Simply Abu Dhabi XXIV

6 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Round 9 Austria: The title fight took another twist when Rosberg and Hamilton collided on the final lap as the Brit attempted to overtake. The last lap saw Hamilton get the run into turn 2 but Rosberg defended and they hit. Rosberg damaged his front wing and lost the lead to Hamilton while Verstappen and Raikkonen completed the podium with Nico hobbling across the line in fourth. Driver: Rosberg 153, Hamilton 142, Vettel & Raikkonen 96 Constructor: Mercedes 295, Ferrari 192, Red Bull-TAG Heuer 168 Round 10 Great Britain: Lewis was dominant on home turf, controlling the race under changing conditions, wet at the start and dry at the finish. He won easily from Rosberg who was penalised 10 seconds for taking instructions over the radio about gearbox modes. He dropped to third place and just one point ahead of Hamilton for the title chase. Driver: Rosberg 168, Hamilton 167, Raikkonen 106 Constructor: Mercedes 335, Ferrari 204, Red Bull 198 Round 11 Hungary: Following the dominance of Silverstone, Hamilton had momentum and controlled from the start. Rosberg got the jump but his teammate nabbed the lead going into turn 1 and lead another Mercedes 1-2, this time in Hamilton’s favour. It was Hamilton’s fifth win in six races and he now led the championship. Driver: Hamilton 192, Rosberg 186, Ricciardo 115 Constructor: Mercedes 378, Ferrari 224, Red Bull 223 Round 12 Germany: Hamilton extended his lead in the championship with a flawless drive as title rival Rosberg paid the price for a third race penalty in four events on his way to fourth. Hamilton needed no invitation to take the lead as Rosberg blew his P1 start, leaving the way clear for Hamilton to extend his championship lead to 19 points with a sixth victory of the season. Worse still for Rosberg, any hopes of second place evaporated after he was handed a 5 second penalty for forcing Verstappen off track. He took this during his second pit stop and finished 6.9 seconds behind Hamilton with Verstappen nabbing third after Ricciardo. It was another underwhelming afternoon for Ferrari as Vettel and Raikkonen struggled, allowing Red Bull through for third in the Constructor’s Championship Driver: Hamilton 217, Rosberg 198, Ricciardo 133 Constructor: Mercedes 415, Red Bull 256, Ferrari 242 Round 13 Belgium: Nico used the summer break to refocus and, like Melbourne, came out with arms swinging to easily win the Belgian GP leaving Hamilton to find the last spot on the podium. Behind Rosberg there was action aplenty with front row sitter Verstappen, Raikkonen and Vettel colliding at turn 1, sending Max into a spin as the others sustained damage that needed to pit. A red flag on lap 9 after Magnussen crashed heavily at the top of Eau Rouge bunched the field with a restart on lap 11 giving Hamilton a boost fromP5 but it was Nico who took the chequered flag,14.1 seconds clear of Ricciardo and Hamilton. Driver: Hamilton 232, Rosberg 223, Ricciardo 151 Constructor: Mercedes 455, Red Bull 274, Ferrari 252