Lewis Hamilton is hoping his victory in Abu Dhabi is just the start of his return to the top of Formula One.

The McLaren driver has had, in his own words, his “worst” season ever in F1 this year, winning just two races ahead of Sunday’s grand prix at the Yas Marina circuit.

Spending more time in the stewards’ offices than he had done on the podium, Hamilton was in desperate need of a strong finish to the Championship.

And it was handed to him on a plate on Sunday when pole-sitter and proverbial race winner Sebastian Vettel retired on the first lap, gifting the lead to Hamilton.

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Marco Simoncelli sadly passed away on Sunday after sustaining critical head and neck injuries on the second lap of the MotoGP race at Sepang in Malaysia.

The Italian was battling it out for fourth place with Alvaro Bautista when he lost the front end of the bike at turn 11. Normally a rider would just carry on sliding out towards the gravel traps if he loses the front end, but unfortunately for Marco the front wheel gripped the tarmac again pulling him straight into the path of  Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

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Jenson Button may have won the Japanese GP, however, the McLaren driver concedes the glory belongs to Sebastian Vettel, who clinched his second World title.

Heading into Sunday’s 53-lap grand prix, Button was the only man standing between Vettel and the Drivers’ Championship. But with the Red Bull racer needing just one point even Button’s victory could not prevent him from sealing the crown.

“I think it should be Seb who we talk about because this guy has done a good job this year,” Button said. “However hard we tried we have not been able to touch him all year, so congratulations.

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New Zealand’s rugby community was shocked at the news that their golden boy Dan Carter will have no more say in the outcome of this years rugby World Cup.

The All Black flyhalf has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament because of the groin injury he suffered at yesterday’s captains run and Colin Slade will now be expected to wear the No 10 jersey.

Manawatu’s Aaron Cruden has been brought into the squad.

This is a massive blow for All Blacks fans who are hoping their side will lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since 1987.

And what makes this news even more devastating for Carter, and New Zealand fans, is that he is rarely been sidelined by this sort of injury.

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Sebastian Vettel has all but sealed the 2011 Drivers’ crown by beating Jenson Button to victory in Singapore on Sunday night. The result of the night race mathematically confirms that Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton – who finished third through fifth – can no longer seal the world title this season.

By celebrating Red Bull’s first win in Marina Bay, Vettel has placed himself just one point away from becoming Formula 1’s youngest ever back-to-back World Champion. He can now be stopped only by Button, who would have to win the remaining five races with Vettel out of the points on all occasions.

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Casey Stoner claimed another victory at the MotorLand circuit on Sunday, giving the Australian his eighth win of the season and Repsol Honda their 100th win. The important vicoty puts the Australian 44 points clear of defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. Dani Pedrosa finished the round in second place behind his team mate, while Lorenzo made his way to the final podium spot.

Marco Simoncelli finished 6 seconds behind Lorenzo to take fourth, a strong finish for the Italian considering he ran off the track on his first attempt at passing the YZR-M1 of Ben Spies on lap 9. The Yamaha rider had a great start off the outside of the first row, leading into turn one in front of fellow front row starters Stoner and Pedrosa, but the two Honda riders got past him by lap two, and the American finally finished the race in fifth place.

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Rafael Nadal collapsed due to cramps during a press conference at the US Open. This comes minutes after his 3-set victory over David Nalbandian.

Source: sport24.co.za