After wins in Mexico and Brazil, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg controlled the race at Yas Marina on Sunday to secure a hat-trick of victories for the first time in his career.

It was the German’s sixth win of the season and his 14th in total, tying the tally of Graham Hill on the very same day as the 40th anniversary of the two-time world champion’s premature death.

Lewis Hamilton came home 8.2s behind his team mate to secure the Silver Arrows a 12th one-two finish of the year, breaking the single-season record of 11 they set last year. They also broke the single-season points record they set last year by two, despite the fact that double points weren’t on offer like they were in 2014’s finale.

Rosberg incidentally is only the second driver to win from pole in Abu Dhabi, the 30-year-old having recorded his sixth successive P1 start on Saturday. If he scores pole at the first two races next season he’ll equal Ayrton Senna’s all-time record of eight straight poles.

Behind the Silver Arrows, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen collected just his third podium finish of the season, and along with it the points he needed to overhaul countryman Valtteri Bottas for fourth in the drivers’ standings. That’s the Finn’s highest championship finish since 2012 when he was third overall.

On a similar note, Sergio Perez cemented his best ever championship finish of ninth with a fine drive to fifth place - the seventh time in the final nine races that the Mexican has scored points.