Formula One: Rosberg wins season finale in Abu Dhabi

Nico Rosberg completed his end-of-season hat-trick of victories last night in a less than scintillating Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton once again found himself fruitlessly chasing his elusive 44th triumph.

But while the Spaniard said ahead of Sunday’s race that he will be on the grid next year his mind appeared to be elsewhere on the run down to turn one after going in too deep and crashing into the side of Pastor Maldonado. It was his first success at the Yas Marina circuit where Hamilton beat him in 2014 to take his second title.

Nico Erik Rosberg is a German racing driver and he plays for Mercedes Formula One team.

Pole-sitter Rosberg said: “Normally I’m not too over-excited when I’m on pole, as you don’t get any points on a Saturday”.

“It’s always tough to race Lewis, he’s doing an awesome job”, said Rosberg. “Next season can start tomorrow for me – I don’t need any holidays”, he said at the presentations.

Mercedes’ executive director Paddy Lowe added: “It was a fantastic, tense final qualifying session of the season under the lights here in Abu Dhabi”. “But I just came back stronger”.

Behind the Silver Arrows, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen collected just his third podium finish of the season, and along with it the points he needed to overhaul countryman Valtteri Bottas for fourth in the drivers’ standings.

If you enjoy reading Eurasia Review please donate today to ensure that we are able to provide our services. He’s joined on the second row by Sergio Perez, quietly impressing for what has been a quietly impressive Force India program for the past few years.

“We took some learning on board off that weekend and whether the auto has come more towards Nico and gone away from Lewis, it could be a factor but I wouldn’t want to reduce it to one factor, there could be many factors playing a role”. “I’ll try to keep it going, the current form, starting next year”. All of my laps this evening were very clean and tidy, and we managed to get the maximum from the vehicle. The second stint was very good – but I don’t really know what happened strategy-wise at the end.

“The auto is being developed and improved and after Singapore we developed in a different direction”. Jenson Button missed out entering Q3 for the first time this season by two tenths of a second and Fernando Alonso suffered a tyre puncture at the end of Q1.

The day’s biggest surprise was the failure of Sebastian Vettel to work his way out of the first round of qualifying. During the lap the auto suddenly shut down.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done either so there’s no reason to change”, replied Hamilton.