sun set over Yas Island, and the race finished under floodlights.
Lewis Hamilton took pole for McLaren with 1:40.948 and led early, but retired with a brake problem that the team judged unsafe to continue with. Sebastian Vettel took over and won for Red Bull, 17.857 seconds ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, and also set the fastest lap, a 1:40.279 on lap 54. Jenson Button finished third for Brawn.
The title had already been settled: Button sealed the drivers' championship in Brazil, so Abu Dhabi was a lap of honour for the new champion. Red Bull's result was their fourth one-two of the season. Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi finished sixth in only his second race, scoring his first points.
The race closed a chapter. It was the last F1 race with in-race refuelling and the last under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 points system, and the final appearance for Brawn GP, BMW Sauber and Toyota as teams. Yas Marina has hosted the season finale almost every year since, including the 2026 race on Sunday 6 December.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026Race day Sun 6 Dec · Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi See tickets
