Lewis Hamilton took his second Formula One World Championship after a 6 year wait after taking victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Brit made a fabulous start to take the lead into the first corner and was able to control the race from start to finish at the Marina Bay Circuit.
However for team mate and rival Nico Rosberg it wasn’t meant to be after an ERS failure saw him drop down to 14th and a lap down. The German is also waiting for his first back to back wins in Formula One, having only won 8 races in his career.
Rosberg earned the respect of the fans with 2 laps to go when he was called in to retire the car he responded with “I would like to finish the race please”. Showing that he wanted to at least finish the race for personal pride.
Hamilton was under pressure from the Williams of Felipe Massa in the closing stages but a battery problem halted his progress and the Brazilian had to settle for second place.
His Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas had a poor start from 3rd and he dropped down to 8th. However a good recovery and strategy saw the Fin climb up to 3rd. The result and double points rule meant Bottas finished 4th in the 2014 standings in only his second season in F1.
The Brit made a fabulous start to take the lead into the first corner and was able to control the race from start to finish at the Marina Bay Circuit.
However for team mate and rival Nico Rosberg it wasn’t meant to be after an ERS failure saw him drop down to 14th and a lap down. The German is also waiting for his first back to back wins in Formula One, having only won 8 races in his career.
Rosberg earned the respect of the fans with 2 laps to go when he was called in to retire the car he responded with “I would like to finish the race please”. Showing that he wanted to at least finish the race for personal pride.
Hamilton was under pressure from the Williams of Felipe Massa in the closing stages but a battery problem halted his progress and the Brazilian had to settle for second place.
His Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas had a poor start from 3rd and he dropped down to 8th. However a good recovery and strategy saw the Fin climb up to 3rd. The result and double points rule meant Bottas finished 4th in the 2014 standings in only his second season in F1.
"THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY IN MY LIFE!" LEWIS HAMILTON
Red Bull had been disqualified from qualifying but a but a contort strategy and the pace of the Red Bull allowed both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo to move through the field. However the 2013 World Champion got stuck behind McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, halting the German’s progress.
Ricciardo on the other hand once again showed his incredible talent as he managed to climb up to 4th. Vettel on the other hand was only 8th at the circuit where he claimed 3rd from the pit lane in 2012.
Jenson Button managed to finish 5th in what might have been his final race in Formula One race. Had Button not finished 5th McLaren would have lost out to Force India in the Constructors Championship as Kevin Magnussen didn’t score any points in Abu Dhabi and finished over 70 points behind Button in the Championship.
Button’s peak in form from the Singapore GP has left him in the best position he could’ve to try to convince McLaren to keep him for next year over Magnussen and GP2 runner up Stoffel Vandoorne who has recently thrown himself into contention for 2015.
Ricciardo on the other hand once again showed his incredible talent as he managed to climb up to 4th. Vettel on the other hand was only 8th at the circuit where he claimed 3rd from the pit lane in 2012.
Jenson Button managed to finish 5th in what might have been his final race in Formula One race. Had Button not finished 5th McLaren would have lost out to Force India in the Constructors Championship as Kevin Magnussen didn’t score any points in Abu Dhabi and finished over 70 points behind Button in the Championship.
Button’s peak in form from the Singapore GP has left him in the best position he could’ve to try to convince McLaren to keep him for next year over Magnussen and GP2 runner up Stoffel Vandoorne who has recently thrown himself into contention for 2015.
Force India finished their best ever season with a big chunk of points after a big dip in performance in the mid part of the season. However this dip in form meant they once again missed out on beating McLaren but with a much stronger car and driver line up they gave a valiant fight in 2014. Both drivers started on the prime tyre and ran the option at the end giving the team great pace at the back end of the GP.
However Nico Hulkenberg felt hard done by after he was given a 5 second penalty forcing Kevin Magnussen off the track. The Dane then had subsequent contact with Adrian Sutil, but the penalty was a harsh one on the German who was very angry on the team radio.
