Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton wins 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

It was the Mercedes-GP driver's fourth victory at Yas Marina Circuit and his 11th win of the season

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning last year's race. Reuters

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates. AFP

Race winner Lewis Hamilton. Getty Images

Actor Will Smith takes a selfie as Fernando Alonso drives past. Getty Images

Mercedes' driver Valtteri Bottas steers his car during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. AFP

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB14 TAG Heuer battles with Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Sahara Force India F1 Team VJM11 Mercedes. Getty Images

Charles Leclerc of Sauber F1 Team in action. EPA

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen leaves the track after engine trouble. AP Photo

Sebastian Vettel driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF71H leads Kimi Raikkonen. Getty Images

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in action. AP Photo

Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia Toro Rosso driving the (10) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR13 Honda on track. Getty Images

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB14 TAG Heuer battles with Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Sahara Force India F1 Team VJM11 Mercedes. Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes WO9 leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF71H. Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the race on the podium with second place Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and third place Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Reuters

Lewis Hamilton takes the chequered flag. Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the race. Reuters

Lewis Hamilton holds his trophy on the podium. AP Photo

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates his victory. AP Photo

World champion Lewis Hamilton won the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for a record fourth time on Sunday, paying tribute to his Mercedes-GP team for their "correct" strategy.

Hamilton had led the early stages but was a surprise early visitor to the pits on Lap 6 during Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions after Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari had stopped with a mechanical failure.

That dropped him to fifth, and although he regained the lead on Lap 33 after Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull Racing car was the last of the front runners to pit, he was forced to run a long 49-lap stint on the hard tyres to the finish.

He held off a late surge from Sebastian Vettel to finish second, the winning margin 2.5 seconds in the end, and the Briton admitted he did have initial concerns about the early pit stop.

"My engineers, they always talk about stopping super early and they are well too chilled behind the pit wall," he said. "I was like 'yeah I've got a long way to go and this tyre doesn't feel too good right now'. But it lasted long and once again they again calculated and [were] correct."

_______________

Read more:

Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: As it happened

Marcus Ericsson: F1 exit after UAE leads to 'exciting' new chapter with IndyCar

Read back: How the rest of the weekend unfolded

From Bella Hadid to Steve Harvey: all the celebrities spotted at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

_______________

There had been early drama when Nico Hulkenberg's Renault somersaulted off the track after a collision with Romain Grosjean's Haas on the first lap.

The German was unhurt but was briefly stuck upside down in the car as it landed on top of the tyre barriers. Fire could be seen from the rear of the car before marshals were quickly in the scen to douse the flames and overturn the car.

That produced the first safety car period at Yas Marina Circuit since 2012, but Hamilton, who had started on pole, quickly pulled away when the action restarted on Lap 4.

Max Verstappen finished on the podium for the first time in Abu Dhabi as he recovered to finish third, ahead of teammate Ricciardo.

Red Bull gambled on heavy rain arriving at Yas Marina by keeping Ricciardo out for a long stint. While some rain drops did hit the track it was not enough to cause the drivers to pit for wet tyres.

Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's teammate, had run second behind him at the start and then after the pit stops, but he slowed with what appeared to be brake issues.

He was passed by Vettel before light contact with Verstappen dropped him to fourth. The Finn  was later overtaken by Ricciardo to eventually finish fifth.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso, in his final race before retiring from F1, finished 11th in his McLaren, a lap down.