ABU DHABI, Nov 24 — Race-by-race guide to the 2014 Formula One season which ended in Abu Dhabi yesterday with Lewis Hamilton claiming a second world title:

Australian Grand Prix - March 16

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg led from start to finish as rivals dropped out with mechanical problems and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was controversially disqualified from second place over new fuel rules. Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton and world champion Sebastian Vettel both retired early, leaving Rosberg victorious by a wide margin. McLaren’s Danish debutant Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button in a McLaren took the remaining podium places.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 25 points, 2. Kevin Magnussen 18, 3. Jenson Button 15

Malaysian Grand Prix - March 30

Hamilton led the first Mercedes one-two in 59 years. He streaked away from pole and was never pressured. Team-mate Rosberg was second with Vettel third. It was the first time both Mercedes drivers have led the field since 1955, when the German marque departed the sport before returning in 2010 and now confirming themselves as the team to beat in F1’s new era. The win was Hamilton’s first since Hungary last July.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 43 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 25, 3. Fernando Alonso 24

Bahrain Grand Prix - April 6

Hamilton and Rosberg repeated their one-two in Malaysia after a thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel as Hamilton equalled the legendary Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of 24 Grand Prix victories. Sergio Perez gave Force India just their second ever podium finish in third. Ricciardo, 13^th on the grid, continued his impressive start for Red Bull with fourth.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 61 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 50, 3. Nico Hulkenberg 28

Chinese Grand Prix - April 20

Hamilton sealed his first hat-trick of F1 wins and led Mercedes to their third straight one-two finish, 18 seconds ahead of Rosberg, with Fernando Alonso third. Ricciardo outran his team-mate Vettel for fourth. But there was a bizarre finish when Hamilton was inadvertently shown the chequered flag early, meaning that the race was later declared over after 54 laps instead of the 56 completed.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 79 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 75, 3. Fernando Alonso 41

Spanish Grand Prix - May 11

Hamilton took control of the title race when he made it four wins in a row by grabbing a heart-stopping victory. He finished just 0.6 seconds ahead of Rosberg. Ricciardo took third ahead of Vettel, who had started from 15^th. The win was Hamilton’s first in Spain and the 26^th of his career. Finn Valtteri Bottas finished fifth for the resurgent Williams team.

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 100 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 97, 3. Fernando Alonso 49

Monaco Grand Prix - May 25

Rosberg started on pole and claimed a faultless victory for Mercedes to regain the championship lead. The 28-year-old came home 9.2 seconds clear of Hamilton, who coped with loss of vision in one eye as he held off Ricciardo’s Red Bull in the closing laps to take second. Alonso finished fourth for Ferrari.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 122 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 118, 3. Fernando Alonso 61

Canadian Grand Prix - June 8

Ricciardo ended Mercedes’s dominant run as he won the first Grand Prix of his career in Montreal. The 24-year-old Australian took advantage of power problems that forced Rosberg into second place and saw Hamilton retire. The race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was also marred by a high-speed collision between Perez and Felipe Massa of Williams, although neither was seriously hurt. Vettel finished third ahead of Button.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 140 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 118, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 79

Austrian Grand Prix - June 22

It was back to business as usual as the Grand Prix circus returned to Austria for the first time in 11 years. Another Mercedes double with Rosberg dominant and Hamilton in second, leaving him 29 points behind the German in the overall standings. Bottas made it onto his first ever podium in what turned out to be a disastrous home race for Red Bull. For Mercedes, it was a seventh win in eight races.

Standings: 1 Nico Rosberg 165 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 136, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 83

British Grand Prix - July 6

Hamilton delighted a 120,000 crowd at Silverstone with victory as Rosberg suffered his first non-finish of the season, due to gearbox problems, to reduce the German’s lead in the title race to just four points. Hamilton came home 30 seconds clear of Bottas, who started from 14^th on the grid. It was Hamilton’s second home win, his fifth of the season and the 27^th of his career, drawing him level with fellow-Briton and three-time champion Jackie Stewart in the record books. Ricciardo finished third.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 165 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 161, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 98.

