Sebastian Vettel secured a third grand prix victory of 2009 to close out Red Bull Racing’s most successful campaign with a comfortable win in the inaugural race at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.

The German was already looking likely to emerge ahead of polesitter Lewis Hamilton at the first round of pit-stops when the 2008 world champion was forced to retire with a rear brake problem and, with the McLaren gone, cruised to a winning margin approaching 20 seconds,

Behind the German, RBR team-mate Mark Webber and new world champion Jenson Button staged a thrilling finale to an otherwise uneventful race by duelling over second place. The Briton, who had started fifth, closed relentlessly on his Australian rival until they were nose to tail for the final few laps, but Webber had just enough in hand to confirm a 1-2 for Red Bull, which completed a hat-trick of victories to end the season.

Rubens Barrichello, after losing parts of his front wing in a first corner clash with Webber, came home a lonely fourth after just beating BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld out of the pits after their respective second stops, while the German’s fifth place was enough to elevate the departing BMW team one place to sixth in the constructors’ table.

Kamui Kobayashi enhanced his chances of clinching a full-time ride with Toyota after finishing sixth on the road in only his second grand prix with the Cologne-based team, coming home ahead of team-mate Jarno Trulli and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi.