FORMULA 1 - 2015

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ARRIVABENE: CHANGING KIMI WOULD HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has defended the decision to keep Kimi Raikkonen on board for 2016.

Earlier this year, the Maranello team looked poised to swap the older Finn for a younger one, but Valtteri Bottas is instead staying at Williams.

Raikkonen’s new deal coincided with a spike in performance for the 36-year-old, but he has once again entered a period that has left many wondering if it was the right choice to keep him at Ferrari for 2016.

Arrivabene, however, told Movistar: “Changing Kimi would have been a mistake.”

Clearly, the harmony between friends Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel was instrumental in Ferrari’s decision, as the fabled team moves on in the wake of the more tumultuous Fernando Alonso era.

“I am pleased that he has brought balance to the team,” Arrivabene explained. “He [Raikkonen] pushes Sebastian very hard and that is very important. Kimi has found himself in certain situations because of misfortune, but he works really hard.”

Raikkonen is not even concerned that, based on his performances, there has been criticism that Ferrari re-signed him for 2016.

The veteran Finn who won Ferrari’s last F1 world title back in 2007 is adamant, “I’m doing well, otherwise I would not be in F1 – there is no charity here.”

“Yes, I’m disappointed because many things have not gone well for me, but it has been better for me than last year was and I am sure we can improve more next year,” he added.

Raikkonen’s 2015 record has been somewhat disappointing with only two podiums, no wins and 123 points coupled to five DNFs of which at least three were of his own doing. His teammate Vettel has won three races thus far this season.

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BOTTAS WANTS TO BEAT RAIKKONEN IN TITLE RACE

The ‘clash of the Finns’ could be back on this weekend as the Formula 1 circus descends on Abu Dhabi for the F1 season finale.

Countrymen Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen collided not once but twice in recent races.

And now Williams’ Bottas, who was earlier strongly linked with a move to Ferrari next year to replace his older Finnish rival, sounds determined to cling onto fourth place in the drivers’ standings.

The 2015 season reaches its climax this weekend in Abu Dhabi, with Ferrari’s Raikkonen just a single point behind Bottas.

Bottas told UOL, “Of course it would be nice to finish ahead of a driver who has a better car.”

The 26-year-old was also asked who he thinks is the best driver in F1 today, and joked, “You mean apart from me?”

“In F1 you have to believe in yourself and I really do — then I would have to say that I’m the best on the grid. I think it’s important to be confident.

“I believe in my abilities and I think I will also improve over time,” Bottas added.

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MALLYA CONSIDERING RETIREMENT

Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya has hinted that retirement could be just around the corner.

The former billionaire is once again in the headlines at present, amid financial troubles for his non-F1 interests including the grounded airline Kingfisher.

And Mallya, 59, has also admitted talks with Aston Martin and Johnnie Walker about a deal involving his F1 team Force India, although he insists he wants to stay in the paddock.

But he told Indian publications on Wednesday: “I am not retiring quite yet, but as I said once you are sixty years old you must start thinking of, you know, enjoying life. So what is wrong in me thinking (about it)?”

He turns 60 in December.

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VERSTAPPEN TIPPED TO SCOOP TOP FIA AWARDS

Sensational F1 rookie Max Verstappen has been nominated for the FIA’s personality of the year award.

Having made his sensational debut this year at the record age of 17, the young Dutchman has stunned the sport with his audacious overtaking on track and unapologetic confidence in the paddock.

He is now a favourite to win personality of the year, an award to be presented during the usual FIA prize-giving gala in Paris on December 4.

Verstappen is up against the likes of new triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, F1 driver and reigning Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg, Toto Wolff and others.

He has also been named in the running for the FIA’s ‘Action of the Year’ award, with the FIA choosing his audacious pass on Felipe Nasr on the outside of Spa’s fearsome Blanchimont corner.

Verstappen told De Telegraaf newspaper that he has only felt “nervous” on one occasion in 2015.

“It was my 18th birthday when I sat for my driving licence,” he said. “I really wanted to collect that piece of paper, especially as my schedule is very busy and I might have to wait a while for my next opportunity.

“Luckily, everything went very well,” he added.

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PARALLEL ENGINE WOULD HAVE DESTROYED F1 SAYS LAUDA

Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda played a key role as a compromise was reached between the engine manufacturers and the governing FIA.

That was the claim on Wednesday of Auto Motor und Sport, as the FIA confirmed reports that the ‘client engine’ proposal was voted down during Tuesday’s Paris meeting of the F1 Commission.

“The parties involved have agreed on a course to address several key areas relating to power unit supply in formula one,” a statement read.

With FIA president Jean Todt most concerned about costs, another issue is guaranteeing supply for teams like Red Bull while Bernie Ecclestone wants simpler technology and more noise.

The FIA said the carmakers Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda will present their proposal on 15 January next year, for introduction in 2017 or 2018.

But if the proposal is not satisfactory, the FIA warned on Wednesday that the idea of the ‘parallel’ engine rules – with Ilmor, Mecachrome, AER and another independent supplier all interested – “may be reassessed”.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport on Wednesday claimed Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, had been instrumental to the compromise deal.

“It’s a good solution for the sport,” he said, “and the right direction. “A championship with two different engine concepts would have been madness and destroyed formula one.”

He revealed that the engine manufacturers will begin to discuss the proposal this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

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F1 Commission rejects alternative engine

It is back to square one for Formula 1 in terms of saving costs after the F1 Commission rejected the FIA's proposal to introduce an alternative customer engine.

On the back of Ferrari's decision to use their historic veto right to block the latest cost cap plans, the FIA decided to look for an independent power unit supplier from the 2017 season as they felt it would reduce expenses.

However, the F1 Commission opposed the plans at a Strategy Group meeting in Paris on Tuesday and the four manufacturers instead agreed to come up with their own proposal to address important issues.

"The meetings acknowledged the four credible Expressions of Interest made for the manufacture and supply of a less expensive alternative customer engine," the FIA confirmed.

"The F1 Commission voted not to pursue this option at this stage – however, it may be reassessed after the Power Unit manufacturers have presented their proposal to the Strategy Group."

The manufacturers – comprising of Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda – have until January 15 to submit their plans and the key issues they need to address are:

- Guarantee of the supply of Power Units to teams

– The need to lower the cost of Power Units to customer teams

– Simplification of the technical specification of the power units

– Improved noise

The FIA statement adds that "the proposal will include the establishment of a minimum number of teams that a manufacturer must supply, ensuring that all teams will have access to a Power Unit".

The first meeting between the FIA and the manufacturers will take place at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Bernie: Ferrari’s return to form important for F1

Bernie Ecclestone admits he is delighted to see Ferrari challenging at the right end of the grid again, saying it's "important for me and all of Formula 1".

After a disappointing 2014 season during which they failed to win a single race and claimed only two podiums, Ferrari returned to winning ways this year with Sebastian Vettel standing on the top step of the podium on three occasions.

The German has also claimed another nine podiums while Kimi Raikkonen has also chipped in with two top-three finishes to put the squad in a comfortable second place in the Constructors' Championship.

When asked by La Gazzetta dello Sport about the best thing about 2015, Ecclestone replied: "I can say that in one word: Ferrari. Their return to victory was important for me and all of Formula 1. We expected it."

He added: "How they were able to get back on top in such a short time. I supported Vettel and his move to Ferrari and when I saw him finish first in Sepang it was fantastic."

Ecclestone also had plenty of praise for four-time World Champion Vettel and feels the German is one of the top four drivers of the modern era.

"A driver must also be judged on how they perform based on their surroundings," he said.

"There are a lot of drivers that could fight for victory but they are rather anonymous. Vettel has had good cars but he’s also shown himself to be very good so I would include him in the top four with Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso."

Meanwhile, the Formula 1 supremo reassured Italian fans that he has "no doubts" Italy will eventually secure its long-term future on the Formula 1 calendar.

"We cleared things up. We will find a solution, I have no doubts, so that we can secure a race in Italy," he said.

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Ricciardo seeks improvement

Daniel Ricciardo concedes that it will be difficult for Red Bull to challenge for the 2016 title, but he is upbeat that they will improve on a problematic 2015.

After finishing runner-up to Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship in 2014 on the back of three race wins, Red Bull have gone backwards this year with most of their woes attributed to Renault's failure to provide them with a fast and reliable engine.

The team have appeared on the podium just three times with Ricciardo claiming two of those while they have also dropped to fourth in the Constructors' standings.

The Milton Keynes-based squad's future also remains clouded with the team set to continue with Renault despite several public fallouts this year.

Although he knows they won't suddenly turn into title challengers, Ricciardo is hopeful they can take a few steps forward next year.

"I'll know a bit more when we decide, or know what's going to be in the back of the car," he said of Red Bull's 2016 chances. "Right now, where we stand, it would be hard for us to say we're going to challenge for a title.

"But at the same time, I like to think that next year we can get more than two podiums – let's say that!"

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'It will hurt if we finish the year without a win' - Renault

Renault's director of operations, Remi Taffin, says it would "hurt" if they failed to win a single race this season, as the year comes to its conclusion this week in Abu Dhabi.

The engine manufacturer currently supplies just Red Bull and Toro Rosso, but has secured three podium finishes - including two second places - but has yet to power a car to the top step in 2015.

Renault's last win-less season came in 2007, but it looks set to repeat that, unless Red Bull can ****** an unlikely victory this weekend.

"After a long season we reach the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi," said Taffin. "By our own standards it's not been as successful as we could have hoped and it will hurt if we finish the year without a win."

Whilst 2015 might not have delivered a major step forward, Taffin believes they've made progress and expects much of that to come to fruition in 2016.

"We have learnt a lot and there are also some strong steps forward that will consolidate us in future," he added. "After a shaky start to the year we have consolidated reliability and each part is much more robust than in the last year.

"Performance wise we are also closer to the competition and know that in some circumstances we are able to challenge for the podium.

"Naturally challenging for wins is the next step in our recovery and the information learnt this year will help us get closer to achieving this aim."

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Mosley accuses Ferrari of 'small-mindedness' over veto

Former FIA president Max Mosley has accused Ferrari of taking a small-minded approach when they chose to use their veto rights against the FIA's proposal to cap engine costs.

The governing body had hoped to alleviate some of the financial troubles many of the smaller teams are experiencing as a result of the new power units by capping customer supply deals.

However Ferrari exercised its veto right and blocked the move, which Mosley believes is not only bad for the smaller teams, but it could also have a negative impact on Ferrari itself.

"You've got to look at the bigger picture if you are Ferrari," he told Sky Sports. "A Formula 1 that doesn't work, it isn't good for Ferrari because it is a huge marketing tool for them.

"I think it showed a certain amount of small-mindedness and if I were in the position of Ferrari I'd be inclined to say 'I need Formula 1 to succeed and therefore I will do everything I can to see that it will succeed and if I don't win it is my engineers' fault as they have the resources and they should get on with it'."

Mosley reckons the FIA should have pushed for an even tougher budget cap than was originally proposed.

"I would be inclined to pick a much lower figure, something in the €5m or €6m bracket, depending on what the teams can afford.

But I think it would have to be done in that bracket and then say to them that's what you'll supply for."

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RML could supply independent F1 engine “within eight months”

British motorsport engineering specialist RML believes it can have a clean-sheet ‘client’ F1 engine ready within eight months – if the FIA’s vetoed proposal gets resurrected.

The FIA plan for the alternative engine was dismissed by the Formula 1 Commission yesterday, as the votes of the teams went against the proposal, which was jointly championed by the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone.

Instead, F1’s current engine manufacturers have agreed to address the key issues that led to the proposal of the alternative engine.

But RML’s Michael Mallock – whose firm was invited to tender by the FIA – believes the low-cost client plan could return to the table in the future, if the manufacturers cannot provide a workable solution.

Of the outcome of yesterday’s vote, Mallock said: “Obviously it was disappointing, but I’d say it’s hardly surprising that it hasn’t gone through immediately.

“The existing guys have obviously made a lot of investment and they want to maximize the return on that.

“But let’s see what happens in the coming weeks, when the discussions start about how they’re going to rejig what they’re currently doing.

“If things do change around again, we’re ready to jump straight in.”

RML poised to press green light

Mallock says that his firm – which was also invited to tender as a race team for the 2010 cost-capped entries – would be ready to supply F1 teams should the plan reemerge and should it win the FIA’s tender.

“We were very pleased to be invited into the process by the FIA, and it was something we thought was a viable proposition – both as a supplier and for the good of the championship and the teams. It was a genuine opportunity to be involved in F1.

“[in terms of timescale] we’re pretty confident. If it started now, it would be a comfortable process for us – we’d have quite a lot of time in hand.

“One of the key things from our proposal was that it was to be a clean-sheet design – a bespoke unit. That’s what we think was required to hit the targets that the FIA had set out. We’re used to getting engines together in a very short, condensed timescale and getting them on-track and reliable.

“We’ve got a nominal timeline of potentially under eight months. That’s from the start of design to something running on the dyno. Being motorsport, timelines do tend to shift.

“For example, the WTCC 1.6 GRE that we did, that was actually running on track – doing endurance testing – in under eight months from when we pressed the button on the design.”

Figures add up for supplier

Mallock believes that the client engine could be commercially viable even if only one team chose to run the engine – which would likely be a 2.5-litre V6.

“The way the FIA has drafted the regulations is really very simple,” he added. “It is cost-efficient. The costs to the teams are significantly lower than they are at the moment, because of the hybrid side.

“The framework of the regulations is a power unit that has to be efficient, reliable and hit the power targets, and tuneable as well – in line with any performance balancing measures they chose.”

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NEC: an evening with Nico and Checo

NEC organised an evening with Nico and Checo in Singapore to allow some lucky SFI Fans to meet their heroes.

The youngest fans were also able to cheer on our team with Hello Kitty!

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Lewis Hamilton Previews 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Final track preview of the year! MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver, Lewis Hamilton tells us, “I know it’s a strong circuit for me, one that I very much enjoy. It’s like another home Grand Prix, so keep your fingers crossed for me”. Share why you’re excited for the #AbuDhabiGP with us.

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Mark Webber and Red Bull: Strong words, weak management

There's a certain symmetry about Mark Webber winning the World Endurance Championship a week before grand prix racing moves to Abu Dhabi and the place where he came within a whisker of taking the F1 title in 2010. Webber will be the first to tell you that the difference between the camaraderie within Porsche and the sense of suspicion invading Red Bull at the time is huge. If you doubt that, then the corrosive effect of Helmet Marko's influence is laid bare in Webber's book 'Aussie Grit: My Formula One Journey'.

As you might expect from the no-nonsense Aussie, he tells it like it is -- or was -- during seven years racing for the team a few miles up the road from his home in Buckinghamshire. Webber is the first to admit Red Bull played a massive part in his racing career -- as it would when you've won all nine of your Grands Prix there, including two memorable victories at Monaco.

The first in Monte Carlo came on 16 May 2010 -- "perhaps the greatest day of my F1 career" -- a week after winning in Spain. Webber was on a roll and it caught Sebastian Vettel's attention -- which became an obvious concern for Marko and therefore Christian Horner, doing his best to keep everyone happy. We'd been told that the chassis of Vettel's car had been fractured but, according to Webber, it was something else that was cracking.

"Somewhere in the post-race [Monaco] mix, there was talk that Sebastian wanted my chassis. In the end, Christian Horner took me aside and told me that he had given Marko the opportunity to tell Sebastian that he had a cracked chassis -- which he didn't -- to help him rationalise the fact that he had just been well and truly beaten, for the second race in a row, by the old Aussie in the other car. It seems it had been affecting his confidence, and to Seb that's everything. It seemed beyond his comprehension that I could beat him fair and square; for him there had to be another reason why."

After that came Turkey and the infamous collision as they fought for the lead, an incensed Seb retiring on the spot, Mark going on to finish third. It was only after the race that Webber's short term sense of annoyance would become something more permanent as he returned from the FIA press conference to find Marko was blaming him, a view that Horner was not going out of his way to moderate for fear, according to Webber, of upsetting the man who was clearly the conduit between the team and its boss, Dietrich Mateschitz.

"To maintain harmony within the team (and you've got to remember there were 800 people involved), the focus had to be on keeping Marko happy, which meant making sure Vettel's side of the garage was happy. Team Webber was old enough and ugly enough to understand that, but Christian insisted on keeping up the pretence that everything was even-handed, despite growing evidence that it was anything but. All we wanted was to be told the truth but he couldn't do that, and for me that was a sign of weakness. It was at this stage that I began losing respect for him. It must have been uncomfortable for him to be a front-line spokesperson for the team without enjoying any real power within the hierarchy."

Clearly, Vettel is not seen as the bad guy in this instance although, unsurprisingly, that view changes in the 'Multi-21' saga a few years later. This may be a small part of Webber's full and engaging story, but it does reflect the author's refusal to hold back on trenchant views and why the book as a whole is compelling reading. It also confirms why there will be no exchange of Christmas cards between the Webber and Marko households.

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F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: McLaren uses Abu Dhabi GP as early start on winter tests

Eric Boullier says McLaren's focus at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be solely for next season with a raft of new parts to be experimented with as winter testing commences early for the Woking-based squad.

McLaren's Racing Director Boullier has put a strong emphasis on the final race of the 2015 F1 championship as a head start on the intense winter of developments scheduled, as the team looks to transform its underwhelming car and cut down the sizeable gap to the leaders.

Boullier confirmed McLaren will test out a variety of new parts in Abu Dhabi to recoup as much useful data as possible for the off-season, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button having little left to fight for.

“Although it is the last race of the season, our development has not stopped, and we are still bringing new parts and design elements to the car for the final grand prix,” Boullier said. “Our development is constant and we place huge importance on learning at every opportunity.

“All of our efforts this weekend will be beneficial to next year's car, and it's essential that we maximise the final sessions of the year, not only to end the season on a high, but to use the invaluable information we can glean from them and channel it into tangible progress over the winter period.”

Boullier has also sent out a rallying cry to both the entire McLaren and Honda teams who have been given the arduous task of turning its challenger from lapping at the back of the field into a race-winning package.

“Our energy and commitment will continue relentlessly over the winter, with our shared goal firmly in our minds: to win,” he said. “Equally, thank you to our partners, both longstanding and new, who understand our vision and the immense work going on behind the scenes to assure us of more positive results to come.

“Last but certainly not least, I'd like to express huge gratitude to our loyal fans, who have demonstrated unwavering support through challenging times, and share our optimism for a successful future ahead. We look forward to an exciting weekend against the stunning scenery of Yas Marina, and the start of an exciting next phase for McLaren-Honda.”

McLaren has an outside shot of catching Sauber in the F1 Constructors' championship to steal eighth place in the standings, but will need to overturn an 11-point deficit – incidentally the total number of points Alonso has collected all season.

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F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Force India ready to celebrate 150th F1 Grand Prix

Vijay Mallya says Force India can celebrate its success in 2015 before a wheel is turned at the season finale and its 150th F1 race in Abu Dhabi, having already secured fifth place in the F1 Constructors' championship.

The Force India team principal is revelling in his squad's recent progress with the B-specification of its VJM08 car which was introduced at Silverstone, collecting 81 points from the last eight races to produce the team's best strike rate since joining the grid in 2008, and as a result the team has guaranteed its best season in the sport.

Mallya says he wants his whole team and drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg to enjoy the last race of the season without the pressure of hunting optimal results.

“Heading to Abu Dhabi with fifth place in the championship already secured feels pretty good. It means we can approach the last weekend of the season free from pressure and with nothing to lose,” Mallya said. “Our focus is simply on enjoying the race and ending the season in style. Abu Dhabi will be a special race for us as it marks the 150th of our history as Force India, and we will aim to celebrate it with a strong performance on the track.”

“All season I've been saying how proud I am of my team – particularly our development curve in the second half of the season and we have been competitive at every race.”

Perez notched up the team's second ever F1 podium finish at the 2015 Russian Grand Prix along with frequent top six finishes and Mallya is convinced his team can push for more next season with the sporting regulations remaining constant until the rules revamp expected in 2017.

“With stable regulations for 2016, there is every reason to believe we can carry this form through the winter and into the new season,” he said. “There is plenty to be excited about and a lot of positive energy in the team.

“This weekend's race is simply another chance to demonstrate how far we have come. Our aim will be to qualify in the top ten and add a final helping of points to our tally."

Force India will be hoping to secure top ten spots for both of its drivers in the final 2015 F1 Drivers' championship table. Perez currently sits in ninth position, 16 points ahead of team-mate Hulkenberg, who holds a slender three-point advantage in tenth over Romain Grosjean and Max Verstappen.

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F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: 'Pressure off' for Williams after securing third

Williams says it heads into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with an open mindset having already secured third in the F1 Constructors' championship which has freed the team from any extra pressure.

Rob Smedley, Williams' head of performance engineering, feels his team can use the season finale as a one-off, as both drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have little left to fight for aside from potential race victories and podium finishes.

The pair secured a memorable double rostrum result 12 months ago in Abu Dhabi behind the newly-crowned F1 champion Lewis Hamilton and Smedley is eyeing up a similar result at a circuit which plays to the strengths of the FW37.

“We have already secured third in the constructors' championship which is a great achievement for the team and takes any pressure off, other than that that we put on ourselves,” Smedley said. “We aim to have a really strong race and finish the season on a high.

“The circuit should be suited to the characteristics of our car and we delivered a great performance last year so hope to replicate that. Abu Dhabi is always somewhat of a challenge as half of the practices are in the midday sunlight, but the important sessions are during the twilight hours. We have to divide our programme up to utilise this time efficiently and not get carried away with car handling data we obtain during the day.”

In somewhat of an anticlimactic end to the 2015 F1 season with all the titles and majority of places decided, Bottas will go head-to-head against Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the tussle for fourth in the drivers' championship, with the Williams driver holding a one-point advantage on his fellow Finn.

Massa's sixth place in the F1 drivers' standings looks nailed on with 23-point lead on Daniil Kvyat, while he trails Raikkonen in fifth by 18 points, after being excluded from the final classification at his home event last time out due to illegal tyre temperatures and pressures.

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ABU DHABI GP: ROSBERG GATE-CRASHES HAMILTON’S PARTY

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix one would have hedged a bet on Lewis Hamilton ending Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg’s run of good form.

The F1 world champion talked up his chances ahead of the season finale by referring to Yas Marina Circuit as his second home race, while the UAE itself obliged by turning 44 this year and as a result Hamilton’s number 44 was all over the place.

Ideally for the world champion elect, the last grand prix of the year would have been a celebration of victory and a return to the pecking order within the Silver arrows camp.

But instead the script was written for Rosberg who wrapped up the Formula 1 season on a winning high in Abu Dhabi with Hamilton second in a record 12th one-two finish of the year for dominant Mercedes.

The German’s third win in a row, from a sixth successive pole position, dashed Hamilton’s hopes of a 44th career victory in car 44 on the 44th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates.

The Briton, who clinched the title in Texas last month with three races to spare, finished 8.2 seconds behind after an attempt at a different strategy failed to produce the desired result. The win was the 16th in 19 races for Mercedes.

“Austin (in Texas) was a tough weekend and since then I’ve just come back a lot stronger,” said Rosberg from the podium after spraying the sparkling rosewater used instead of the usual champagne.

“I’m excited about how the end of the season went and next year — it can come any moment, it could start tomorrow if it were up to me, no problem. I don’t need any holidays.”

“It’s always tough to race Lewis, he’s doing an awesome job,” said Rosberg. “So it’s an even better feeling to win. It’s a great battle internally all the time, that’s what I race for and I look forward to more next year.”

Hamilton had asked over the team radio with 15 laps to go whether he could go to the end having made only one pitstop to Rosberg’s two but was left in no doubt that such a move would not work.

He then pitted on the next lap, any hopes of a wheel-to-wheel battle over the final laps effectively disappearing into the night as he did so.

“In hindsight, once Nico had pitted I probably would have backed off a little bit and gone a bit longer…As that didn’t work out, the stop, going too long was probably not the right thing to do, but we gave it a try,” he said.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took third place ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel, who started 15th, for only the Finn’s third podium appearance of the season.

Raikkonen summed up his day, “We started better this season but it’s not been an ideal year. The speed has been there but there have been mistakes and problems. Today was a bit better. Obviously not enough to beat these two.”

Rosberg’s win was his sixth of the season, 14th of his career, and a hat-trick first for the German who had never before managed to win three races in a row.

Hamilton ended the championship with 10 victories, one fewer than in 2014, but he took more poles and fastest laps than anyone else.

Mexican Sergio Perez finished fifth, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo sixth for Red Bull and splitting the Force India cars with Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg seventh.

Brazilian Felipe Massa took eighth place for Williams, ahead of Frenchman Romain Grosjean in ninth in his final race for Lotus before moving to 2016 newcomers Haas. Russian Daniil Kvyat secured the final point for Red Bull.

Race Report

From the start Rosberg was always in control and across his opening stint on used supersoft tyres he opened up a gap of almost five seconds to Hamilton in second place.

The Briton had to fend off challenges from Räikkönen and Force India’s fourth-on-the-grid Sergio Perez at the start but he soon settled into second place. Perez held his starting position ahead of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Further back Vettel was already making up ground, rising from 15th to 12th by the end of lap one, despite making contact with Max Verstappen’s Toro Rosso. Having started on the soft prime tyre , the German then briefly rose to second place as the supersoft starters around him began to pit, with Rosberg stopping on lap nine and Hamilton following his team-mate a lap later.

At the start of the second stint Roberg began to stretch his legs, broadening the gap to 7 seconds but Hamilton then began to push, chopping two seconds off the deficit by lap 22 and then reducing it by a further 2.5 seconds over the next few laps.

With Rosberg in more trouble with tyres than his team-mate Hamilton elected to extend the stint, hoping to keep up the momentum and erase the deficit as Rosberg’s pace dropped and he worked through his pit stop, which came at the end of lap 31.

The German switched to soft tyres and began to close on Hamilton in a bid to cover any decision by Hamilton’s crew to put the Briton on the more fragile but significantly faster supersoft tyres for his final stint. He eventually brought matters under control with a 10s gap to his team-mate with 15 laps remaining.

