In a race in which he only needed to finish second, Hamilton pre-race promise to “drive it like I stole it” played out in sensational fashion in the opening seconds of the race as an electric getaway at the lights saw him vault past his polesitting title rival Rosberg into the lead well before Turn One.
Hamilton immediately set about controlling the race and his lead over Rosberg was in excess of two seconds before his team-mate’s Mercedes developed a critical ERS system failure which effectively settled the tense all-Mercedes season-long title duel in the Briton’s favour.
With Rosberg immediately losing seconds of time and soon starting to slip down the order, the title was effectively Hamilton’s – although a large charge from second-placed Felipe Massa on the supersoft tyres gave him something to think about in terms of the race victory, which he eventually hung on to by 2.5 seconds.
For Rosberg, it proved a heartbreaking finish. His slide down the order culminated in a non-points finish of 14th place and, in one cruel final twist on the penultimate lap, his ailing W05 was lapped by Hamilton.
With Hamilton winning the race – his 11th of his best-ever season – and the title, Massa ended his first year at Williams with a 2014 best of second place as team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished third.
Daniel Ricciardo capped his stellar campaign with a stunning drive from the pitlane to fourth, with Jenson Button finishing what could be his final GP in fifth.
Note – Ricciardo, Vettel excluded from qualifying, illegal front wings; pit-lane start after parc ferme changes. Grosjean qualified P16, 20-place grid penalty for power unit changes, incurs an in-race drive-through penalty in lieu of undropped places.
For the last six years, a driver in a far superior car with a useless teammate won with little or no opposition (at least from other teams): Button, Vettel and now Gansta Rapper Ham.
This year’s champion entertained us with his pre-race interviews. I laugh myself to tears seeing Hammie’s new fashion addition to the 20 karat diamond rings, 10cm diameter watch, arm tattoo, number 44 branded behind the ear (like cattle have): Now he hangs a 5 kg chain around his neck, most likely a gold replica of a motorcycle chain lock. We know he’s rich, nobody needs to see his bling as proof. Does he think he looks good? None of the people close to him seem to find it useful to tell him he actually looks ridiculous. I’m looking forward to next year, to see his ghetto gear complemented by torn jeans worn at thigh level, bright underwear showing and a pink baseball cap worn back to front. His fake American accent is almost good and with the addition of some street lingo, he’s a done man!