2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The race was defined by the title contest between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg entered the round with a twelve-point lead over Hamilton. To secure his first championship, Rosberg required a podium finish, while Hamilton needed a podium to remain in mathematical contention.

The specific permutations for the title were varied. Hamilton could win the championship if he won the race and Rosberg finished fourth or lower. If Hamilton finished second, he required Rosberg to finish eighth or lower. Conversely, Rosberg would secure the title by finishing on the podium, or by finishing as low as sixth if Hamilton failed to win the race.

Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the race, starting ahead of Rosberg. The Mercedes team held a dominant position in the World Constructors' Championship entering the event, leading Red Bull Racing by 276 points.

At the start, Lewis Hamilton maintained the lead into the first corner. Max Verstappen fell to 19th place following a spin caused by contact with Nico Hülkenberg. While most of the top ten started on ultra soft tyres, the Red Bull Racing cars utilized the more durable super soft tyres.

The first round of pit stops began on lap 7 for Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, with Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel following in subsequent laps. After the stops, Rosberg found himself behind Verstappen, who had not yet pitted. Mercedes advised Rosberg not to take risks, but Red Bull Racing extended Verstappen's stint to attempt a one-stop strategy. This forced Rosberg to pass Verstappen on track on lap 20 to avoid being caught by the chasing Ferraris.

During the final stint, Hamilton began to deliberately slow the pace. Despite leading, he lapped in the 1min46s range to allow the chasing pack to close up on Rosberg, who was running in second. Mercedes officials, including race engineer Peter Bonnington and Executive Director Paddy Lowe, issued repeated orders for Hamilton to increase his pace, citing the threat from Sebastian Vettel. Vettel had pitted for fresh super soft tyres on lap 37 and was lapping significantly faster than the leaders.

Hamilton rebuffed these team orders, maintaining a narrow gap to Rosberg to ensure his teammate remained vulnerable to overtaking maneuvers from Vettel and Verstappen. By lap 50, Vettel was less than a second behind Rosberg. In the penultimate lap, Vettel attacked Rosberg, but the German defended his position.

Hamilton won the race, but Rosberg's second-place finish was sufficient to secure his only World Drivers' Championship title. Sebastian Vettel completed the podium in third place.

The race was characterized by Hamilton's "backing up" tactics and his subsequent insubordination regarding team orders. While Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff expressed understanding of the racer's mentality, he did not condone the refusal to follow instructions.

In the midfield, Jolyon Palmer caused a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr. while lapping him; Palmer received a five-second penalty, and Sainz Jr. was forced to retire due to the damage.

The 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked several significant departures from the sport. One week after securing the title, Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula One, making this his final Grand Prix.

The race was also the final appearance for the Manor team, which folded before the 2017 season. It served as the final career start for Esteban Gutiérrez and Felipe Nasr. While Jenson Button retired from the race on lap 12 with a suspension failure in what was expected to be his final appearance, he would later return for a one-off race at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.

The victory was Hamilton's tenth of the 2016 season, yet he lost the championship to Rosberg by five points. Rosberg became a World Champion for the first time, matching the achievement of his father, Keke Rosberg. The final standings saw Rosberg with 385 points to Hamilton's 380. Daniel Ricciardo finished third in the overall championship standings.