There was no champagne on the podium, but Sebastian Vettel ensured the 2009
season got a fitting send-off with a series of doughnuts to toast his Abu
Dhabi victory.
Sparkling rosewater was the order of the day on the podium, and as Mark
Webber stepped back into the paddock of the Yas Marina Circuit, he reported
that the liquid soaked into his Red Bull overalls hadn't tasted "too
good".
Alcohol was strictly banned on the man-made Yas Island throughout the
weekend, and even F1 teams' catering staff were unable to smuggle the odd
bottle of wine into the circuit to use as food ingredients.
However, as BMW-Sauber staged its farewell to F1 with a Marina-side party
for the entire paddock on Saturday night, it can be revealed that alcohol
was not in short supply despite the wishes of the Muslim location.
Less thrilling was pole sitter Lewis Hamilton's final fling as world
champion as he retired as a precaution with a brake problem, but the
incoming champion Jenson Button showed his flair with a late-race stoush
with Webber to the chequered flag.
