Abu Dhabi's F1 'decider'

This year's Formula One championship will be won and lost in Abu Dhabi, one of the leading contenders, Mark Webber of Red Bull, believes.

ABU DHABI // This year's Formula One championship will be won and lost in Abu Dhabi, one of the leading contenders believes. The Red Bull driver Mark Webber, in fourth place 20.5 points behind Jenson Button, said the title will go down to the final race of the season after the Brawn GP front-runner took just 11 points from his last five races.

Button leads his teammate Rubens Barrichello by 16 points, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel a further three points back. "It's been ebbing and flowing," Webber said. "We're all having trouble capitalising. Like someone said, it's like there's a big open goal, but no one wants to put the ball in the net. "But we've not missed our chance. There's still a huge amount of points to go and we've seen how wacky and crazy things can be of late. One weekend it's Rubens, then mine, then Seb. We're all over the place.

"But the guy who's treading water a little of late is Jenson. If one of us can get some momentum and he doesn't, then everything's to play for. But if he gets momentum then the wind goes out of our sails. It's not rocket science. "Jenson needs to have an 11-point lead at Brazil for it not to go to the wire, and that doesn't look likely at the moment "We're going to be in the hunt to pick up some points here and there, and that's what we've got to keep doing until we get to the last race in Abu Dhabi. I really believe the championship race will go down to the wire."

The former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, who writes a column for The National, has endorsed making the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a day-night race on November 1. He said: "It will be a good thing. It should make for a great atmosphere in the crowd and a brilliant race on track. Drivers will have to watch their concentration levels and raise the bar a little, but they should be able to adjust to all conditions. The lighting is not an issue - it is more of a challenge for the field. It will be the same for everyone and as long as drivers are sensible with their visor selections, I don't think it will matter.

"Drivers are used to racing at night. Mark Webber has driven at Le Mans with just headlights when there has been no spotlights at all." [e-mail] ENDS