So, that’s a wrap! Lewis Hamilton rounds off a stunning season with victory in Abu Dhabi. The world champion took victory after starting on pole at Yas Marina, with Vettel taking second ahead of Verstappen. And what better way to toast a great year than an end-of-season selfie in the podium green room? Hamilton orchestrates the snap. Fernando Alonso could not get among the points in the end, with the Spaniard finishing 11th in his last F1 race. “It has been pleasure racing with these champions and I feel privileged. Thanks to everyone and to Formula 1, I will always be a fan of this sport.” Better still, it’s only 110 days until Melbourne, where the 2019 campaign gets under way. Do join us then.
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And, some triple donuts, courtesy of Hamilton, Alonso and co to cap another extraordinary F1 campaign! The fans in Abu Dhabi soak it up. “Thank you guys so much for all the support this year,” Hamilton says. “It’s been a real honour and a privilege racing against Sebastian [Vettel]. He’s done a fantastic job. I know next year he’s going to come back strong, so I need to do the same.”
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Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi GP!
The world champion crowns a championship-winning season with victory in the final race. Vettel takes second, ahead of Max Verstappen in third. Ricciardo fourth and Bottas fifth. An eleventh win of the season for Hamilton! The Brit celebrates with a few customary donuts, as Alonso, who finishes his last F1 race in 11th, waves goodbye to the crowd. “What a career, champ. Thank you, thank you,” Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO says down the radio.
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Lap 55/55: Here we go, the last hurrah!
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Lap 54/55: Ah, a five-second time penalty for Alonso. He’s been punished for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. A gung-ho strategy to finish off for Alonso, it seems. Leclerc, who will drive for Ferrari in 2019, looks set to take seventh. He has Pérez breathing down his neck. In front, Hamilton’s cruising.
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Lap 53/55: Hamilton has a healthy five-second buffer over Vettel, with Verstappen third, ahead of his Red Bull colleague Ricciardo.
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Lap 51/55: Alonso is told there’s a point up for grabs. Can the Spaniard bow out with a strong finish? He needs to find a way past Kevin Magnussen, who has hold of 10th.
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Lap 50/55: Hamilton continues to lead Vettel by 4.2secs. Meanwhile, a bit of a contretemps between Max Verstappen and his race engineer. The Dutchman feels like he is not being listened to, but soon gets a stern telling off as he’s put back in his place. Verstappen is worried about an engine issue, but he’s just set his fastest lap. It’s not all bad, with Red Bull in third and fourth.
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Lap 49/55: Another retirement, with Pierre Gasly’s race done and dusted. Fifteen drivers remain, as the Toro Rosso joins Ocon, Ericsson, Hülkenberg and Räikkönen down in the paddock. “Check if there is fire,” yells Gasly. The marshals look pretty happy, though, and Gasly climbs out and trudges away from the scene.
Lap 48/55: Pierre Gasly looks to be in trouble. “Smoke coming out,” shouts the Toro Rosso driver. Max Verstappen, behind him, is guzzling the oil. Gasly is down in 10th, but has been told to box as the Red Bulls attempt to lap him.
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Lap 46/55: Sebastian Ocon is losing rear-end grip, and oil is streaming out of the back out of his car. So, his final race for Force India ends in retirement. He cannot even make it down the pit-lane, as his car conks out. They’ll have to shift it.
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Lap 44/55: After that light drizzle half an hour or so ago, no more rain is expected to spice up the rest of this race. But, anybody jetting out of Abu Dhabi or Dubai tonight are allegedly in for a bumpy ride. Ten laps remain at Yas Marina.
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Lap 43/55: Bottas is relishing that set of fresh tyres, setting a new fastest lap after a troublesome time. Fernando Alonso, on his F1 swansong, is down in 13th.
Lap 42/55: Hamilton leads Vettel by 5.1secs, but the Mercedes is unlikely to have it easy in the final stages in Abu Dhabi. The pace of Verstappen and Ricciardo will worry Toto Wolff and co down in the Mercedes paddock. “We pitted because we saw something with the right rear,” confirm Mercedes to Bottas.
