Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (L) of Britain team mate Nico Rosberg (2nd R) of Germany and Ferrari Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel (R) of Germany pose with a Mercedes team member at the podium of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi yesterday. (Reuters)

Reuters
Abu Dhabi

Nico Rosberg wrapped up the Formula One season on a winning high in Abu Dhabi yesterday with teammate and triple world champion Lewis Hamilton second in a record 12th one-two finish of the year for dominant Mercedes.
The German’s third win in a row, from a sixth successive pole position, dashed Hamilton’s hopes of a 44th career victory in car 44 on the 44th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates. The Briton, who clinched the title in Texas last month with three races to spare, finished 8.2 seconds behind after an attempt at a different strategy failed to produce the desired result. The win was the 16th in 19 races for Mercedes.
“Austin (in Texas) was a tough weekend and since then I’ve just come back a lot stronger,” said Rosberg from the podium after spraying the sparkling rosewater used instead of the usual champagne. “I’m excited about how the end of the season went and next year—it can come any moment, it could start tomorrow if it were up to me, no problem. I don’t need any holidays.”
Hamilton had asked over the team radio with 15 laps to go whether he could go to the end having made only one pitstop to Rosberg’s two but was left in no doubt that such a move would not work. He then pitted on the next lap, any hopes of a wheel-to-wheel battle over the final laps effectively disappearing into the night as he did so. “In hindsight, once Nico had pitted I probably would have backed off a little bit and gone a bit longer...As that didn’t work out, the stop, going too long was probably not the right thing to do, but we gave it a try,” he said.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took third place ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel, who started 15th, for only the Finn’s third podium appearance of the season. Rosberg’s win was his sixth of the season, 14th of his career, and a hat-trick first for the German who had never before managed to win three races in a row. Hamilton ended the championship with 10 victories, one fewer than in 2014, but he took more poles and fastest laps than anyone else.
“It’s always tough to race Lewis, he’s doing an awesome job,” said Rosberg. Mexican Sergio Perez finished fifth, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo sixth for Red Bull and splitting the Force India cars with Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg seventh. Brazilian Felipe Massa took eighth place for Williams, ahead of Frenchman Romain Grosjean in ninth in his final race for Lotus before moving to 2016 newcomers Haas.
Russian Daniil Kvyat secured the final point for Red Bull. Rosberg, who made a clean start and was never threatened, was only the second driver to win the day-to-night floodlit race from pole position since Abu Dhabi first appeared on the calendar in 2009. Hamilton was comparatively slow off the mark on an opening lap that saw McLaren’s Fernando Alonso collide with Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado.
Alonso broadside highlights F1’s mounting problems
Fernando Alonso launched an angry outburst at motorsport’s ruling body yesterday, telling them to focus on the serious problems facing Formula One and to be fairer in their decision-making after being penalised on his way to 17th place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion, widely respected as one of the sport’s elder statesmen, revealed how livid he feels in a broadside that was summed up when he said that it was time the International Motoring Federation (FIA) used “some common sense”.
Alonso believed he was unfairly penalised when he was in contact with Felipe Nasr’s Sauber car and could not avoid a collision with Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus and said that the FIA had missed an opportunity to demonstrate justice and sense. “It’s FIA things,” said Alonso. “We see the grandstands half empty on this circuit—and half empty on most circuits. And there are championships which are overtaking us on the right, like WEC (world endurance), MotoGP (motorcycling). And then we are trying to make the cars louder!
“I think we need a bit of common sense.... To have a drive-through (penalty) after you’ve been hit by another car is a bit strange and I think it’s unique. F1 needs to ask itself about the sound of the cars, or what is the problem to have less and less spectators. This kind of season, they need to make more sense about what they are doing because I don’t see this in WEC, MotoGP and other categories that are much more fun than us.”

RESULTS

ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
1.Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes) 1hr 38min 30.175sec, 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) at 8.271, 3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 19.430, 4. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 43.735, 5. Sergio Perez (MEX/Force India) 1:03.952, 6. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 1:05.010, 7. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Force India) 1:33.618, 8. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1:37.751, 9. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Lotus) 1:38.201, 10. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Red Bull) 1:42.371, 11. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Toro Rosso) 1:43.525, 12. Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren) 1 lap, 13. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Williams) 1 lap, 14. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber AG) 1 lap, 15. Felipe Nasr (BRA/Sauber AG) 1 lap, 16. Max Verstappen (NED/Toro Rosso) 1 lap, 17. Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren) 2 laps, 18. Will Stevens (GBR/Marussia) 2 laps, 19. Roberto Merhi (ESP/Marussia) 3 laps
Overall standings
Drivers
1.Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 381.0pts - champion, 2. Nico Rosberg (GER) 322.0, 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 278.0, 4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 150.0, 5. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 136.0, 6. Felipe Massa (BRA) 121.0, 7. Daniil Kvyat (RUS) 95.0, 8. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 92.0, 9. Sergio Perez (MEX) 78.0, 10. Nico Hülkenberg (GER) 58.0, 11. Romain Grosjean (FRA) 51.0, 12. Max Verstappen (NED) 49.0, 13. Felipe Nasr (BRA) 27.0, 14. Pastor Maldonado (VEN) 27.0, 15. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) 18.0, 16. Jenson Button (GBR) 16.0, 17. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 11.0, 18. Marcus Ericsson (SWE) 9.0
Constructors
1.Mercedes 703.0pts - champions, 2. Ferrari 428.0, 3. Williams 257.0, 4. Red Bull 187.0, 5. Force India 136.0, 6. Lotus 78.0, 7. Toro Rosso 67.0, 8. Sauber AG 36.0, 9. McLaren 27.0.