(CNN) Fernando Alonso said farewell to Formula One Sunday as his former teammate and new five-time champion Lewis Hamilton claimed his 11th victory of the season at an eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Alonso, driving his 311th and final F1 race, finished just out of the points in the uncompetitive McLaren after driving with his usual skill and determination.
"Champ, what a career, thank you, thank you, let's go out and win the triple crown," he was told by team boss Zak Brown, reference to Alonso's future bid to add the Indy 500 to his two F1 championships and Le Mans 24-hour race victory.
Hamilton, who paired with Alonso at McLaren at the start of his career in 2007, took a comfortable win from pole position to cap his title winning campaign in style.
Sebastian Vettel, so long a challenger to Hamilton this season, finished second for Ferrari with in-form Max Verstappen completing the podium for Red Bull.
Hamilton and Vettel then joined Alonso for a triple parade of champions before spinning their cars in frenzied tire-burning donuts in front of a delighted crowd.
"It's been a pleasure racing with these champions," said Alonso. "Thanks to everyone and to Formula One, I will always be a fan of this sport," added the Spaniard.
Hulkenberg escapes
The opening proceedings at the Yas Marina Circuit were marred by a frightening crash as Nico Hulkenberg flipped into the barriers on the first lap in his Renault after making contact with the Haas of Romain Grosjean.
As the car came to rest upside down, flames were seen at its rear and with the German trapped in the car there were fears for his safety.
"I'm hanging here like a cow, there's a fire, there's a fire, get me out," he said over his team radio.
Fortunately, stewards were quickly on hand to extinguish the fire and Hulkenberg was extricated safely from the car before being taken to the medical center, shaken but with no serious injuries.
Grosjean, who was cleared of blame for the incident, expressed his relief.
"Good, I was very sorry for him, but there was nowhere to go," said the Frenchman.
Hamilton dominates
Meanwhile, Hamilton set the pace at the front and took advantage of a sixth lap virtual safety car period as Kimi Raikkonen was forced to retire in his final race for Ferrari.
The early stop left Hamilton in a strong position when the other leading contenders pitted for fresh tires and he was easily able to hold on to his advantage over Vettel at the end of 55 floodlit laps.
Verstappen, robbed of victory in the previous round in Brazil, tangled with Esteban Ocon again in another sub-plot of an intriguing end of season finale, but stayed on track to take another podium after being hampered by an early loss of power in his car.
His Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo drove a solid race for fourth in his final race for the team before departing for Renault.
"We're going to miss you," team principal Christian Horner told him.
"I would have loved a podium so I can't be excited with fourth," said the Australian, who scored a brilliant victory at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season.
Story of the F1 season
Lewis Hamilton sprays second-placed Sebastian Vettel with champagne after winning the Abu Dhabi season-ending race, 11th of his title winning season.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 10th win of the season as he takes the Brazilian GP ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen.
Lewis Hamilton savors the moment after clinching his fifth F1 world title with fourth place behind Max Verstappen in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Race winner Kimi Raikkonen is flanked by second-placed Max Verstappen (far left) and Lewis Hamilton, who finished third after a thrilling US Grand Prix. Hamilton increased his title lead to 70 points over Sebastian Vettel ahead of the final three rounds of the championship.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton had plenty to celebrate after claiming victory in the Japanese GP at Suzuka to lead the world championship by 67 points with four rounds remaining.
Lewis Hamilton (no 44) overtook fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas under team orders on his way to a decisive victory in the 2018 F1 title race as he extended his advantage over Sebastian Vettel to 50 points.
Lewis Hamilton led from pole position in his famous No.44 Mercedes and took his seventh victory of the season on the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore.
Hamilton stormed to a record-equalling fifth Italian Grand Prix victory -- overtaking both Ferraris in the process.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the trophy on the podium after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring near Budapest to extend his title lead over Sebastian Vettel to 24 points.
Hamilton celebrates an extraordinary comeback win at the German Grand Prix to give him a 17-point championship lead as title rival Sebastian Vettel crashed out
Dutch driver Max Verstappen claims a dramatic victory at the home of Red Bull Racing. But how does that impact the Drivers' Championship?