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Lap 40/55: Mercedes welcome Bottas into the pits. On go the purple ultrasoft tyres. Can he do any damage with a fresh set?
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Lap 39/55: And now Bottas cannot fend off the other Red Bull, as Daniel Ricciardo nips ahead of the Mercedes before accelerating through the final sector. The two Red Bulls have solid tyres, a promising pace and are within 12secs of the lead.
Lap 38/55: A 13-second blanket covers the top five, but Bottas is flailing after losing third. Verstappen fancies his chances, squeezing the Mercedes out and bullying him off the track. “He didn’t see me,” Verstappen says, basking in that ice-cool overtake. Brilliant, buoyant driving by the Red Bull who bypasses him and now has set his sights on Sebastian Vettel.
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Lap 36/55: Bottas twice locks up down the back straight. A couple of sloppy mistakes. Vettel’s 1.6secs in front of the Finn. Ricciardo is enjoying himself, with little traffic to worry about. The Australian will be joining the third-placed party soon on this pace.
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Lap 35/55: Hamilton, back out in front, leads Vettel by just over 7secs. Ocon is handed a five-second time penalty by the stewards, for leaving the track and gaining advantage when trumping Vandoorne into 11th.
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Lap 34/55: In comes the race leader Ricciardo. It’s a neat pit-stop, with supersofts slapped on as Ricciardo is whisked in and out inside 2.2secs. The Red Bull returns to the track in fifth, behind team-mate Max Verstappen. The chase is on.
Lap 32/55: The battle for 11th is hotting up, with Hartley and Gasly keen to get involved in the antics. Ocon holds position for now, with Vandoorne 0.038 secs behind. And now Bottas trumps Verstappen to record another fastest lap inside 1.43. Alonso, meanwhile, is no longer running in last after slinking his way past Sergey Sirotkin. To make matters worse, the Russian is yet to stop for fresh tyres; it could be a very long afternoon, so to speak.
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Lap 31/55: Ricciardo leads Hamilton by 2.7secs. And now Max Verstappen has just a new fastest lap, a lightning 1.43. Vandoorne slides in front of Ocon to snatch 11th, while Romain Grosjean has his eyes fixated on the Force India.
Lap 28/55: Alonso pits. His final F1 pit stop? “It’s a goodbye for now,” he said with a hint of mystery, before the off in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is moaning down the team radio of a slippery surface owing to that rain. Elsewhere, a streak of lightning has been reported from the helicopter up above.
Lap 27/55: Nico Hülkenberg has been into the Renault paddock, thanking his team for their help after that first-lap clash. He looks well, waving to fans who spot him peering through the race wall by the start line. Out in front, Ricciardo, yet to pit, leads Hamilton by almost 3secs. Bottas is third. Vettel fourth.
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Lap 26/55: Ericsson is in trouble, his car crawling round the track and down to the pits. His final race for Sauber ends in mechanical failure, and tears. Seventeen drivers remain ...
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Lap 25/55: Red Bull appear to be readying to receive Ricciardo down in the pits. The rest of the top five have pitted, including Lewis Hamilton. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, has had a good look at how that rain is affecting the track. “It’s raining on the back straight,” says Verstappen.
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Lap 23/55: We have a dusting of rain in Abu Dhabi. Ricciardo is still on the ultrasoft tyres, almost everybody else is on the supersofts.
Lap 21/55: “How are your tyres, Daniel?” ask Red Bull. “Yep, fairly consistent,” comes the riposte from Ricciardo. “I can hold this.” Once he pits, we will surely have a new-look podium, but the Red Bulls are certainly both well-placed. A look to the gloomy skies tells you all you need to know: rain is on its way.
Lap 19/55: “Keep pushing up, you know the plan now,” Red Bull tell Ricciardo. The Australian seems very focused in the pod. “Yep,” he says. Ricciardo is the race leader – for now – with Hamilton six seconds behind him. A quick look at how things stand:
1 Ricciardo
2 Hamilton
3 Bottas
4 Vettel
5 Verstappen
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Lap 18/55: A seamless stop by Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull stationary for a mere two seconds. The Red Bull comes out in fifth, behind Sebastian Vettel who has just set a new fastest lap of 1.43.602. Plenty to play for yet.
