Hamilton vs Rosberg: Yas Marina set for another F1 title showdown

The Formula 1 circus heads to Abu Dhabi for the season finale in the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit which has experience of hosting a title showdown in 2010.

In what was one of the most exciting in the sport's history, four drivers - Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton - were mathematically in contention to win the title.

Alonso was favourite with an eight-point lead over Webber, and Vettel a further seven behind.

Hamilton was the outsider, 24 adrift with only a maximum of 25 available.

Vettel led away from pole with Hamilton second, Alonso third and Webber fifth. If things stayed the same, Alonso would have clinched the title.

But Red Bull gambled on an early pit stop for Webber, and Ferrari covered it by pitting Alonso. It did not pay off. Both dropped down the field and failed to recover.

Vettel stormed clear at the front to become the sport's youngest champion at 23 years, ahead of Hamilton, while Alonso could only finish seventh and Webber eighth.

Britain's Hamilton is on the verge of his second world title this time, six years after his first, with a 17-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

But with controversial double points on offer for the final race - 50 for the winner - the 2014 title could still go either way.

Testing

From the moment pre-season testing began in January, it was clear Mercedes and their two drivers Hamilton and Rosberg would be difficult to beat.

And so it proved, with the pair sharing 17 of the 18 pole positions between them and securing 15 wins as they fought out a private battle for the title.

Yas Marina's 5.554km track features three distinct elements - fast and flowing turns followed by two long straights and finishing with a tight and twisty section.

It is a twilight race too, with the grand prix starting in daylight and finishing in darkness under the floodlights.

Mercedes have won both Formula One titles already, and Red Bull are sure of second place, but Sunday's 19th race of the season will be a last roll of the dice for some of those behind them.

For tail-enders Caterham, in administration and facing closure unless they can find a buyer, the day-to-night race at Yas Marina could literally be a last blast before darkness engulfs their hopes.

They are hoping, even if any sort of points looks out of reach, to show they are a team that deserves being saved from the scrapheap after the failure last month of rivals Marussia.

Neither team raced in the last two grands prix, with Caterham returning only after a crowd-funding exercise to raise sufficient funds to get them back on the starting grid.

Swiss-based Sauber, one of the sport's oldest teams after multiple champions Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, need a 10th place to stave off their first campaign without a scoring finish.

The team that came second in the championship as recently as 2007 when owned by BMW has fallen on hard times but can still salvage some pride in a season of struggle on and off the track.

Ahead of them, Lotus would need their best result of the season to overhaul Toro Rosso for eighth place while Force India would require something pretty spectacular to make up 34 points and get back in front of fifth placed McLaren.

Williams are looking good for third place, their highest overall placing since 2003, but Ferrari still have a chance of overtaking them if they can repeat their Hungary haul of 26 regular points. 

Road to 2014 Formula One title

Mercedes team mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will stage a 'duel in the desert' for the 2014 Formula One title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.

Hamilton is 17 points clear of Rosberg, with double points to be awarded for the first time.

The following details their season-long battle.

AUSTRALIA

Rosberg won the first race of the new V6 turbo era. Hamilton started on pole but retired on the third lap with a misfiring cylinder.
Points: Rosberg 25, Hamilton 0

MALAYSIA

A pole-to-flag win for Hamilton. Rosberg was second, after starting third, in a first one-two for Mercedes since they returned to Formula One as a works team in 2010.
Points: Rosberg 43, Hamilton 25

BAHRAIN

Second win in a row for Hamilton after a thrilling floodlit duel. The Briton pulled level with the late Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio in the all-time win lists with 24. Rosberg, who started on pole, produced the team's second successive one-two.
Points: Rosberg 61, Hamilton 50

CHINA

Hamilton chalked up his first hat-trick of wins and led a third one-two in a row for Mercedes. The Briton, who started on pole, drew level with the late Jim Clark and triple champion Niki Lauda in the all-time win lists.
Points: Rosberg 79, Hamilton 75

SPAIN

Hamilton, from pole, took the overall lead with his fourth win in a row and fourth successive one-two for the team. The Briton finished a mere 0.6 of a second ahead of Rosberg.
Points: Hamilton 100, Rosberg 97

MONACO

Rosberg ended Hamilton's run to take back the overall lead, winning Monaco for the second year in a row. He started from a controversial pole position that had ratcheted up the tension with Hamilton, who finished second. Relations between the two boyhood friends were at their frostiest.
Points: Rosberg 122, Hamilton 118

CANADA

The winning run ended for Mercedes with Australian Daniel Ricciardo taking his first career win for Red Bull. Rosberg started on pole, but finished second, while Hamilton retired with a rear brake problem.
Points: Rosberg 140, Hamilton 118

AUSTRIA

Mercedes bounced back with another one-two and Rosberg's third win of the season. For once, a Mercedes was not on pole with Brazilian Felipe Massa qualifying fastest for Williams.
Points: Rosberg 165, Hamilton 136

BRITAIN

Hamilton won at home after Rosberg suffered his first retirement of the season, due to a gearbox problem after 20 of 52 laps, in a race red-flagged at the start. Rosberg started on pole with Hamilton sixth on the grid after a qualifying blunder.
Points: Rosberg 165, Hamilton 161

GERMANY

Newly-married Rosberg won his home race, leading from pole to chequered flag. Hamilton clawed his way back to third after starting in 20th place due to a brake disc failure.
Points: Rosberg 190, Hamilton 176

HUNGARY

Ricciardo celebrated his second win but Hamilton produced a storming drive from a pitlane start, after his car caught fire in qualifying, to third place. Rosberg, on pole, was fourth.
Points: Rosberg 202, Hamilton 191