Ferrari again struggled and Fernando Alonso said goodbye to the Scuderia with only a 9th place finish whilst Kimi Raikkonen ended off a terrible season with 10th. The Fin had been absent all weekend and will be glad to see the back of the 2014 season after failing to fully adapt to the 2014 cars.
Sauber again failed to score points equalling a pointless season for the team and only 1 Q3 appearance resulting in the Swiss team’s worst ever season. However the result is hardly a surprise for many in the paddock because of the poor driver line up they chose for the year.
However Nico Hulkenberg felt hard done by after he was given a 5 second penalty forcing Kevin Magnussen off the track. The Dane then had subsequent contact with Adrian Sutil, but the penalty was a harsh one on the German who was very angry on the team radio.
Ferrari again struggled and Fernando Alonso said goodbye to the Scuderia with only a 9th place finish whilst Kimi Raikkonen ended off a terrible season with 10th. The Fin had been absent all weekend and will be glad to see the back of the 2014 season after failing to fully adapt to the 2014 cars.
Sauber again failed to score points equalling a pointless season for the team and only 1 Q3 appearance resulting in the Swiss team’s worst ever season. However the result is hardly a surprise for many in the paddock because of the poor driver line up they chose for the year.
Lotus hadn’t been able to light up the time sheets all year but Pastor Maldonado did light up his car after it caught fire. Romain Grosjean recovered well from a drive through penalty but alas failed to finish in the points.
Caterham done themselves proud at Yas Maria but Kamui Kobayashi rounded off a year to forget with a DNF while Will Stevens did a great job in his debut race in F1 with 17th. The Brit had held up Alonso after the first round of stops providing some comical team radio from the Spaniard.
But to wrap up the season Lewis Hamilton with 11 wins to Rosberg’s 5 and two podiums from the back of the field means that he probably does deserve the 2014 title over Rosberg. But the German will come back fighting and with the Mercedes set to be Number 1 in 2015 Hamilton vs. Rosberg Round 2 will be a cracker!
#Forza Jules.
Caterham done themselves proud at Yas Maria but Kamui Kobayashi rounded off a year to forget with a DNF while Will Stevens did a great job in his debut race in F1 with 17th. The Brit had held up Alonso after the first round of stops providing some comical team radio from the Spaniard.
But to wrap up the season Lewis Hamilton with 11 wins to Rosberg’s 5 and two podiums from the back of the field means that he probably does deserve the 2014 title over Rosberg. But the German will come back fighting and with the Mercedes set to be Number 1 in 2015 Hamilton vs. Rosberg Round 2 will be a cracker!
#Forza Jules.
"LEWIS WAS THE BETTER DRIVER THIS YEAR" NICO ROSBERG
2014 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Results:-
1. Lewis Hamilton 1:39:02.619 HAMILTON IS WORLD CHAMPION
2. Felipe Massa
3. Valtteri Bottas
4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Jenson Button
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Sergio Perez
8. Sebastian Vettel
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Kimi Raikkonen
11. Kevin Magnussen
12. Jean-Eric Vergne
13. Romain Grosjean
14. Nico Rosberg
15. Esterban Gurierrez
16. Adrian Sutil
17. Will Stevens
Kamui Kobayashi DNF
Pastor Maldonado DNF
Daniil Kvyat DNF
1. Lewis Hamilton 1:39:02.619 HAMILTON IS WORLD CHAMPION
2. Felipe Massa
3. Valtteri Bottas
4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Jenson Button
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Sergio Perez
8. Sebastian Vettel
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Kimi Raikkonen
11. Kevin Magnussen
12. Jean-Eric Vergne
13. Romain Grosjean
14. Nico Rosberg
15. Esterban Gurierrez
16. Adrian Sutil
17. Will Stevens
Kamui Kobayashi DNF
Pastor Maldonado DNF
Daniil Kvyat DNF