Lap 17/55: Anything you can do, I can do better, says Bottas. The Mercedes zips in and out of the pits inside 2.5secs and the Finn returns to the track in fourth, behind his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. But, crucially, he’s in front of Vettel, who has stormed into fifth, beyond the Force Indias, Ocon and Pérez.
Lap 16/55: Vettel pits, but it’s a little sluggish. Verstappen soars to third and the Ferrari feeds into sixth behind Sebastian Ocon. He is unlikely to be trailing the Force India for long, though. Things are looking promising for Red Bull at Yas Marina.
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Lap 14/55: Sainz steals back eighth from Ericsson, who is beginning to show signs of struggle on those supersoft tyres of his. Out in front, Bottas leads Vettel by 2.7secs, with Hamilton 9.5secs behind the race leader. In third, it’s Daniel Ricciardo, who has Max Verstappen hot on his heels, 1.2secs behind him.
Lap 13/55: Ericsson leaps into eighth, ahead of Sainz. And an update on Hülkenberg. The Renault driver, while shaken up, has no obvious injuries and instead will continue to be observed at the FIA medical centre in Abu Dhabi. Great news.
Lap 11/55: Grosjean, who was involved in that early kerfuffle with Nico Hülkenberg, gets past Sirotkin to claim 16th. There is no concrete update on Hülkenberg but he was able to clamber out of the Renault, walking and talking en route to the medical centre, so that’s good news. Räikkönen, who started from fourth, was also forced into a premature retirement after a power failure.
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Lap 10/55: “Resident in Abu Dhabi here, late getting to the track,” emails Chris Jones. “Significant downpour on the way which could make things interesting.” Indeed, there’s around a 40% chance of showers, which could ensure a dramatic finale to the race calendar. Meanwhile, Hartley flies into the wall but gets away unscathed. He’s very much the back marker down in 18th.
Lap 9/55: “Just remember, Lewis, you are going to the end now,” is the message from Mercedes down the team radio. A one-stop strategy for the world champion, then. Hamilton’s only nine seconds off the lead, despite having pitted. He zooms in front of Verstappen, but the Red Bull fights back to take back fourth. And now the Dutchman scampers off into the horizon. Verstappen, on hypersoft tyres, is very much back in this race after a dreadful start.
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Lap 8/55: Lewis Hamilton opts to pit early, and Will Smith applauds as the Mercedes get things sorted inside a rather nifty 2.5secs. Räikkönen, meanwhile, is trudging back towards the paddock on his 150th start for Ferrari. The Finn finishes on a bum note for the Scuderia. The marshals are trying to slide his car through the gate, to minimise the impact on the rest of this race. For now, Valtteri Bottas is the new race leader. Vettel’s second, in front of Daniel Ricciardo, and there’s Max Verstappen, who’s soared up to fourth.
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Lap 7/55: Hang on a minute ... Kimi Räikkönen’s race is over. And the virtual safety car is deployed, with the Ferrari stuck in a dangerous position on the grid. “What’s happening? I don’t have power,” he says. His season has come to an abrupt end.
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Lap 6/55: Ocon and Verstappen continue to joust, with the Red Bull bypassing the Force India before the Dutchman zooms in front down the inside lane. Things are getting spicy between those two, with their respective cars kissing into the corner.
Lap 5/55: Ocon v Verstappen round two is already proving entertaining fare. The Red Bull seemed to lose power down the straight, but he manages to nip in ahead of Pérez. Ocon, the other Force India, remains in front of him. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton sets an early fastest lap, a pacy 1.43.982.
Lap 4/55: The safety car remains out in front, with Hamilton behind. We will have a green flag and a race restart shortly. The main thing is that Nico Hülkenberg seemed to be OK.
