Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live: Nico Rosberg wins championship as Lewis Hamilton holds on to Grand Prix victory
Follow the latest from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Hamilton and Rosberg battle for the world championship
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Your support makes all the difference.Nico Rosberg has been crowned the new Formula One world champion despite finishing the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix behind race winner Lewis Hamilton, securing the title by just five points over his Mercedes teammate. Follow the latest here.
- Nico Rosberg crowned 2016 F1 world champion
- Lewis Hamilton takes Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory ahead of Rosberg
- Rosberg holds on to claim second and win title by five points
- Sebastian Vettel finishes third ahead of Max Verstappen
- Hamilton attempted to back Rosberg into pack with top four split by 1.6 seconds
- Rosberg wins his first world title to emulate his father, Keke, who won in 1982
Follow the live action below...
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Preview
Those others are the two Red Bulls and the two Ferraris, with Hamilton needing at least two of them to get in front of Rosberg in order for the Briton to have any hope of clinching a fourth world championship.
Hamilton struck the first blow by taking pole position ahead of Rosberg, but his Mercedes teammate will line up second on the grid and the prospects of Rosberg being passed look slim given he was over half-a-second faster than the third-placed Daniel Ricciardo.
We’ll bring you full coverage of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 12:00 right here, but you can find out everything you need to know for the race below in the meantime.
What time does it start?
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will begin at 13:00 with lights out, with The Independent’s full coverage getting underway from midday.
Where can I watch it?
Both Channel 4 and Sky Sports F1 will show the race live. Channel 4 begin their coverage from 12:00 and run until 16:40, while Sky Sports F1 will start at the earlier time of 11:30 but end their coverage at 16:15.
You can also follow the race with in-depth coverage with the Independent.
How can Lewis Hamilton win the title?
- Hamilton trails Rosberg by 12 points, meaning that if he wins the race, he needs Rosberg to finish fourth or worse.
- If Hamilton finishes second, he need Rosberg to finish seventh or worse.
- If Hamilton finishes third, he needs Rosberg to finish ninth or worse.
- If Hamilton finishes fourth, he needs Rosberg to finish 11th or worse
- If Hamilton finishes fifth or worse, he cannot win the title.
Starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1mins 38.755secs
2 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:39.058
3 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 1:39.589
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:39.604
5 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:39.661
6 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:39.818
7 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Force India 1:40.501
8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 1:40.519
9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1:41.106
10 Felipe Massa (Bra) Williams 1:41.213
11 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams 1:41.084
12 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:41.272
13 Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Haas F1 1:41.480
14 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:41.564
15 Jolyon Palmer (Gbr) Renault 1:41.820
16 Pascal Wehrlein (Ger) Manor Racing 1:41.995
17 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:42.003
18 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Renault 1:42.142
19 Felipe Nasr (Bra) Sauber-Ferrari 1:42.247
20 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Manor Racing 1:42.286
21 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:42.393
22 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber-Ferrari 1:42.637
This is it then. The grid is starting to clear as the five-minute warning goes up, and the final preparations are complete. All eyes are on that front row, and it doesn't get much more tense than this.
How much does Lewis want it? He could try to disappear at the front and hope something comes his way, but if Rosberg steers clear of trouble then he's almost certain to finish on the podium. In which case Lewis could back him up and try to cause some chaos behind him. It will earn him a telling off from his team and risk his own chances of winning, but it may be what is needed to win a fourth title.
Starting tyres:
Only the Red Bulls are on the super-softs in the top 10, with the rest on ultras.Gutirrez, Nasr, and Sainz start on the softs, while both Palmer and Wehrlein are on ultras. The rest of the field are on super-softs, so it's a pretty mixed up grid.
So 65% of you believe it'll be Rosberg who wins the title, while an optimistic 35% are backing Hamilton. Here they come back round onto the grid...
Lap 1: Hamilton makes a good start as does Rosberg, and they retain position into turn one. Verstappen spins! The Red Bull is down to last but he keeps going.
Latest:
- Nico Rosberg crowned 2016 world champion
- Hamilton wins Grand Prix but finishes second in standings
- Vettel passes Verstappen late on to take third
- Verstappen went from last to fourth after early spin
- Top 5: 1. Hamilton 2. Rosberg 3. Vettel 4. Verstappen 5. Ricciardo
- RET: Magnussen (Lap 5), Bottas (Lap 7), Button (Lap 13), Kvyat (Lap 16), Sainz (Lap 43)
Lap 2: Verstappen's already up to 19th, as Magnussen comes into the pits for a new front wing with damage on his old one. It looks like Verstappen ran into the back of Hulkenberg, who is currently dicing with Force India teammate Perez, but up front it's as you were.
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