F1 comes to ‘exhilarating’ close in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

German Mercedes driver beats fierce rival and British teammate Hamilton, then Blur takes centre stage to finish the party.

McLaren’s F1 driver Fernando Alonso meets a young Emirati before the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // A sold-out crowd at Sunday’s Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix watched German Nico Rosberg win his third consecutive race of the year, capping off the 2015 season.

The race followed days of festivities, for F1 fans and residents, which included events scattered across the capital and featured a blockbuster entertainment programme.

“It’s exhilarating,” said Muhaimin Fadzail, 16, from Dubai, as the race got under way.

“It’s a once-a-year event for Abu Dhabi. I came here for the atmosphere, the sounds, the vibrations.”

Despite the race’s limited importance in terms of competition – British racer Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg’s Mercedes-GP teammate had already claimed the F1 championship on points at the United States Grand Prix last month – spectators still came out expecting to see a battle for the chequered flag.

With Rosberg starting the race from the pole position, Hamilton – the clear fans’ favourite – was cheered on by the masses in the grandstands, which were dominated with the flags of England and the Union Flag.

“We already know who’s won the championship, but we want to see them fight each other,” said Abu Dhabi resident Riduan Aziz, 32, as he snapped photos of the cars tearing down the straight on the 5.5-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit with the sun setting in background.

“I’m cheering for Hamilton. Even though he’s already won, it’s exciting,” said Ibraheem Mustafa, 14, from Dubai. “It’s all about the competition between him and Rosberg.”

Dubai resident Delicia Murugan, 26, a self-described long-time fan of Hamilton, said she was in town for the entire weekend and was hoping the two-time Abu Dhabi Grand Prix champion and last year’s winner would not disappoint.

“I was here four years ago when he won,” she said. “It’s fun to be here. It sounds like a jet engine.”

In the end, Hamilton was unable to overtake Rosberg, who won with a comfortable 8.2-second gap and ahead of Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who took third place.

An annual event since 2009, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has steadily been increasing in popularity since its inception.

Organisers said the event this year was a sellout, with 60,000 spectators expected to have been at the circuit.

Travelling from London, F1 fans Anne and James Hassall took in the race while visiting the UAE for a holiday.

“It’s fantastic, it’s modern, it’s glamorous,” said Ms Hassall, describing the racetrack at Yas Island, which she said was the best they had seen.

Abu Dhabi residents Ali Al Thumari, 27, and Mohamed Ali, 30, said the annual event was a great boost to the capital.

“It’s good to see a lot of people here from all kinds of different countries,” said Mr Al Thumari, who has yet to miss an F1 race at Yas.

“This even is making Abu Dhabi famous,” Mr Ali said.

After the race, fans took in a performance by leading Britpop act Blur.

The concert brought the weekend’s packed entertainment schedule to a close after performances by UK band Florence and the Machine and Spanish pop star Enrique Iglesias.