Simply Abu Dhabi XXIV

Round 14 Italy: The final stop on the European tour was at the historic Monza track which saw the Silver Arrows dominate at the same venue half a century ago. Polesitter Hamilton bogged at the start, dropping to sixth which allowed Rosberg to take the lead into turn 1 with Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas and Ricciardo all getting past on the opening lap. The tyre strategy allowed Lewis just one pit stop, jumping the Ferrari duo who were on a two-stop strategy, but it was a comfortable win for Rosberg. Hamilton was second with Vettel a distant third – and at the end of the European season, the Mercedes pair were split by just two points. Driver: Hamilton 250, Rosberg 248, Ricciardo 161 Constructor: Mercedes 498, Red Bull 290, Ferrari 279 Round 15 Singapore: Rosberg surged back into the championship lead with a hard fought third win in Singapore after resisting the late advances of a charging Ricciardo. The German looked on course for a dominant lights-to-flag win as he managed a small margin over Ricciardo from the start, only for the race to be brought alive in the closing stages as Red Bull pitted with 12 laps remaining to take a gamble on super-soft tyres. Ricciardo had 11 laps to close a 22 second gap to Rosberg, but the German held off to win by 0.4 seconds. Hamilton was third but, crucially, handed the championship lead back to his teammate. Driver: Rosberg 273, Hamilton 265, Ricciardo 179 Constructor: Mercedes 538, Red Bull 316, Ferrari 301 Round 16 Malaysia: This was a race Mercedes would rather forget as both Rosberg and Hamilton had a disastrous GP while Ricciardo scooped up the pieces and took a thrilling win. A potentially pivotal moment in the championship came when Nico was tapped into a spin by Vettel at the first corner. Hamilton needed a win and with Rosberg out of contention, he built a comfortable buffer, looking for his seventh win that would have returned him to the championship lead. With a 20 second lead over Ricciardo and 16 laps remaining, his Mercedes engine failed in the closing stages, handing Ricciardo his fourth win, 2.4 seconds in front of Verstappen and a Red Bull 1-2 with Rosberg third. Driver: Rosberg 288, Hamilton 265, Ricciardo 204 Constructor: Mercedes 553, Red Bull 359, Ferrari 313 Round 17 Japan: Just as Monaco was a confidence booster for Hamilton, Malaysia was a body blow and it was Rosberg back on pole at Suzuka. Hamilton blew the start and Rosberg led another lights-to-flag victory making it four wins from five starts. Hamilton fell back to eighth by turn 1 and struggled to recover, finishing third behind Verstappen. Their Mercedes team, however, clinched the constructor’s title for the third year. Driver: Rosberg 313, Hamilton 280, Ricciardo 212 Constructor: Mercedes 593, Red Bull 385, Ferrari 335 6 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I