Five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was imperious in Abu Dhabi to cap his exceptional 2018 season with an 11th win of the year.
Polesitter Hamilton was in control of the race throughout the 55 lap distance, only losing the lead early on while Mercedes opted to play the strategic long game by pitting the Brit during an early virtual safety car.
Hamilton was able to comfortably stretch a set of supersoft tyres from lap 8 until the chequered flag to seize a second consecutive victory.
Behind the lead Mercedes, the battle for the remaining podium places was closely contested. Valtteri Bottas struggled to maintain his pace and hold onto second.
He lost out to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel before later being dispatched by a pair of charging Red Bulls in the latter stages of the race.
The lead Red Bull of Max Verstappen sealed a fifth successive podium finish but was unable to threaten Vettel’s second place in the closing laps, with a more immediate threat posed by a fast-charging Daniel Ricciardo.
Here are our DRIVER RATINGS for the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix;