The threat of Hamilton on supersofts never materialized, however, and when the Briton made his final visit to pit lane he took on soft tyres and emerged 12 seconds adrift of his team-mate. Rosberg then controlled matters until the chequered flag to finish 8.2 seconds in front to claim his sixth win of the year and his third in a row.

Behind them Räikkönen ploughed a lonely furrow in third place, having got past team-mate Vettel as the German’s tyres faded towards the end of his first soft-tyre stint.

Vettel pitted on lap 24 for another set of softs and then with 15 laps to go the German switched to the quicker supesofts. The injection of pace allowed him to haul himself up to an excellent fourth place, passing Ricciardo and Perez in the closing stages.

Perez clung onto fifth ahead of Ricciardo, with Nico Hulkenber finishing seventh, ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa.

Romain Grosjean, in his final race for Lotus, worked a three-strategy well to surge through to the points positions in the final stages and he finished ninth ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat.

Carlos Sainz’s race was hampered by a slow first pit stop and he finished in 11th place ahead of team-mate Verstappen. Jenson Button was 13th for McLaren, ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas who collided with Button in the pits and was forced to make an additional stop as a result.

Marcus Ericsson beat team-mate Felipe Nasr to take P15, while Fernando Alonso was 17th, the Spaniard having collided with Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado at the start. Will Stevens beat Manor team-mate Roberto Merhi by taking 18th place.

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ALONSO: YOU CAN NEVER SAY 100 PERCENT ANYTHING

Fernando Alonso said he intended to race next season after McLaren boss Ron Dennis had suggested the Spaniard could take a year out of Formula One if the team’s car remained uncompetitive.

Yet the double world champion Alonso also refused to rule out the possibility that he might take a sabbatical.

“I think you can never say 100 percent anything,” he said on Saturday. “I cannot say that tomorrow I will not have dinner. I don’t know if I will be hungry or not.

“My intention is to race and I think I will race but we see how it goes next year. It is not in my plans not to race,” he added after qualifying 17th for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Dennis had earlier revealed the possibility of a year out had been discussed as the former champions wrestle with their worst-ever season.

“Some of the ideas have involved those sorts of considerations, sabbatical years etc,” Dennis had said. “When we have to take the decision we’ll take it together and at this moment of time our drivers for next year are Fernando and Jenson (Button).”

Alonso has scored only 11 points from 18 races since joining from Ferrari and his frustration has been evident, the driver famously comparing the underperforming Honda engine to one from the GP2 support series.

The situation has led to speculation he would not tolerate a repeat of 2015 and would take a sabbatical.

“Yeah why not? I’m sure Jenson wants as well and everyone wants. But that’s not the plan,” Alonso said on Saturday when asked if he would want a break in such circumstances.

“The plan is to work very hard. I have a seat fitting on Wednesday for example so there are not really holidays until Christmas time because there are important things to be done in the next couple of weeks.

“So definitely my intention and my aim is to race next year and to win next year or at least to be competitive.”

Alonso added that he had been surprised by Dennis’s comments and that it would be impossible to judge the situation based on initial testing.

If Alonso, who has two more years on his contract, were to take a year out, he would not be the first top driver to do so.

Frenchman Alain Prost had a sabbatical in 1992 after falling out with Ferrari, returning to win his fourth championship with Williams in 1993.

McLaren would have a ready replacement in new GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne, the Belgian reserve driver who is keen to emulate Mercedes’ triple world champion Lewis Hamilton by going from that series straight to a race seat at Woking.

With Button out of contract at the end of 2016, Vandoorne could gain experience and then continue alongside Alonso.

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ROSBERG: DELICIOUS! THE BEST EVER!

After securing his sixth successive pole position this season, 24 hours later Nico Robserg claimed his third straight win as he powered to an impressive and well controlled victory at the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, thus ensuring he goes on holiday with the psychological high ground despite losing the 2015 F1 world title to his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg spoke after his afternoon’s graft at the splendid Yas Marina Circuit.

That must taste good?

Nico Rosberg: Delicious! The best ever!

It’s been an incredible end to the season. This was your most dominant win of the season, so tell us a little bit about the race and the hunger you took into this final race of the season.

NR: No, I mean, yeah, Austin was sort of the low point of the season. It was a tough weekend and since then I’ve just come back a lot stronger and I’m very happy about that. I’m excited about how the end of the season went. Next year can come any moment. It could start tomorrow if it were for me, no problem, I don’t need any holidays! But, no, it’s great to end the season like this, go on holiday like this and thank you so much, you’ve been awesome again this weekend, for all your support and everything, thanks to my team, absolutely stunning car you’ve all given me again today – just unbelievable. Ecstatic.

You mentioned Austin there. We could see the disappointment as the realisation the championship had slipped away at that race. Can you tell us a little bit, give the fans at home an insight. You’ve got the enemy within the team, you work together to develop this great product but your success is Lewis’ failure and his success is your failure. Can you give us an insight into how you manage that? Because you guys have known each other since you were kids.

NR: Yeah, it’s always tough to race Lewis, he’s doing an awesome job and he’s one of the best out there, so an even better feeling to win, definitely against such opposition. It’s a great battle internally all the time. That’s what I race for, such battles, and I look forwards to more next year.