Sebastian Vettel took full advantage of a bizarre incident involving both cars of the American-owned Haas team to claim the opening race of the 2018 Formula One season in Australia.
Vettel -- 25 points
Hamilton -- 18 points
Raikonnen -- 15 points
Vettel won for the second time in as many races at the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the Italian team's victory was overshadowed after one of its mechanics suffered a broken leg when he was hit by Kimi Raikkonen's car during a pit stop.
Vettel -- 50 points
Hamilton -- 33 points
Bottas -- 22 points
An inspired Daniel Ricciardo claimed a remarkable and unexpected victory from sixth on the grid after a tactical masterstroke by his Red Bull team in Shanghai, with furious championship leader Vettel back in eighth place.
Vettel -- 54 points
Hamilton -- 45 points
Bottas -- 40 points
Lewis Hamilton was the chief beneficiary of a late puncture suffered by his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas as he clinched his first win of the season at April's action-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton -- 70 points
Vettel -- 66 points
Raikkonen -- 48 points
After his unlikely victory in Azerbaijan, it was a second straight win for Hamilton as he bids for a fifth world championship -- and it could not have been more comfortable.
Hamilton -- 95 points
Vettel -- 78 points
Bottas -- 57 points
Ricciardo nursed his ailing Red Bull to a remarkable victory on the streets of Monte Carlo and with it made up for his 2016 heartbreak on the same circuit.
Hamilton -- 110 points
Vettel -- 96 points
Ricciardo -- 72 points
Sebastian Vettel's 50th career victory saw him replace Lewis Hamilton at the top of the championship standings to cap an emotional day for the Ferrari team.
Vettel -- 121 points
Hamilton -- 120 points
Bottas -- 86 points
Briton Lewis Hamilton won the first French Grand Prix since 2008.
The Mercedes driver avoided the worst of a dramatic start that saw title rival Sebastian Vettel clip Valtteri Bottas. Both drivers sustained damage in the collision, forcing them to pit early them and fall to the back of the grid.
Hamilton -- 145 points
Vettel -- 131 points
Ricciardo -- 96 points
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix as hitherto championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, were forced to retire.
Vettel - 146 points
Hamilton - 145 points
Raikkonen - 101 points
Home favorite Lewis Hamilton was denied a sixth victory at the British Grand Prix as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took control of the championship at Silverstone
Vettel - 171Hamilton - 163Raikkonen - 116
Hamilton fought back from 14th on the grid to claim an astonishing victory as Vettel crashed out at Hockenheim.
Hamilton - 188
Vettel - 171
Raikkonen - 131
Hamilton went into F1's summer break with a season-high 24-point advantage in the title race over Vettel after winning at the Hungaroring.
Hamilton -- 213 points
Vettel -- 189 points
Raikkonen -- 146 points
Fernando Alonso's car was launched over the top of Charles Leclerc on the opening corner of the Belgian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel went on to win at Spa to cut Lewis Hamilton's lead at the top of the Driver Standings to 17 points.
Hamilton -- 231Vettel -- 214Raikkonen - 146
Ferrari's sea of fans -- the 'Tifosi' -- hold up a flag making fun of Lewis Hamilton, but he has the last laugh, winning the Italian Grand Prix for the fifth time
Valtteri Bottas, who led after teammate Hamilton pitted, made a late mistake and slipped back to fifth place with Carlos Sainz sixth for Renault ahead of Raikkonen's replacement Charles Leclerc for Sauber.
Force India's Sergio Perez and the Haas duo of Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen completed the points scoring just ahead of Alonso, who pushed hard to the very end of his storied career in typical fashion.
Up front, Hamilton's victory confirmed the edge he has had over Vettel in the latter half of the season after the German himself had looked set for his fifth title.
"I know next season he will come back stronger, Hamilton said of his arch rival.
"He deserves to be champion, It's been a tough year and I tried to the very last lap," said Vettel.