Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lewis Hamilton claimed his second World Championship with a commanding victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale, capitalizing on Nico Rosberg's devastating power unit failure to win the most controversial championship decider in modern Formula 1 history. The race was run under Bernie Ecclestone's heavily-criticized double-points format, awarding 50 points to the winner instead of the traditional 25 in an artificial attempt to maintain championship drama until the final round. Rosberg had started from pole position with a lap of 1:40.480 and led the early laps, perfectly positioned to claim his maiden world title, but a catastrophic ERS failure progressively robbed his Mercedes of power, condemning the German to a heartbreaking 14th-place finish as his championship dreams died in the desert. Hamilton seized the opportunity to cruise to victory ahead of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, securing the 67-point championship margin that ended the most intense teammate rivalry Formula 1 had witnessed in years.

The controversial double-points finale had been designed by Ecclestone and the FIA to ensure the championship remained alive heading into the final race, artificially inflating the importance of Abu Dhabi compared to every other grand prix on the calendar. The format was universally panned by teams, drivers, and fans as a gimmick that undermined the meritocracy of the championship, and would be abolished after just this single season. In the event, it proved unnecessary - Rosberg's mechanical failure meant Hamilton would have won the title under any points system. Rosberg had led from pole and controlled the opening stint, running a perfect race with the championship within his grasp, when the telltale signs of ERS trouble began on lap 23. His Mercedes gradually lost electrical power, dropping from its usual 1.6-liter turbocharged performance to effectively running as a normally-aspirated engine. Lap by agonizing lap, the German fell backward through the field, helpless to prevent the championship slipping away due to circumstances completely beyond his control.

Hamilton took the lead and cruised to his 11th victory of the season, matching Sebastian Vettel's 2013 total and demonstrating the superiority he had shown throughout the second half of the campaign. Massa and Bottas delivered a Williams one-two for second and third places, capping their team's remarkable resurgence in the first year of the hybrid era. Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap for Red Bull, providing a small consolation in an otherwise difficult season for the former champions. Hamilton's championship triumph was the culmination of an extraordinary recovery from his 29-point deficit after the Belgian Grand Prix, where Rosberg's first-lap collision had damaged Hamilton's car and seemingly handed the German title favorite status. Instead, Hamilton responded with five consecutive victories from Monza through United States, seizing control of the title fight and never looking back. His second world championship, coming six years after his dramatic 2008 triumph, re-established him among the sport's elite and marked the beginning of what would become the most successful driver-team partnership in Formula 1 history. For Rosberg, the cruel mechanical failure was devastating - he had won the same number of races as Hamilton (five) and pushed his teammate to the absolute limit, only to see his championship hopes destroyed by reliability in the winner-takes-all finale. The rivalry between the two Mercedes drivers would intensify further in 2015 and 2016, eventually leading to championship glory for Rosberg followed by his shock retirement.