Hamilton cruises

World champion Lewis Hamilton coasted to victory from pole position at the year-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yesterday, and in doing so equalled his best for a season with his 11th win of the campaign.

Having already secured a fifth F1 title, the British Mercedes driver beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel at the Yas Marina circuit to secure the 73rd win of his career.

He is contracted to Mercedes for the next two years at least, giving him a realistic chance of matching Michael Schumacher’s

F1 record of 91 GP wins. Vettel is third alltime with 52, and did not look like adding to that in a race controlled by his rival.

‘‘I wanted to finish on a high. The team has done an exceptional job all year,’’ said Hamilton, who stripped down to the waist on the podium and pointed to a tattoo on his back.

‘‘I wanted to show ‘Still I Rise’ on my back,’’ said Hamilton, referring to a poem by writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

It was a symbolic finish to a season where, again, Hamilton showed his superiority under pressure to beat Vettel into second place overall for the second straight year.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen finished third in the race ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for a fifth straight podium.

New Zealand driver Brendon Hartley was

12th, but at least had the satisfaction of heading home his Toro Rosso team-mate Pierre Gasly, who did not finish the race.

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