Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2012: Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull relegated to the back of the grid by stewards "One of the best ski jumpers of all times once said "Every chance is an opportunity" and as far as we are concerned there are still plenty of chances tomorrow," Vettel said in a statement released late on Saturday, which had shades of Eric Cantona and seagulls. His team principal Christian Horner said Vettel had taken the decision "remarkably well." The dramatic turn of events represents a huge reprieve for Alonso, who has been miles off the pace all weekend and who was only able to claim seventh place on the grid. Instead of starting four places behind Vettel, the Spaniard will now start 18 places in front of his title rival in sixth place. Alonso has consistently hinted these past few weeks that he felt fate was on his side. Perhaps he was right. The length of time it took stewards to arrive at their decision attracted a certain amount of criticism. And it is a problem which the sport must address. As thousands of paying spectators drifted off into the night, and millions more watching on television around the world switched off their sets, they were completely clueless as to where the two title protagonists would actually start the race. But when a decision of this magnitude is to be made, it is as well to make the correct one. Article 6.6.2 of the FIA's Technical Regulations requires that unless there is a case of force majeure a car must be able to "return to the pits under its own power" and provide a one-litre sample of fuel. Red Bull had aroused the suspicions of the stewards after ordering Vettel to stop the car on his in-lap, with Horner revealing afterwards it had been the call of engine partner Renault. Thoughts were immediately cast back to Lewis Hamilton and Barcelona earlier this year, where the Briton claimed a dominant pole only to be relegated to the back of the field for the same infringement. It was one of the reasons Hamilton's title challenge ended as soon as it did. At least it looks as if he may end his final season with McLaren on a high. The 2008 world champion has been in splendid form both on and off the track this week, as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He has spoken well, and driven even better, carrying his strong practice form into qualifying. His pole lap, which ended Red Bull's run of three consecutive poles, was a massive 0.348secs faster than Vettel's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber and 0.6secs faster than his own McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, who could only take sixth on the grid before Vettel's demotion saw him gain one place to fifth. I'm very excited. Very excited," Hamilton beamed in the press conference afterwards. It's the first time for a long time to be ahead of the Red Bulls. Normally I see the tail of them at the start of the race. I know the race will be tough because they have great race pace. I hope we are strong enough to fight. The car has been beautiful all weekend. Webber, sitting next to him, said that he hoped Hamilton made a poor start. "Lewis's starts lately haven't been phenomenal," observed the Australian, correctly. He shouldn't count on it, though. Hamilton has looked in fine fettle here. However they fare, it will be the respective performances of Vettel and Alonso which capture the headlines after a decision which could change the course of Formula One history. Meanwhile, speculation that the presence of BSkyB executives in Abu Dhabi, including chief executive Jeremy Darroch and recently re-elected board member James Murdoch, was due to "secret talks" with top teams over a possible takeover of the sport was dismissed as nonsense by McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 1min 40.630 sec Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 1:40.978 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 1:41.226 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus 1:41.260 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 1:41.290 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1:41.582 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:41.603 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:41.723 Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 1:41.778 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India 1:42.019 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber 1:42.084 Paul Di Resta (GB) Force India 1:42.218 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 1:42.289 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams 1:42.330 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 1:42.606 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 1:42.765 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso 1:44.058 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham 1:44.956 Charles Pic (France) Marussia 1:45.089 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham 1:45.151 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia 1:45.426 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT 1:45.766 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT 1:46.382 Sebastian Vettel * (Germany) Red Bull 1:41.073 Sebastian Vettel was relegated from third to the back of the grid for a fuel irregularity world championship