The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one of the most unforgettable races of the season. It was a day filled with emotions and adrenaline as everyone counted down the moments until a new world champion was crowned.
When the lights went out, Lewis Hamilton made a quick start, passing his team-mate Rosberg, who'd started on Pole Position. He was eager to get a lead early.
Nico Rosberg, who had a slower start, found himself wheel-to-wheel with the Williams drivers. Bottas and Massa narrowly avoiding the Mercedes around the first few turns.
First lap contact ensued when Kevin Magnussen first touched the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and then hit Adrian Sutil in the Sauber. This caused damage to the McLaren driver and he found himself back in 13th only a few laps in. However, it was Hulkenberg who received a 5-second drive through penalty, which he was clearly shocked by.
Sergio Perez who'd started 11th, was already making his way up to the front, passing as many cars as he could without too much tyre graining.
Daniil Kvyat was the first retirement of the race a handful of laps in. He had a power unit failure and had to pull his car over at one of the escape paths. Not a happy way to end the season for the future Red Bull driver.
While Lewis Hamilton was battling up front with Felipe Massa, Mercedes made the announcement to Rosberg that his ERS had failed. His car was moving slower and he was being passed by multiple other cars. Rosberg knew he would not be winning, but he had hope that there was still a possibility he could claim the Championship title. He eagerly asked the team what could be done and what position he was in. Things did not look good for the German.
Pastor Maldonado was the second retirement. Things seemed okay for the Venezuelan until a loud boom and a puff of smoke plumed from the back of the Lotus. Within seconds, flames shot out from the car and he quickly pulled it over and got out. His race was over.
Felipe Massa led the race until he was called in for a late pit-stop. This moved Hamilton back to first and the crowds were going wild. The Mercedes garages looked tense, with people biting their nails and clutching random objects with nervousness.
The Red Bull drivers who'd started from pit-lane had battled up to the top 10. Sebastian Vettel was having trouble with maintaining 8th, with Sergio Perez coming up behind him. It didn't take long for the Force India driver to make the move and next on his list was Rosberg, who was practically forcing his Mercedes to even make it around the track.
Kamui Kobayashi retired with only a few laps to go. We heard it was due to some issues with an odd vibration in the car. Although we're not 100% sure of the reason behind it, we're sure it wasn't the way he wanted his season to end. His team-mate for this race, Will Stevens, managed to bring his Caterham to the end and cross the finish line.
With only 2 laps to go, Mercedes urged Rosberg to Box so they could retire his car, stating over the radio that there were "Too many issues with the car" - However, Nico insisted he wanted to finish the race and the team allowed him. He finished in 14th, a long way back from his usual podium finishes this year.
Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in 1st and emotions ran high. He was announced the 2014 F1 World Champion. This is his second championship win, his first in 2008. When he jumped from his car, he was greeted by his close family, girlfriend Nicole and the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
Before the podium, he shared a friendly embrace with Rosberg, who even though disappointed, was happy for his team-mate and said he deserved to win the Championship.
Jenson Button, who currently has an undecided future, finished the race in 5th after a a lengthy wheel-to-wheel battle Fernando Alonso, who is looking to make a move to McLaren.
Sergio Perez finished 7th and his team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg finished 6th, giving Force India their best season to date. They secured 6th in the constructors and both drivers finished in the top 10 in the drivers standings. Both will remain with the team in 2015.
It was a good end for the Williams team with Massa in Second and Bottas rounding up the podium in Third. They passed Ferrari for 3rd in the constructors.
Sauber brought both cars across the finish line in 15th and 16th. Although they missed out on points this season, they're looking to come back strong next year. Monisha Kaltenborn, team principal, thanked Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil and reserve Giedo Van Der Garde for their hard work and loyalty and wishes them the best in their future. Next year Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson will complete Sauber's main driver line-up with a reserve yet to be named.
The season has now come to a close and we're over 100 days from the 2015 Australian GP. It's been an incredible season with amazing memories and now it's time to look forward to the next season.
While we're celebrating all the results from Abu Dhabi, our thoughts are also with Jules Bianchi. We continue to pray for his recovery and we send our support and love to the family and friends of the Marussia driver.
Here are the final results from the double-point season finale!
RACE RESULTS:
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 50 Points
2. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 36 Points
3. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 30 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia / + 24 Points
5. Jenson Button / McLaren-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 20 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 16 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 12 Points
8. Sebastian Vettel / Red Bull-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
9. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari-Ferrari / Spain / + 4 Points
10. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 2 Points
11. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren-Mercedes / Denmark
12. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
13. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Renault / France
14. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany
15. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber-Ferrari / Mexico
16. Adrian Sutil / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
17. Will Stevens / Caterham-Renault / Great Britain
RETIRED - Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham-Renault / Japan / Vibrations
RETIRED - Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / Venezuela / Power Unit Failure
RETIRED - Daniil Kyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / Power Unit Failure
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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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