F1: Nico Rosberg claims first world title

Lewis Hamilton may have won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Nico Rosberg claimed the F1 world drivers championship by finishing second.

The Brit maintained the lead for most of the race, save for a period where an out-of-sync Sebastian Vettel led the pack before peeling off into the pits.

However, there was drama in the latter part of the race, as Hamilton slowed down in an attempt to push Rosberg into Vettel and Max Verstappen. If Rosberg was indeed overtaken by the two, he would’ve lost the championship. Fortunately, the German Mercedes driver managed to secure second place and the title as a result, scoring 385 points to Hamilton’s 380.

Rosberg’s F1 title by the numbers

1 – The German only retired once this season, after a high-stakes crash with Hamilton in Spain. The Brit retired from the race as well.

2 – The number of father/son pairings to have won a world championship. Graham Hill and Damon Hill were the first pairing to do so.

3 – Rosberg joins Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher as F1 champions from Germany.

9 – Rosberg took fewer victories than Hamilton (10) but consistency and reliability were key to the title.

10 – It took a decade since his debut for Rosberg to win the title, F1 statistician Sean Kelly noted.

12 – Germans have won 12 titles in F1. Surprisingly enough, they’ve won 12 of the last 24 championships.

13 – The number of laps he spent outside the top ten, according to the F1 website.

32 – Rosberg has endured more career retirements than Hamilton (25), according to the BBC.

34 – The number of years between Graham Hill and Keke Rosberg’s first/only world titles and their sons’ titles.

Featured image: Formula 1 website