The two Mercedes had started on the front row, and although Rosberg's pit stop strategy gave Hamilton a chance to move into the lead temporarily, the champion had to pit later for fresh tyres, effectively conceding the win.

"Austin (where Hamilton won the title) was the low point of the season - since then I've come back a lot stronger," said Rosberg during the podium interviews. "It's great to end the season like this, go on holiday like this."

Kimi Raikkonen drove excellently to take third, pushing his own Ferrari team-mate  Sebastian Vettel into fourth.

It was a less than thrilling race, with most of the on-track drama in the opening lap as  Fernando Alonso and  Felipe Nasr came into contact, sending the McLaren careering into the back of Lotus's  Pastor Maldonado, forcing him to retire.

The podium presentations also included the award of the constructors' championship to Mercedes, who have dominated from the off.

"It's been an amazing year," said champion Hamilton. "I'm happy. I really have to take my hat off to this team. We've truly shown that Mercedes-Benz is the best team in the world."

It's getting tiresome, it's becoming a cliché, but this was won on Saturday. We already knew that nobody beyond the front row would win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - at least, that's what history has told us - and we also knew that barring accidents then a Mercedes would certainly win any race this season.  Nico Rosberghad an excellent start, and built up an eight-second lead very quickly, capitalising on the fresh air in front of him.  Lewis Hamiltonwas left in his wake, waiting for mistakes that never came.

Three stars out of five. Well, there he was, in second, all the way except for a little spell in the lead after Rosberg pitted. His suggestion that he should attempt to protect his tyres from the front and run all the way to the end was stamped on pretty quickly by his team, but it would have made a race of it at least.

There was a serious lack of entertainment over the radio waves this week. Usually we're guaranteed some scorn or sarcasm from  Jenson Button or Kimi Raikkonen, but this finale was extremely serious. So  Sebastian Vettel gets the accolade this time round for speculating upon just how much  Fernando Alonso might hate him. Don't worry, Seb. Nando's had such a bad season it's possible that he just bears a grudge against the world in general, not you in particular.

It was good to see Daniel Ricciardo back on prime overtaking form. Some smooth moving past  Marcus Ericsson in the opening laps was impressive, and he maintained that standard to secure himself a creditable sixth-place finish. ( Max Verstappen would have got this nod for his battle with a brilliantly defensive Jenson Button, but the stewards didn't like it as much as I did, imposing a penalty on the Toro Rosso teenager for leaving the track.)

If Hamilton had got what he wanted, that would have made the last dozen laps enthralling. Instead, Mercedes stuck to the game plan and secured their one-two finish with a sensible pit-stop strategy. It was what they needed to do, and that's why they're champions - but it wasn't particularly great to watch.

Unsung Hero

The Ferraris always get overlooked amidst the Mercedes drama, but Raikkonen had an excellent race today, taking third spot on the podium. Mind you, Sebastian Vettel wasn't that far behind him - and bearing in mind he started 15th after a dire qualifying, in which he departed at the end of Q1 following a mix-up with his tyres, that deserves enormous credit too.

Pastor Maldonado finished the season in inimitable style. To be fair to the Lotus driver, this end-of-season crash wasn't actually his fault - he was shunted off the track and snapped his suspension after a collision with Alonso on the first corner. His was the only retirement of the race - not a distinction he would want, but it is, indeed, the distinction he deserves.