Lewis Hamilton ended his remarkable season in winning fashion by charging to victory in Abu Dhabi, as Nico Hulkenberg escaped injury when he was trapped after his Renault caught fire.
Hamilton's win under the lights of the Yas Marina circuit, aided by a Mercedes tactical masterstroke after they called the British driver in for an early change of tyres, was the 11th of his championship-winning year, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel second and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen completing the podium.
But the concluding race of the 21-round season will be remembered for Hulkenberg's opening-lap crash.
The 31-year-old German somersaulted through the air one-and-a-half times before landing the wrong way up after he collided with the Haas of Romain Grosjean through the right-handed Turn 9.
Hulkenberg was left dangling upside down, and unable to slide out of his Renault following the introduction of the halo, Formula One's three-pronged safety device that sits above the cockpit.
"I'm hanging here like a cow," Hulkenberg said over the radio.
"Get me out. There is a fire. There is a fire."
British pop star Sam Smith, standing with Spice Girl Geri Horner, watched on aghast, with Hulkenberg still strapped into his Renault.
"It has been a real honour and privilege racing against Sebastian," Hamilton, 33, said after performing a series of doughnuts on the main straight.
"He has always been a hard-working racing driver. He did a fantastic job this year. There is so much pressure, so don't ever just look at our shortcomings. I know he is going to come back strong.
"Fernando is a true legend. Before he got to Formula One, I was admiring what he achieved. I don't feel like I miss another driver but the sport will miss him."
Vettel said: "Lewis is the champion and he deserves it. It has been a tough year. I tried everything until the last lap today. I enjoyed catching him a little bit, but he controlled the race.
"It has been a long year. We will try, and our whole team will try, to come back stronger to give him a harder run next year."
