ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX - RACE
As the 2016 season came to a close, one thing was on everyone's minds. Rosberg or Hamilton? Who would take home the 2016 Championship Title? It had come down to the final race, under the lights of Yas Marina Circuit and the crowds were filled with emotions and nerves.
Lewis Hamilton was on Pole Position, but knew it would take more than just winning the race to grab the title. Rosberg knew all he had to do was finish on the podium if Hamilton won the race. With Rosberg starting 2nd, his chances were high.
It was a fairly clean lap one apart from a few mishaps at the back of the pack. Kevin Magnussen was the first to retire from the race with a steering issue after damage to his car. Not the way he'd wanted to finish the season. The Dane heads to Haas next year, bidding farewell to the Renault Sport team.
Ricciardo, who had started from 3rd, found himself being pushed back as other drivers passed by, including Vettel and Raikkonen. Raikkonen quickly moved towards both Mercedes drivers and even challenged Rosberg for a moment.
Valtteri Bottas was the next driver to end the season on a low, retiring with suspension damage from a bump on the surface of the circuit that he'd hit. Team-mate, Felipe Massa, who leaves F1, finished the race in 9th, grabbing his final 2 Championship points in the sport. Jenson Button, who is also leaving F1, retired with suspension damage as well while his team-mate, Alonso, finished in 10th to take the final point.
Max Verstappen, who was spun early on in the opening laps, was making his way back towards the front, doing what he could to find enough speed to look for a spot on the podium to end his first season with Red Bull on a high.
Both Toro Rosso drivers retired from the race with gearbox problems. Kvyat easily pulled his limping car over to the side of the circuit before hopping out while Sainz's retirement came later after Palmer crashed into the back of him and sent him into a spin. Sainz managed one more lap before he realized the car wasn't going to make it any further.
It was a quiet race for Force India with both Perez and Hulkenberg easily making their way around the circuit and staying in the top 10. The team finished 4th in the constructors, 35 points ahead of Williams. Perez finished the race in 8th and Hulkenberg in 7th, bringing them a final helping of 10 points.
While neither Sauber or Manor scored any points, it was Sauber who secured 10th in the standings after Felipe Nasr scored 2 points for the team at his home grand prix in Brazil. Nasr does not yet have a seat for 2017, while team-mate, Ericsson has been confirmed to stay with the Swiss team.
American team Haas, saw both drivers finish outside of the points but finish 8th in the constructors with a total of 29 points, all scored by Romain Grosjean, who will remain with the team in 2017. Gutierrez, who had multiple mechanical failures and near-point finishes, has not yet announced his plans for next year.
Up at the front, Hamilton was still leading the way, while Rosberg charged after him. Hamilton began to try other tactics, even slowing down to push Rosberg closer to Vettel and Verstappen, who were trying to pass the Championship contender. Hamilton went as far as ignoring team orders at an attempt to get the title, but in the end, Rosberg managed to steer clear of both the Ferrari and the Red Bull and finished 2nd, taking his first F1 Championship. Hamilton won the race while Sebastian Vettel grabbed the final podium spot, in 3rd.
Rosberg was ecstastic over the radio, cheering and yelling as his team and wife, Vivian, congratulated him. Rosberg and his father, Keke, are now only the second father-son duo to have F1 Championship titles after the Hills.
With the 2016 season now over, many changes will be seen in 2017, including new rules, wider tyres and a group of new, young drivers ready to break onto the scene and try for a chance at points, podiums and wins.
RESULTS:
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 15 Points
4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 12 Points
5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 10 Points
6. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points
9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points
10. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 1 Point
11. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
12. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico
13. Esteban Ocon / Manor-Mercedes / France
14. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
15. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
17. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / Gearbox
RETIRED - Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia / Gearbox
RETIRED - Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / Suspension Failure
RETIRED - Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / Suspension Failure
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark / Steering Damage
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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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