BELGIUM

Ricciardo wins again after the Mercedes team mates collided on the second lap. Hamilton, who accused Rosberg of running into him deliberately, retired with a damaged car while the German finished second and was booed on the podium.
Points: Rosberg 220, Hamilton 191

ITALY

The start of a run of five wins in a row for Hamilton, whose team mate cracked under pressure while leading and finished second. The one-two was the seventh in 13 races for Mercedes.
Points: Rosberg 238, Hamilton 216

SINGAPORE

An emphatic win for Hamilton, from pole, while Rosberg retired with steering wheel problems on lap 14 after being forced to start from the pit lane.
Points: Hamilton 241, Rosberg 238

JAPAN

Hamilton won a race that started behind the safety car and was overshadowed by an accident that left French driver Jules Bianchi fighting for his life. Rosberg started on pole, was overtaken by Hamilton and finished second.
Points: Hamilton 266, Rosberg 256

RUSSIA

Hamilton won from pole as Mercedes clinched the constructors' title with another one-two. Rosberg locked up at the first corner and damaged his tyres in a costly error, but made a fine recovery drive from 20th place.
Points: Hamilton 291, Rosberg 274

UNITED STATES

Hamilton took his 10th win of the season while Mercedes equalled the record for one-two finishes. Rosberg led from pole but Hamilton grabbed his chance and passed when the German went wide on the 24th of the 56 laps.
Points: Hamilton 316, Rosberg 292

BRAZIL

Rosberg, on pole after being fastest in every practice session, ended Hamilton's run of five wins in a row with his fifth of the season in a record 11th one-two for Mercedes. Hamilton finished 1.4 seconds behind.
Points: Hamilton 334, Rosberg 317

Formula One's top 10 title deciding showdowns

Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will decide the Formula One title, with Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting for the crown.

Since 1950, there have been 27 last race deciders.

The following looks at 10 of the best in chronological order.

1950 - Italian Grand Prix, Monza

The seventh round of the season was a three-way title battle between Alfa Romeo team mates Juan Manuel Fangio, of Argentina, and Italians Luigi Fagioli and Nino Farina. Fangio had led the standings but suffered two retirements and failed to score, while Farina won the race and first F1 title.

1959 - US Grand Prix, Sebring (Florida)

Jack Brabham ran out of fuel and pushed his car across the line to finish fourth and become Australian's first world champion. Three drivers started with a chance of taking the title: Brabham and Britons Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. The race was won by New Zealander Bruce McLaren, his first.

1964 - Mexican Grand Prix

Another three-way battle, this time all-British and between motorcycle champion John Surtees, Jim Clark and Graham Hill. Hill had led the championship but his hopes disappeared in a collision, Clark retired with a seized engine and Surtees, let through by team mate Lorenzo Bandini, finished second to become the first man to win titles on two wheels and four.

1976 - Japanese Grand Prix, Fuji

One of the most famous showdowns. Ferrari's Niki Lauda led McLaren's James Hunt by three points after an astonishingly brave comeback by the Austrian from a fiery near-fatal crash at the Nuerburgring. Torrential rain made conditions treacherous, with Lauda saying they were too dangerous and withdrawing on the second lap. Hunt finished third and took the title by a point.

1984 - Portuguese Grand Prix

The smallest winning margin in Formula One history, with Lauda beating McLaren team mate Alain Prost by half a point (the result of the Monaco Grand Prix being stopped early). The Frenchman won the race but Lauda, like Hamilton now, needed only to finish second, which he did. It was his third title.

1986 - Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide

Britain's Nigel Mansell was the favourite to win a three-way battle with McLaren's Prost and Williams team mate Nelson Piquet. Mansell was on course for the title until a blown tyre ended his hopes spectacularly 19 laps from the end. Williams pitted Piquet as a precaution and Prost took his second title.

1994 - Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide

Michael Schumacher won the first of his seven championships in hugely controversial style after turning into title rival Damon Hill as the Briton tried to pass. Both had to retire, handing Schumacher the title by a single point.

1997 - European Grand Prix. Jerez

Another major controversy involving Schumacher, then with Ferrari, who was excluded from the championship classification after trying to take out Canadian Jacques Villeneuve while fighting for the lead. The German had led by a point but retired while his rival finished third to clinch the title.

2008 - Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo

Hamilton clinched a dramatic first title by a single point after the then-McLaren driver secured fifth place in the race with an overtake at the last corner of the last lap just when all seemed lost. Brazilian Felipe Massa, race winner for Ferrari, missed out by a single point.

2010 - Abu Dhabi

The first four-way finale, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso leading Australian Mark Webber by eight points while Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Hamilton were also in the reckoning. A strategy error cost Alonso the race while Vettel won to become the youngest champion at 23 years old. 

Formula One title permutations

Lewis Hamilton leads Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg by 17 points ahead of Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, where double points will be on offer for the first time.

The following are the permutations that could hand the title to either of the two contenders.

Points are normally awarded 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 but in Abu Dhabi this will be 50-36-30-24-20-16-12-8-4-2.

Britain's Hamilton currently has 334 points to his German team mate's 317.

HAMILTON WILL BE CHAMPION IF HE FINISHES...

First or second.

Third, fourth or fifth and Rosberg fails to win.

Sixth with Rosberg not in the top two.

Seventh or eighth with Rosberg out of the top three.

Ninth and Rosberg is not in the top four.

Tenth (or lower) and Rosberg is no higher than sixth.

ROSBERG WILL BE CHAMPION IF...

He wins and Hamilton is not second.

He finishes second and Hamilton is not in the top five.

He is third and Hamilton is out of the top six.

He is fourth and Hamilton is no higher than ninth.

He is fifth and Hamilton is no higher than 10th.

Rosberg cannot win if he finishes sixth or lower.

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