German Grand Prix - July 20

Rosberg won his first home Grand Prix to increase his lead in the standings to 14 points ahead of Hamilton, who took third after a battling drive from 20^th. Bottas took second for Williams’ 300^th podium finish. A dramatic race was marred by an opening lap collision with Felipe Massa’s Williams somersaulting into the air.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 190 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 176, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 106

Hungarian Grand Prix - July 27

Ricciardo charged to his second Formula One win for Red Bull, as a drenched track caused chaos among world championship leaders. Ricciardo came first ahead of Alonso in a race which saw Hamilton finish third after ignoring team orders to let championship leader Rosberg go by.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 202 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 191, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 131

Belgian Grand Prix - August 24

Ricciardo posted his third win with a bold and well-judged drive but all the headlines were hogged by an incident on lap two, when Hamilton suffered a puncture following a collision with Rosberg in a contentious incident that added further spice to the former friends’ fractious relationship and left Hamilton trailing Rosberg by 29 points. 

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 220 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 191, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 156

Italian Grand Prix - Sept 7

Hamilton refused to brood on his team-mate’s behaviour in Belgium and bounced back in the best style possible by outclassing Rosberg in Monza. He recovered from a poor start which saw him drop to fourth from pole but Rosberg, despite looking set to extend his lead, instead twice buckled under pressure and locked up twice at the first chicane while leading—the second time allowing Hamilton to seize first place—and ended up 3.1 seconds adrift in second place.

Standings: 1. Nico Rosberg 238 points, 2. Lewis Hamilton 216, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 166

Singapore Grand Prix - September 21

Hamilton regained the lead in the drivers’ world championship when he capitalised on Rosberg’s reliability problems to claim a dramatic victory. Hamilton led almost throughout from pole position to dominate before and after a Safety Car intervention had reduced his lead and forced him to attack again in the closing stages. Rosberg had a nightmare as he had to start from the pit lane but retired after 14 of the 61 laps.

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 241 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 238, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 181

Japanese Grand Prix - October 5

Hamilton won but there were no celebrations as the race which took place in dreadful weather conditions was overshadowed by the sickening crash that left Frenchman Jules Bianchi fighting for his life with a severe head injury, just days after the 25-year-old had been talking about his hopes of driving for Ferrari. Bianchi was knocked unconscious in a high-speed crash into a recovery vehicle which was trying to remove Adrian Sutil’s stricken Sauber, which had crashed at the same spot on the circuit a lap earlier.

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 266 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 256, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 193

Russian Grand Prix - October 12

Hamilton reeled off his fourth consecutive victory to secure Mercedes’ maiden triumph in the constructors’ championship at the inaugural Russian Grand Prix. The 29-year-old, starting from his 38^th pole position, cruised to the 31^st success of his career to draw level with fellow-Englishman Nigel Mansell in the record books, finishing the race 13.657 seconds ahead of Rosberg. 

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 291 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 274, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 199

United States Grand Prix - November 2

Hamilton increased his lead to 24 points when he swept to his fifth consecutive victory and 10^th of the season. He started second behind his pole sitting team-mate Rosberg, and took the lead with a bold move after 24 laps on his way to a perfectly-measured triumph nearly five seconds. It was the 32^nd win of Hamilton’s career, a landmark statistic that lifted him one victory clear of Mansell as the British driver with most career successes. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was third in a race which featured only 18 cars after Caterham and Marussia went into administration.

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 316 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 292, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 214

Brazilian Grand Prix - November 9

Rosberg kept alive his world title hopes when he ended Hamilton’s run of five straight wins and reduced the Briton’s lead in the championship from 24 points to 17 with one race remaining, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with double points on offer to the winner.

The 29-year-old German, who had dominated every practice session at Interlagos and started from his 10^th pole of the season, came home 1.457 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

Felipe Massa was third for Williams in front of his home fans.

For Mercedes, it was their record 11^th one-two finish this year, beating the previous record held by McLaren who had scored 10 one-twos in their triumphant 1988 season with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton 334 points, 2. Nico Rosberg 317, 3. Daniel Ricciardo 214

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - November 23

Hamilton clinched his second world championship and became the first British multiple champion for 46 years when he won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old, who took his first title in 2008 with McLaren, won not only the 55-lap race, but also his private duel with Rosberg, who suffered prolonged problems with his car after making a poor start from pole position.

Having started from the prime spot on the grid for the 11^th time this year, Rosberg was comprehensively outpaced immediately as Hamilton surged clear to control the race with a well-judged and dominant performance.

Hamilton’s victory was his 11^th of the season and the 33^rd of his record-breaking career and secured a record 16^th victory of the season for the Mercedes team. Rosberg finished 14^th.

Final standings:

1.  Lewis Hamilton 384 points,

2.  Nico Rosberg 317,

3.  Daniel Ricciardo 238. — AFP