- .Lewis Hamilton has won the 2014 Formula One World Championship after storming to victory in Abu Dhabi
- .Prince Harry came on Hamilton's team radio after the win to call the British doublr world champion a 'legend'
- .Hamilton passed rival and team mate Nico Rosberg early on and never looked like relinquishing his lead
- .Rosberg encountered mechanical problems and finished in 14th place, but hugged Hamilton after the race
- .Girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger was overcome with joy after boyfriend's win, awkwardly kissing him on the helmet
- .Mercedes driver won his other title at the final race in 2008 and becomes first double winner since Jackie Stewart
Lewis Hamilton has won the Formula One World Championship after storming to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton won his second drivers' title after a faultless performance while his rival and team mate Nico Rosberg struggled with mechanical problems.
Prince Harry came on the team radio immediately after the race to congratulate the British driver, calling him a 'legend'.
Hamilton's girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger looked nervous as she arrived at the track this morning but was overcome with joy as her boyfriend crossed the finish line.
Sealed with a kiss: Nicole Scherzinger congratulates Lewis Hamilton after his Formula One World Championship victory
Time to celebrate: Hamilton won his second drivers' title after a faultless performance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Royal watcher: Prince Harry came on the team radio to immediately congratulate the British driver, calling him a 'legend'.
Hamilton was joined on the podium with Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas who finished second and third
Hamilton held the trophy aloft after bringing his car home, while his team mate Nico Rosberg struggled with mechanical problems
Drenched: Miss Scherzinger and Anthony Hamilton got a soaking as Champagne was sprayed over Hamilton's loved ones
Raise the flag: Hamilton was passed a Union Jack to hold aloft as he brought his car home to the garage after the victory
Prince Harry, who was in the Mercedes garage, congratulated Hamilton over the team radio. He said: 'Lewis thank you very, very much for not making the British public sweat.
'You are an absolute legend. Well done mate.'
The win makes Hamilton the first British double champion since Jackie Stewart won his second title in 1971.
Hamilton's first championship victory came in 2008 when he scraped into fifth position to nick the title from then-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa's grasp at the final corner.
There was no such drama today for Hamilton, who never looked like he would lose the race.
Rosberg bogged down as he tried to pull away from the start line, with Hamilton flying past him into the first corner.
Hamilton temporarily gave the lead back to Rosberg as the Briton pitted for new tyres but he quickly regained first place, where he remains.
Rosberg, son of 1982 F1 champion Keke Rosberg, looked to be feeling the pressure as he ran wide on lap 24, locking his brakes as he tried to keep up with his team mate.
He complained of issues with his energy recovery system - a 160 horsepower boost drivers can use for a few seconds each lap - on lap 25 and lost second place to Williams' Felipe Massa soon after.
He dragged his wounded car home in 14th but never looked like he would catch Hamilton.