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Lap 2/55: Hülkenberg climbs out of his Renault, after a very worrying accident. He gives the thumbs up to those in close proximity, he’s OK, thankfully. It was a clash with Grosjean, in the German’s blind spot. It appeared a relatively low-key coming together between the two, a clipping of the tyres fuelling that crash. Hülkenberg gets into the medical car, and he will be taken to the medical centre. The stewards take a look at the incident, but they’re as happy as they can be. No further action needed. Meanwhile, a front-wing change for Brandon Hartley, who takes an opportunity to repair some damage to his Toro Rosso.
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Lap 1/55: Hülkenberg crashes out! His car is on fire, but the German is speaking down the team radio. He seems to be OK. The marshals are hosing his car with the fire extinguishers. His Renault is upside down. A safety car has been deployed.
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Lights out!
Lewis Hamilton gets away nicely, but a poor start for Max Verstappen, who plummets to 10th, and Fernando Alonso. A good luck message to the Spaniard from the McLaren race engineer on the formation lap quickly goes to waste ...
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We’ve just had a hearty rendition of the United Arab Emirates’s national anthem. The grid is absolutely swamped, with lights out fast approaching. Lewis Hamilton seems to have a minor issue, but the engineers are relaxed having hoisted one side of the Mercedes up. They think it’s just a small technical fault with a rogue data logger. No problem, then. As for Alonso, bidding F1 a fond farewell, he says: “I will try to take care a little more. I would like not to have a stupid accident in the first couple of corners.”
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Max Verstappen is fed up of taking flak for that shove on Sebastian Ocon, with the Dutchman attempting to downgrade his behaviour to trivial. “Pushing, in any sport, it happens,” the Red Bull driver says. “I actually saw it a few days ago in football again. So from my side, I thought it was quite a calm response.” The 21-year-old said he only reacted the way he did because of a few verbals courtesy of the Force India. “You don’t hear what is said, you just see me pushing. I was after an apology and I got a bit of a different response.” Hamilton’s paddock, meanwhile, is a jovial affair given Will Smith is a guest of the Mercedes driver at Yas Marina. “He’s granted the old man a wish,” the actor said.
Away from Alonso, Lewis Hamilton is determined to finish the season with a bang, having previously been accused of losing focus after sealing the title. This year is the first he has won a race after wrapping up the championship in Mexico City. With overtaking in Abu Dhabi tricky, Hamilton, from pole, is perfectly placed to close a fine year with his 11th victory of the season. “I don’t think it was because I couldn’t do it in the past, I just didn’t do the job,” Hamilton says. “I think this year it was being in a different place in my life. I do want to continue to push the limits, push the boundaries, and I want to finish the season on a solid high if I can so that I can really continue to keep that foundation as strong as it has been this year, so I can use that to start on next year.”
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The grid!
1 Hamilton 2 Bottas
3 Vettel 4 Räikkönen
5 Ricciardo 6 Verstappen
7 Grosjean 8 Leclerc
9 Ocon 10 Hülkenberg
11 Sainz 12 Ericsson
13 Magnussen 14 Pérez
15 Alonso 16 Hartley
17 Gasly 18 Vandoorne
19 Sirotkin 20 Stroll
Preamble
This is the last hurrah, the final chunk of the procession as the curtain comes down on another extraordinary season. Things finish as they started, with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes sat on pole, though the world champion was ultimately upstaged by Sebastian Vettel on the first day of the race calendar. It is two weeks since Hamilton snatched victory in Brazil owing to Max Verstappen’s clash with back marker Sebastian Ocon, which was soured by a shove in the paddock. But as Hamilton bows out after a championship-winning season for him and his team, this will prove a different kind of farewell for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard’s car has been painted in a colourful one-off livery, including a nod to his region of Asturias, and the two-time champion will also be wearing a special helmet to mark the occasion. The drivers will provide a fitting guard of honour as Alonso heads to the grid for one last time. All in all, it’s sure to be an emotional few hours in Abu Dhabi.
Lights out: 1.10pm (GMT)
