A capacity, sell-out crowd of 60,000 fans watched Nico Rosberg hold off current World Champion Lewis Hamilton, as he took advantage of his sixth straight pole to snatch victory from his Mercedes teammate at a thrilling close to the 2015 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX.
Ahead of the race, Hamilton was crowned 2015 Formula 1 Champion for a third time in the pit lane at Yas Marina Circuit. He was hoping to make today his 44thwin in his number 44 Mercedes just before the UAE celebrated its 44thNational Day, but the German was too quick and Hamilton walked off with second place on the podium, with Raikonnen placing third – in what turned out to be a top three replay of yesterday’s qualifying.
Rosberg’s triumph concluded three days of track action and spectacular off-track activities enjoyed by fans across the iconic venue.
Throughout the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, racing fans from more than 170 countries have enjoyed an electric atmosphere, both in the grandstands and away from the track. The final after-race concert, featuring British indie giants Blur, brought the curtain down on a world-beating, non-stop program of entertainment.
It was @Nico_Rosberg’s race from lights out, as always, @MauriceHamilton recaps the #AbuDhabiGP https://t.co/cUA66WbjGs
— Yas Marina Circuit (@ymcofficial) November 29, 2015
“I would like to congratulate Nico Rosberg on driving a fantastic race after what has been a very exciting Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend,” said Al Tareq Al Ameri, CEO of Yas Marina Circuit. “Fans worldwide were watching each practice and qualifying session with great interest to see who would get the edge. The 60,000 people that made up the seventh sell out crowd in a row since we started in 2009 have generated an incredible atmosphere around the whole circuit. “Today’s race was yet again a superb way to top off the 2015 Formula 1 racing season.”