Shock: How tense the race became in the closing stages. Once Nico Rosberg had jumped Max Verstappen midway through, it looked as though it would be a routine one-two for Mercedes. But Lewis Hamilton wasn't going to give up that easily and started to back his teammate into the chasing Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages. Knowing overtaking is tough in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton could afford to reduce his pace by over a second as Vettel closed in, but ultimately it wasn't enough.
Was it fair racing? No doubt everyone will have an opinion, but for Hamilton he did everything he could to win the title, and can leave Abu Dhabi satisfied he left no stone unturned in his pursuit of a fourth title. He didn't break any rules in the process, didn't do anything unsafe and didn't jeopardise the team's constructors' or drivers' titles (which were already secure). It was feisty -- making the race a lot more exciting than it could have been -- but isn't that what we want from Formula One drivers?
Shocker: Jolyon Palmer locking up and taking Carlos Sainz out while battling for position at Turn 17. Both drivers were making the most of a bad weekend at the time, but Palmer can have no excuse for the mistake, which ultimately led to a gearbox problem and retirement for Sainz.
Overtake of the race: Nico Rosberg's pass on Max Verstappen was gutsy and crucial to his championship victory. Yes, he was on fresher tyres, but had he not made that pass, he could have found himself stuck behind the Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel coming through fast at the end. He was told to make the move on the previous lap and then got the job done the next time round.
Strategy of the race: Ferrari may have had a disappointing season, but it ended with a fighting flourish. Red Bull should have had the legs on Sebastian Vettel this weekend, but Ferrari sent him on a long middle stint that allowed him to attack in the final stint using super-soft tyres. He was also helped by Hamilton backing up the pack, but when he passed Verstappen, the Red Bull wasn't sniffing around Rosberg's gearbox. It was the team's first podium since it's home race in Monza and it well-earned.
Radio broadcast of the race: "I suggest you let us race." Hamilton responds to repeated requests from the Mercedes pit wall to speed up and help Rosberg pull a gap over Vettel in third.
Driver of the Day: Nico Rosberg is undoubtedly the man of the moment. Say what you like about Lewis Hamilton's reliability record this year, but Rosberg got the results he needed to secure the title and finished it with a measured drive under difficult conditions at the final race. Arguably, Sebastian Vettel's drive from sixth to third was tactically more impressive and Hamilton's lateral thinking showed significant skill to balance his lap time against the rest of the field (regardless of how sporting it may have been), but given the obstacles and pressure in place on Sunday, Rosberg was the driver that impressed most.