To Formula One, where the chase for the world championship came down to the final race of the season. Nico Rosberg would head to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a 12-point lead over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. But the Brit was on pole and looking to grab his fourth straight win, while also hoping the German might miss the podium, which would allow him to claim the title for the third year in a row.
The multi-hued pre-race flyover fitting for what would be a colorful season finale, with celebrity guests like tennis star Roger Federer eager to witness history.
Hamilton and Rosberg in the front row, side by side one last time, with everything on the line as they get going in the desert. And even the opening lap would not be uneventful.
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen spins out after a slight bump, temporarily dropping the Red Bull driver into last.
Problems for Jenson Button as well. The McLaren man breaks his suspension in the final race of his career, and has to retire even earlier than anticipated.
Meanwhile Verstappen has recovered and moved into second place by the 20th lap, but that's as high as he would go, as Rosberg soon speeds past him on the curve.
With four laps remaining, Hamilton ignores his team's orders to speed up, which would give Rosberg some breathing room behind him. Executive director Paddy Lowe clearly not comfortable with the Brit's tactics.
But Rosberg would stay calm as he holds off the hard charging Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen to finish in second place behind Hamilton. The Briton closing the season with his fourth straight win, and 10th overall, but it's not enough to deny his teammate the big prize.
Nico joining his dad Keke, who claimed the title in 1982, as one of just a handful of father-son F-1 world championship duos, and he celebrates atop his Silver Arrow as the Yas Marina Circuit. The German thanking his mechanics and doing a bit of crowdsurfing.
He would even bearhug F-1 boss Bernie Ecclestone upon seeing him in the post-race waiting area. Rosberg edging Hamilton by five points, as he hits the podium to celebrate his first world title.
