He was never good enough. He'll be driving V8s for 888 in a couple of years, a bitter and disillusioned man.
Mark was/is the No 2 driver, don’t ever think he was anything else. Christian Horner was severely embarrassed by Marks on track feats and whilst he showed the world that he was supporting Mark, it was all about Vettel. If Mark was even remotely being pushed as an equal then Horner would have made sure that Alguersuari's STR would have allowed Mark to pass and not be held up for as long as he was. F1 is all about 1 percenters and the general public don't see that. Horner played the game and Vettel came out on top as a result of this. If Mark had won the race and & Vettel didn’t even podium or place top 3 in the championship i could only imagine the bloodletting that would have gone on behind the scenes at RBR.
I certainly don’t believe Mark is a bitter and disillusioned man, far from it and if it had been at any other "RACE" track Alonso & Webber (along with Hamilton) would have given Vettel a fair shake. Whilst the Yas Marina track may be a "spectacle" for the punter it is rubbish for motor racing and rewards only the person who is on pole, typically the car with the best top speed. And this is not over yet, the protests with the engine allotment still has to play out but I am sure that Eccelstone will make sure that where the result is will stay, regardless.