Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lewis Hamilton concluded his sixth championship-winning season with a dominant victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leading from pole position to claim his 11th win of the year under the floodlights of Yas Marina. The British driver controlled the season finale from lights to flag, managing his pace expertly while setting the fastest lap to complete a perfect weekend. Hamilton's victory provided a fitting end to Mercedes' most dominant season yet, as the Silver Arrows celebrated their sixth consecutive championship double with an emphatic display of superiority.

Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, securing third place in the final championship standings and capping a strong season that saw Red Bull-Honda emerge as clear best-of-the-rest behind Mercedes. The Dutch driver's consistent podium finishes and three victories demonstrated Red Bull's progress with their Honda partnership, providing optimism for future championship challenges. Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third for Ferrari, finishing fourth in the drivers' championship in his first season with the Scuderia despite the team's disappointing campaign marred by strategy errors, reliability issues, and internal politics.

The season finale marked the end of an era of unprecedented Mercedes dominance, with the Silver Arrows having won 15 of 21 races and secured both titles with races to spare. Hamilton's 11 victories equaled his personal best from 2014 and 2018, while his sixth championship moved him within one of Michael Schumacher's all-time record. Valtteri Bottas finished the season as runner-up with four wins, his best championship result but still 87 points behind his teammate. The Abu Dhabi race ran without major incident, a processional affair befitting a season where Mercedes' technical excellence and operational perfection had established new benchmarks for Formula 1 dominance. As the 2019 season concluded, attention turned to whether anyone could challenge Mercedes' supremacy in 2020, with regulation changes looming for 2021 that promised to shake up the established order.