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Edition

Australia

Abu Dhabi GP: Bottas fends off Hamilton to win finale

Valtteri Bottas held off Mercedes Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton to win the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina.

Podium: Race winner Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1

Podium: Race winner Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1

Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W08, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W08, Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF70H
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13 retires
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13, Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team RS17, Esteban Ocon, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W08
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF70H
Lance Stroll, Williams FW40 leads Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-17
Felipe Massa, Williams FW40 leads Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32 and Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team RS17
Felipe Massa, Williams FW40 leads Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32
Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-17
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber C36
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32, Pierre Gasly, Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12, Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber C36
Esteban Ocon, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10, Felipe Massa, Williams FW40, Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32, Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault Sport F1 Team RS17

Bottas retained the lead from pole at the start and though he lost it briefly when he pitted first, he absorbed pressure from Hamilton to secure his third win of the season.

World champion Hamilton crossed the line 3.8 seconds adrift, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel completing the podium in third.

Once Bottas got through Turn 1 in the lead, he quickly opened up a one-second lead over Hamilton before gradually building it up to two seconds before the stops.

He was the first of the Mercedes drivers to pit, swapping the ultrasofts for supersofts and rejoining in second place.

Hamilton stayed out for three further laps, clocking the fastest lap in the process, but couldn't make up enough ground and rejoined behind Bottas.

The world champion attacked his teammate, briefly getting within DRS, but locked up at Turn 17, running off track before rejoining.

Hamilton kept up the pressure and even got within 0.5s after Bottas locked up but his team-mate responded by putting the hammer down and pulling away.

Hamilton crossed the line second to secure Mercedes's third one-two of the season.

Vettel had a quiet race, lapping the Yas Marina circuit in a lonely third place and ended up 19.3s adrift, ahead of Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was on course to finish fourth, but pulled off track and retired the car with a hydraulic problem shortly before the halfway point.

His teammate Max Verstappen finished fifth, just 0.8s behind Raikkonen, with Nico Hulkenberg sixth to secure sixth place in the constructors' championship for Renault.

The German escaped with a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when battling Sergio Perez.

His teammate Carlos Sainz retired for the fourth time in six races after the tea did not attach the front-left tyre properly at his pitstop.

Perez was seventh, 6.8s clear of Force India teammate Esteban Ocon.

Fernando Alonso signed off the McLaren-Honda partnership with ninth place, securing the team's third consecutive points finish.

Felipe Massa completed the 269th and final grand prix in the points with 10th and celebrated with a few donuts after the chequered flag.

Romain Grosjean was involved in the race's most entertaining battle, squabbling with Lance Stroll over 13th and coming out on top.

The Haas driver finished 11th, ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne with Kevin Magnussen recovering from a first lap spin that dropped him to the back of the field to finish 13th. 

ClaDriverChassisEngineGap
1 finland Valtteri Bottas  Mercedes Mercedes  
2 united_kingdom Lewis Hamilton  Mercedes Mercedes 3.899
3 germany Sebastian Vettel  Ferrari Ferrari 19.330
4 finland Kimi Raikkonen  Ferrari Ferrari 45.386
5 netherlands Max Verstappen  Red Bull TAG 46.269
6 germany Nico Hulkenberg  Renault Renault 1'25.713
7 mexico Sergio Perez  Force India Mercedes 1'32.062
8 france Esteban Ocon  Force India Mercedes 1'38.911
9 spain Fernando Alonso  McLaren Honda 1 lap
10 brazil Felipe Massa  Williams Mercedes 1 lap
11 france Romain Grosjean  Haas Ferrari 1 lap
12 belgium Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren Honda 1 lap
13 denmark Kevin Magnussen  Haas Ferrari 1 lap
14 germany Pascal Wehrlein  Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
15 new_zealand Brendon Hartley  Toro Rosso Renault 1 lap
16 france Pierre Gasly  Toro Rosso Renault 1 lap
17 sweden Marcus Ericsson  Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
18 canada Lance Stroll  Williams Mercedes 1 lap
19 spain Carlos Sainz   Renault Renault 24 laps
20 australia Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull TAG 35 laps

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Edition

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