Does that mean you guys can go and have dinner together now and reflect on what was an amazing season for the team?

NR: Let’s skip that part – maybe we’ll catch up in the Amber Lounge later on.

The smile says it all. The World Championship is the one thing… this is your 14th victory. You can take pole positions, you can win grands prix – how are you going to attack the winter and come back next year and try and beat this man?

NR: Well I look forward to it as I’m sure it’s going to be another great season next year. I’m sure the team is going to give us an awesome car again. Of course we’re aware of the threat from the red guys and we don’t want them to come too close and we’ll give it everything over the winter. I’ll try to keep it going, the current form, starting next year.

You knew what Lewis was doing, obviously, in terms of strategy in the final part of the Grand Prix, the offset on the tyres etc, and you responded. Are you pleased with the way you drove today?

NR: Yeah, for sure, ecstatic with the way it went, because really master-managed… controlled the pace through the race and managed my tyres and used them optimally and pushed all the way through to the end, so had good pace there with tyres that’s for sure and had a lot more laps on them than Lewis’s so very pleased with that, definitely.

I wonder which of the two of you goes into the winter feeling the happier?

NR: I’m feeling very happy.

About next year, are we going to see you as a World Champion, because already you entered the season with great victories, so is it the same way to start 2016?

NR: Well, unfortunately 2016 is so far away. At the moment I’m just enjoying now, enjoying the wins. I’m going to party tonight, I’m enjoying the fun, enjoying that I progressed also a lot in the end of the season, too late for the championship of course, but so great now to have it and that’s it. I can’t tell you about next year unfortunately, but I’ll give it everything

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HAMILTON: I AM HAPPY IT’S OVER

With the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship title claimed a while back by Lewis Hamilton, the Briton would be excused a degree of complacency in the final race of the season, but that is not how he ticks and thus it was no surprise that he chased Abu Dhabi Grand Prix winner and teammate Nico Rosberg all the way to the finish line. The reigning world champion spoke after the race at Yas Marina Circuit in which he finished second.

It’s been a great season for you, but it doesn’t seem to have finished quite as strong as it started. We heard you mention that there have been some changes to the car and it hasn’t quite suited you but is it as simple as that or is there something else we need to know now the season’s over?

Lewis Hamilton: Well, firstly it’s been an amazing – an amazing – year, and happy 44th UAE National Day. So happy to be here and celebrating it with the UAE, they’ve done an amazing job for this show – and what a great crowd we’ve had today. No man, it’s been a good year. I’m happy. I’m happy it’s over, for sure. So now we can really enjoy. I really have to take my hat off to this team who once again did an amazing job in building this car. The pitstops today, the performance through the whole year, they’ve surpassed their own expectations, our expectations, and so we’ve truly shown that Mercedes-Benz is the best team in the world. I’m proud to be a part of it.

Just to touch on strategy, we heard you again on the radio, asking the team “can I go the distance on these tyres?” We know the team have to deliver the one-two result. Nico earned the pole, he was leading the race – is that just the inner racer in you? Even though you probably know ahead of time that there’s nothing that can be done, that’s why you’re pushing your engineers, pushing the team.

LH: No, I think in hindsight once Nico pitted I would probably have backed off a little bit and I would have made those tyres go a lot longer. The tyres were still fine at the end so I honestly felt that I could potentially have taken them to the end. But as that didn’t work out, going too long was probably not the right thing to do – but y’know, we gave it a try and did the best job I could with it.

You’re a three time World Champion, it’s been a record-breaking year, which of the two of you goes into the winter feeling the happier?

LH: I think being World Champion sounds a lot better than winning the race, so that’s good.

Tell us a little bit about your race because we were let in on quite a lot of radio?

LH: Well, I just did what I was told pretty much, most of the time and then yeah, I tried as hard as I could in the first stint, I tried to keep a relatively decent gap to Nico, looking after my tyres and then my right front… or both fronts went off quite early and Nico was able to… in the clean air, was able to look after them. In the second stint I was quicker and getting close and then… I could make the tyres last longer, yeah, of course, but after that it was really down to the team, whether or not we went to the option or the other tyre. I’m not sure which one was better but the prime tyre was quite good. I’m not sure whether or not I could have taken it to the end but some part of me just wishes I’d just given it a go. But no, the engine modes were going up and down throughout the race, not really sure they were like that because they had lots of life left in my engine but I’ll ask when I get back to the debrief.

Will you get [Nico] a Christmas present?

LH: I don’t think we’ve ever done either so there’s no reason to change.

What’s your feeling for not getting the first position with the 44 celebration national day?

LH: I’m really grateful to have been associated with the UAE with the 44th national day. Yeah, I’m still going for that 44th win. I’m quite happy with the amount of wins I’ve had in my career. Of course, I always want more but I have to be grateful for the ones I do have. Hopefully we’ve got another three years with this team so I’m looking forward to next year, to come back fit and healthy and let’s see what we can do next year.

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RAIKKONEN: WE DID OUR BEST

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen finished third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which happened to be his third podium of the season and with it claimed fourth place in the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship. He spoke after the race at Yas Marina Circuit.

It’s not been a great season for you but that was a World Champion’s drive today – so why has it taken so long in the season to deliver this great performance?

