Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso was a victim of a Ferrari team error at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi overnight which allowed Sebastian Vettel to drive to his first world title victory.

The Ferrari team ordered Alonso into the pits early in the race to have his one mandatory pitstop before sending their driver back out into the congestion of the middle of the field.

It was this pitstop that caused Alonso to lose valuable time as he was stuck behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov for the best part of the final 40 laps, the Russian holding his nerve to keep Alonso from overtaking for the remainder of the race.

Following the race, Alonso was clearly angry with Petrov for blocking him for so long, and sending his title hopes into a tailspin, with the Spaniard wagging his finger as he pulled alongside the Russian.

"I tried to pass him once and he protected like it was the last lap of the championship and we were both fighting for the championship," Alonso said of Petrov's dogged display. "He was very aggressive but he drove very well and made no mistakes."

Alonso was forgiving in his assessment of Ferrari's strategy to bring him in directly after Webber pitted - a move that effectively sounded the death knell for both men.

"After the race it's always very easy to see the best strategy," Alonso said. "If we didn't stop, Webber would have overtaken us. If we did stop, we cover from Webber but we let Petrov and (Nico) Rosberg in front. It was a very difficult call I think."

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali, however, acknowledged a mistake had been made which seriously damaged Alonso's chances. "There is a great sadness at the moment,'' he said.

"We are Ferrari, which means we are condemned to having to win, so a second place (in the championship) is a defeat.

"But this is also a part of the sport and we have to accept it. In the good and the bad moments the team has to stay together."

Mark Webber's dream of capturing the championship also vanished under the lights of the Abu Dhabi circuit as the Formula One season concluded.

Webber entered the final round of the championship eight points behind Alonso and seven points ahead of teammate Vettel.

The Australian needed to finish ahead of Alonso to guarantee a victory in the championship but he spent most of the race stuck behind the Spaniard's Ferrari.

It was Webber's Red Bull teammate, however, who reigned supreme to take both the race and the 2010 drivers' championship. At 23, Vettel is the youngest driver to be crowned champion in Formula One history.

Webber slipped from second to third in the championship standings, after finishing a disappointing eighth in the race, with Alonso separating the Red Bulls in the final standings.

Webber needed a strong start if he was to have any chance of claiming his first title since entering Formula One nine years ago. He was able to hold his position into the first corner before the safety car was deployed following a collision between Michael Schumacher and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Several of the drivers pitted and swapped tires, thus counting as their one and only mandatory pit stop for the race. The majority of the front runners, including Alonso and Webber, chose to stay out on the track.

When racing resumed Webber was once again unable to pass Alonso and instead lost time to the championship leader. On lap 12, Webber pitted in what turned out to be a costly decision as the Australian's Red Bull was caught mid-field with over three quarters of the race remaining.

Vettel lead for the opening third of the race before pitting on lap 25 and re-emerge behind Jenson Button. The British driver was the fastest on the track and managed an extended stint on his first set of tyres to lead for the majority of the race. Eventually the McLaren driver was overtaken by Vettel when he made his stop for new tyres.

Webber spent the majority of the race behind Alonso and was unable to get close enough to attempt a pass. With seven laps to go, Webber was urged via the team radio to have one last go at Alonso but this message fell on deaf ears as the Red Bull driver was unable to get a response from his car.

At that stage Vettel led Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Kubica, Petrov, and with Alonso seventh, and Webber out of the running in eighth. The result was elementary from that point on, although those last seven laps will probably have been the most nerve-wracking of Vettel's life. The German, however, showed nerves of steel that were similar to fellow countrymen and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher when he was at his best.

Quite possibly there is now another German world champion starting his run at racing immortality. At 23, Vettel certainly has the time - and talent - on his side.