Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest F1 world champion

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Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest F1 world champion

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15 November,2010 08:43 am

Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel has become the new world champion, and the youngest in history, after a gripping Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Vettel led from the start and only surrendered the lead after his tyre stop, but the outcome of the championship was effectively decided on the opening lap when Mercedes GPs Michael Schumacher spun and was mounted by an unsighted Tonio Liuzzi. As the safety car came out, Renault crucially pitted Vitaly Petrov, as did Mercedes Nico Rosberg. Both stops later played key roles in the title winning of Vettel.At 23 years and 106 days, Vettel took the title with a faultless drive from pole position to the chequered flag, resisting a strong challenge from Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, who in 2008 had achieved the same feat at the age of 23 and 307 days.Pre-race series leader and two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and Vettel's Australian team-mate Mark Webber fell out of contention for the title when they emerged down the field after early pit-stops.