Pirelli, Hembery: “Immediate focus on the 2017 compounds. Congratulations to Nico!”

The last race in the era of tires deliberately designed to have high degradation ended with the victory of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and with the second place of teammate Nico Rosberg, who took the World Championship for the first time. The Mercedes drivers adopted an identical two-stop strategy, starting on the ultrasofts and switching on the softs twice, on both occasions within a lap of each other.

Different strategy for Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who used all three compounds: starting on the ultrasoft, he switched to the soft and then finished the race on the supersoft. Vettel was the fastest on the track, gaining positions until he threatened the leaders and thus contributed to an exciting race finale. The two Red Bull drivers were the only ones in the top 10 who did not start on the ultrasofts. Despite spinning at the start following a contact, Max Verstappen managed to recover to second place, before making his only stop. Verstappen was the only one of the leading drivers to make just one pit stop, making the most of the first stint on the supersofts to gain positions on the track and finishing in fourth position.

The final development test for the new 2017 tires will take place on Tuesday, with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari together on track for the first time with the modified 2015 mule single-seaters. The new generation of wider tires is designed to offer less degradation and introduces a new philosophy for the technical revolution that will lead to higher performance next year.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “The decision made yesterday by Red Bull to start the race on supersoft was crucial for today's race, with Max Verstappen making the most of the one-stop strategy, undermining the drivers who had opted for a two-stop strategy . Sebastian Vettel also used the performance of the supersofts to gain ground in the closing stages. Congratulations to Nico Rosberg on winning his first World Title; we want to pay a fitting tribute to Felipe Massa and Jenson Button, who today concluded their fantastic careers in Formula 1. Now that the 2016 season has concluded, our focus immediately shifts to next year – starting from Tuesday, when we will carry out the 'latest development test for the new wider 2017 tyres, for the first time with all three mule single-seaters together"