Love: Hamilton stopped for a smooch with Miss Scherzinger before heading to the podium after his historic victory
Jubilation: Hamilton's brother Nicolas, also a racing driver, and Scherzinger embrace the Mercedes driver as cameras swarm round them
Celebrations: Hamilton entertained the Yas Marina circuit crowd by doing donuts after crossing the finish line
Third-placed man Valtteri Bottas (right) and runner-up (centre) Felipe Massa spray the world champion with Champagne
Exhausted: An emotionally drained Lewis Hamilton becomes the first British world champion since Jenson Button in 2009
Miss Scherzinger also looked like she had been through an emotional rollercoaster, appearing teary as she watched her boyfriend collect his winner's trophy
Victory: The chequered flag waves as Hamilton crosses the finish line and wins his second Formula One World Championship
Winner: Hamilton punched the air, taking both hands off his steering wheel as he took his 11th win of the season to put him 67 points ahead of team mate, rival and friend Nico Rosberg
True sportsmanship: Hamilton and Rosberg shared a hug after the race. The pair have been good friends since they were children
Lewis Hamilton took the lead of the race from Nico Rosberg before the first corner of the championship decider in Abu Dhabi
Hamilton's girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger looked nervous as she arrived at the circuit, followed by her boyfriend's father
Winning: Hamilton held his lead until lap 10 when he made a routine pit stop for fresh tyres, but regained the lead soon afterwards and held it for the rest of the race
Hammer time: Hamilton fans celebrated as it became clear he was going to win the race and the title
Into the lead: The 60,000-strong crowd cheered as Hamilton (bottom of pic) passed Rosberg at the start
Hamilton entered the race knowing he would win the Drivers' Championship so long as he kept Rosberg behind him
Concentration: Hamilton (background) Rosberg (front) looked focused before the warm-up lap at the Yas Marina circuit
Hamilton led Rosberg for the first half of the race before Rosberg dropped to 14th after suffering severe mechanical problems
Nervous: Miss Scherzinger quickly made her way through the paddock to the Mercedes garage this morning, followed by Hamilton's father
Miss Scherzinger cut a lonely figure as she walked through the paddock in Abu Dhabi wearing an all-black ensemble
Respect: Championship rivals Hamilton and Rosberg shook hands as they made their way to the grid this morning
Showdown: Team mates, long-time friends and now rivals, Hamilton and Rosberg could have won the Formula One World Championship
Stare: There were not too many words shared between the two rivals as they posed for photos with the Mercedes team
Despite mind games from Rosberg after yesterday afternoon's qualifying session, 2008 world champion Hamilton looked calm and composed as he posed up with his team just hours before the desert showdown.
Because he was 17 points ahead of his German team mate, Hamilton knew finishing second would be enough to win the title, even if Rosberg won.
The Brit tweeted before the race: 'Today feels like the most important day of my life. But I am calm and focused.'
Controversially, double points were be awarded for those in the top 10 positions in this grand prix - the first time this has happened - leaving Hamilton on 384 points and Rosberg on 317.
Under the normal points system Hamilton would only have needed to finish sixth to win the Drivers' Championship, leaving the potential for uproar if the Briton had suffered difficulties during the race.
After the qualifying session yesterday, which Rosberg won by four-tenths of a second, the German taunted Hamilton. He said: ‘Lewis has everything to lose and I have everything to gain.
‘The pressure is on him and I will keep it on him as much as possible. And maybe he will make another mistake, as we saw today [Saturday] and in Brazil. These are the signs that give me hope.’
Two weeks ago at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton spun while chasing down his Silver Arrows rival, throwing away his chances of winning the race.
But Hamilton, who has cut a disconsolate figure at times in the build-up to the race, said after qualifying: ‘I don’t really pay much attention to him [Rosberg], no.
‘Actually, today if I made any mistakes, it was the same amount as him. Today he had to do an extra lap on the race tyre, which will probably have an effect, whereas my tyres are perfect for the race. I have made very, very few mistakes through the year, so I’m not worried.'
‘Nico is trying everything possible in his head to find some way of dealing with things, I guess. I just keep to myself and do my talking on the track.’
Can I have a World Championship please, Carol: Hamilton had time for a quick photo with former Countdown mathematician Carol Vorderman before the finale
Three-time world champion and Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda helped Hamilton into his jacket before the race
Calm and composed: Hamilton appeared relaxed just hours before the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Jenson Button chatted to Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo before heading to the grid in what could be the McLaren driver's last race
All 20 drivers from the 10 teams posed for a picture before the race got underway at the Yas Marina circuit today
Lewis Hamilton, pictured during qualifying, started the final race of the season knowing he needed to finish just second to secure the Formula 1 World Championship
Hamilton took comfort from the knowledge that he only finished below second place on two occasions this season - in Germany and Hungary - where he finished third.
However, he had been plagued by more mechanical problems than Rosberg, retiring from three races.
Hamilton won the Drivers' Championship in 2008, beating Massa, then of Ferrari, by just a single point.
The Brit, in just his second year in Formula One, scraped into fifth place on the final corner of the race in Brazil - enough to win the title.
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