Almost three years after the idea of a second Grand Prix in the Gulf was first put into motion, after 36 billion dollars spent and 26,000 workers having toiled tirelessly to complete the construction, Sebastian Vettel won the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Island circuit, marking the end of the 2009 F1 season.

It was a clear run for the Red Bull driver and the youngest man in the field, after Lewis Hamilton, who qualified on pole, was forced to retire on the 20th lap with a brake problem, after he had trouble stopping the car and locked his wheels approaching corners. He was pulled in by his team for safety reasons. It was the first mechanical fault he had had all season.

Mark Webber followed his team mate home to second place, 18secs behind, with Briton Jenson Button just 0.6secs behind having chased the Australian hard in the last part of the race. Button couldn’t make it past Webber, but the scrap made for the most exciting part of the mostly processional race. Later, Button commented how much he enjoyed himself, having already been crowned champion in Brazil. ‘We had a good clean fight,’ he said. ‘On the limit for the two big stops. It was a fun race. I thought I could pull it off, but Mark is always a difficult person to overtake. It was clean, but on the edge.’

Rubens Barrichello finished fourth and Nich Heidfeld come in fifth, marking the last race for BMW-Sauber before the manufacturer leaves F1. But it was the promising Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi’s sixth place that deserved praise. The Toyota driver qualified 12th and even made a pass on Button in the early part of the race.

The last two drivers to make the points were Jarno Trulli and Torro-Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi. After taking his fourth win of the season, Vettel said: ‘The priority was to secure second place [in the championship] and we succeeded. To do it with a win is the best.’ Commenting on his brake problem, Hamilton sounded philosophical. ‘It’s a shame as the car felt so good these last couple of days. But I still think the whole team should be really proud of how we have recovered this season.’

Despite the impressive backgrounds of the Yas Hotel, the marina and the high quality of the circuit itself, the racing didn’t quite live up to expectations. Most of the 55 laps passed by with cars spread out, which was odd, considering the support races included plenty of overtaking and a shame, since the circuit was hailed as setting new standards.

But the sheer scale was staggering for a man-made project that was built from scratch in such a short space of time. Under the floodlights, the ultra-modern Herman Tilke-designed track looked lavish, standing out with its turquoise run-off strips. Drivers also praised it for its corner variation. ‘You enjoy it because there is always something to do on the track,’ said Fernando Alonso.

And they weren’t the only ones. The grandstands were full, the celebrities aplenty and against the gigantic Ferrari World building, it stood up to F1’s image of glitz and glamour. The mood was carried over to the post-race press conference, where Vettel and Webber began teasing Button about a supposed upcoming marriage.

Abu Dhabi’s current deal with Bernie Ecclestone is a seven-year agreement, but this is obviously a temporary time span and can be extended. It all depends on what the race delivers in future. Interestingly though, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s plan to kick start the tourist industry with a Formula One race almost didn’t happen. It’s thought that Bahrain established with Ecclestone that it was to be the only Grand Prix in the region. When Abu Dhabi came along in 2007 with its plans, Bernie had to work out a compromise with the Bahrainis. It’s not known if there was a price to pay, but part of the secret agreement includes placing Bahrain at the forefront of the calendar as the season-opener, which it will be next year.

The one thing that there is no doubt about, is that Abu Dhabi is set to reap great benefits from its race. It paid Ecclestone an annual fee of $ 60m to stage the race, but despite it equaling Singapore in paying the highest hosting fee, the future return on investment for Abu Dhabi is predicted to cover the costs many times over.

As the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ended, the Yas Hotel lit up in a blue chequered flag and the partygoers in their yachts began sounding their party music. It was a pertinent end to an impressive event and firmly suited the mood of the ‘work hard, party hard’ F1 lifestyle.

Abu Dhabi has firmly made its mark on Formula One.