Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his delight at having secured the second world championship title of his career at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this afternoon.

The Briton headed into the final race of the season knowing that a top-two finish would see him pip his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg to the main prize.

As it was, Hamilton finished in first place for the 33rd time in his career to seal his successful season.

"I've been lost for words but I want to thank the fans. It's made such a difference. To my family - I love you guys. And to my team thank you. It feels even more than the first time," he said on the podium.

"It was a good start, probably the best start I'd ever had. Going into the race I had a couple of different options. If it was ahead I knew I had to race. Qualifying wasn't perfect but we got it right for the race."

Hamilton first won the title back in 2008 when driving for McLaren.