Kimi Raikkonen: I think we started better this season but obviously not been ideal this year. That’s how it goes sometimes. And y’know, the speed has been there but mistakes and problems and stuff like that. So the end result hasn’t been great many times but today, or this weekend, was a bit better. Everything was working well and things were running smoothly, car handling well, so, it was good – but obviously not enough still to beat these two but, y’know we did our best.

Your third podium of this championship, you finished eleven seconds behind Lewis which is about 0.2s per lap over the Grand Prix distance here. Do you take encouragement from the way that Ferrari’s finished the last couple of races going into the winter and next year?

KR: I think the whole year, as a team, has been quite good comparing last year and obviously not so good for myself but the speed has been there and it’s just not been able to produce the results and having some issues and mistakes but this weekend has been pretty OK, the car’s been handling well. I think in the race we could have been quite a bit closer but we had some issues at both pit stops so we lost some time and then I slowed down a bit. But I think we had a reasonably good speed, they didn’t really pull away a lot from us. At certain points, I think we were catching them and then they were pulling out but not an awful lot in it. It’s never nice to finish third but I’ll take it after previous races. I guess it always could have been a better finish but OK, I think it was more or less what we expected to get.

Does it now, afterwards, feel any better to finish the season fourth (in the Drivers’ championship) instead of being fifth and especially after being 12th last season?

KR: Not really. You guys have been asking between me and Valtteri for a long time and still it doesn’t make much difference to me. It’s not what you think, a Finnish championship, it’s a World Championship and there are winners it goes from there. If you don’t win, it doesn’t make an awful lot of difference if you’re second, wherever you finish. I’m happy to have had a kind of OK race in the last one but it doesn’t change anything really of how our season went, what to expect for next year. One of the better weekends but we’ll take it and go from here.

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MERCEDES SEEK RULES CLARIFICATION FROM FIA

Formula 1 world champions Mercedes have denied targeting Ferrari in seeking clarification from the governing FIA about how much teams can work together to develop their cars.

“We haven’t launched anything against a particular team,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a ruling was sought from race stewards.

“What we have sought from the FIA is a clarification to understand what you could do within the rules. It is about transparent information for all teams about what was within the rules and not at all about pointing a finger at anybody.”

Ferrari have been working closely with the new US based Haas team, who are due to make their debut next season and enjoy the use of a full scale rolling road wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.

The use of wind tunnels, crucial to aerodynamic developments, is restricted in Formula One to cut costs but Haas, being currently outside the championship, are not subject to the same limits.

Ferrari have made big performance gains this season, after failing to win a race last year, and are now Mercedes’ closest rivals.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) published a sheaf of documents, including letters from Mercedes technical head Paddy Lowe, seeking clarification on a number of ‘ambiguities’ in the sport’s rules.

The FIA said stewards would try to reach a decision before Sunday’s race. Mercedes said they wanted rulings on what was allowed under the Aerodynamic testing Restrictions (ATR) and on the transfer of knowledge and data between competitors.

“We think that a collaboration between Ferrari and Haas is within the rules,” said Wolff.

“There is nothing we deem to be not within the rules. We are looking at 2016, and especially in consideration of 2017 rules where the car might be completely different, about the scope of development we could be having with another team, about sharing resource.”

Asked whether the sport could be entering a new era where big teams had to have a junior team, Wolff agreed that the stewards’ ruling could lead to that.

“This is the trigger of reorganising your structures to share ATR quota, to collaborate and educate personnel jointly, share infrastructure,” he said.

“It would eventually lead in a situation where it could become an arms race of how many cooperation partners you could sign up to develop at a greater speed.”

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FORCE INDIA BACKS RULES PROBE FOR FERRARI-HAAS PARTNERSHIP

Force India has joined Mercedes in querying the A-Team and B-Team relationship between Ferrari and F1 newcomers Haas.

Earlier in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes lodged a request with the stewards to clarify the rules about so-called customer cars, particularly relating to restricted wind tunnel time.

Now, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reveals that Mercedes-powered customer Force India has lodged a similar request for clarification amid the arguably ambiguous rules.

The apparent suspicion is that Ferrari and Haas are finding a loophole in the rule limiting each team to just 25 hours of wind tunnel time per week.

Force India’s technical boss Andy Green confirmed: “It could be that engineers are working 50 hours in the wind tunnel — 25 for one team and 25 the other. The results are not shared between one team and the other, but what is learned is still learned.”

“So we want to know how far we can go,” said Green, hinting that a green light from the stewards could mean other teams forge similar Ferrari-Haas-like partnerships.

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MAGNUSSEN TO TEST DTM FOR MERCEDES

Former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen is lining up another option to keep his motor racing career alive.

The Dane, ousted by McLaren, recently tested Porsche’s Le Mans-winning sports car prototype.

And now, the Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet is reporting that Magnussen will test a Mercedes DTM car at Jerez next week.

“It is true that I am going there to test. It will probably be on the third day,” he confirmed. “It will be a great experience and I appreciate the opportunity.”

The new DTM champion, driving for Mercedes, is Pascal Wehrlein, who is now tipped to step up to F1 next year with Manor.

Magnussen said: “They (Mercedes) will evaluate the drivers and maybe find one for next season. But I haven’t committed myself to something for next year.

“For me, it is a test and a great opportunity to try a racing car I haven’t tried before, and then we will see what the future brings. So far it is only a test,” he added.

Magnussen has not ruled out combining a race seat elsewhere with a F1 reserve role, “Possibly but there is nothing certain yet.”