Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race day

By: Geoff Creighton

Summary


	Hamilton wins from pole after making early stop under VSC
	Ricciardo goes long in first stint to lead the middle part of the race
	Hulkenberg flipped upside down on opening lap
	Raikkonen's car breaks down on his last start for Ferrari
	Promoted: Download the Pitstop Betting app today

Status: Stopped

16:04 Driver, Team
Hamilton, Mercedes
Vettel, Ferrari
Verstappen, Red Bull
Ricciardo, Red Bull
Bottas, Mercedes
Sainz, Renault
Leclerc, Sauber
Perez, Force India
Grosjean, Haas
Magnussen, Haas

18:13 It's been an absolute pleasure helping to bring you Live coverage of the 2018 F1 season - we'll see you again in Melbourne next year. We can't wait!

18:12 Make sure you stay tuned to Autosport.com and Motorsport.com for all the post-race news from the paddock.

18:11 And with that, it's time to end our Live coverage of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Check out our race report to recap all the action from the season finale.

Lewis Hamilton wins 2018 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton ended his title-winning Formula 1 season by dominating the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which featured a dramatic first-lap crash for Nico Hulkenberg

18:10 The drivers emerge from the cool down room to take to the podium for the final time in 2018.

18:09

18:09 Vettel and Verstappen are swapping stories about the times they went off because of the wind - everyone seems to be getting on jolly well. Almost like the season is over or something.

18:08 Hamilton organises a selfie for the top three. No comment.

18:08 'Rain in Abu Dhabi!" exclaims Vettel in the cool down room.

18:04 Hamilton's car has been wheeled onto what looks like a very expensive LED screen below the podium.

18:03 "My engine went into a safety programme and it happened again at the restart," explains Verstappen of his poor getaway.

18:02 "The sport will miss him [Alonso]," says Hamilton, even though he is of course not leaving the 'sport', just F1.

18:02 "A true legend," says Hamilton of his first F1 team-mate.

18:01 "As long as I'm not commentating [I'll be back in F1]," jokes Alonso. "I'll always be a fan of this show."

18:01 Complete Abu Dhabi result:
1. Hamilton
2. Vettel
3. Verstappen
4. Ricciardo
5. Bottas
6. Sainz
7. Leclerc
8. Perez
9. Grosjean
10. Magnussen
11. Alonso
12. Hartley
13. Stroll
14. Vandoorne
15. Sirotkin

18:01 "Well done to Fernando - we will miss him," says Vettel of Alonso.

18:00 "He deserves to be the champion," says Vettel. "It's been a tough year. I tried until the last lap [there]."

18:00 Hamilton praises Vettel's performance in 2018. "I know next year he's going to come back strong next year."

17:59

17:59 "I'm so happy right now," says Hamilton somewhat (not) unexpectedly.

17:59 Hamilton steps out of his car, salutes the crowd and gets a hug from Alonso.

17:58 The fans roar their appreciation on the home straight.

17:57 Alonso joins the top two in returning to the grid for some final donuts - much like Felipe Massa did 12 laps ago.

17:56 Leclerc holds off Perez for seventh, but it is Sainz in the Renault that wins the final 'Class B' battle of the year.

17:56 "It's been a pleasure having you in our team for the last five seasons - we're going to miss you," Christian Horner tells Ricciardo.

17:55 Bottas ended up 32 seconds behind Ricciardo in fifth, which is pretty poor given his tyre situation at the end of the race.

17:55 "What a career, thank you, you're a champ - let's go win the triple crown," Zak Brown tells Alonso, who is classified 11th.

17:54 Hamilton signs off with some donuts on the cool down lap.

17:54 Ricciardo has to be satisfied with fourth in his final F1 outing for Red Bull.

17:54 Vettel follows the world champion home 2.5s adrift, with Verstappen completing the podium 12.7s behind Hamilton.

17:53 Hamilton wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!

17:53 Vettel has extended his gap to Verstappen to nine seconds, but he's not going to get anyway near Hamilton.

17:52 It's a bad end for Alonso. He's given a 5-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. That won't go down well.

17:52 Fastest lap for Vettel - a 1m40.867s.

17:51 Hamilton starts the final lap.

17:51 "Use the overtake button to defend," Leclerc is told as Perez closes. "Yeah, yeah copy," the Sauber driver frantically replies.

17:51 Ricciardo is 2.7s adrift of Verstappen, so it looks like no farewell podium as his Red Bull career comes to an end.

17:50 Alonso is pushing a little too hard as he goes straight on as he fights to get on terms with Magnussen.

17:50 With three to go, Hamilton's lead is very much stable at 4.6s. We're now going to apologise for declaring a grandstand finish was on (and hope we're wrong again!).

17:50 Alonso asks about fastest lap, but he gets a pep talk about trying to catch Magnussen for the final point. "I have 1800 points," he says. His engineer responds: "Well for me, make it 1801."