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So much of the attention during Formula 1’s title-decider was understandably on its three championship protagonists - but there were plenty of other things happening behind them.
For the other 17 drivers, the title battle was irrelevant to them and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was simply a chance to end the season on a high.
But the TV broadcast overlooked many important moments in the race in favour of a focus on the top three - so we’ve reviewed the race again and picked out six things you might have missed…
Lawson nearly put Bearman in the wall
Just as Charles Leclerc was pressuring Lando Norris for third place on lap four, Lewis Hamilton watched Liam Lawson nearly send Ollie Bearman into the wall on the run to Turn 9 - something you’d have needed eagle eyes to spot on the small Hamilton onboard embedded in the timing tower.
Bearman had thrown his Haas down the inside of Lawson at the Turn 6/7 chicane, with the pair brushing wheels, before he tried to pass Lawson on the run to the Turn 9 left-hander.
But the Racing Bulls driver aggressively closed the door and Bearman was almost sent into the wall.
The stewards took a dim view and handed Lawson a five-second time penalty and one penalty point - something even Lawson himself accepted was correct.
“To be fair, I moved quite late, so it was probably my bad,” Lawson said. “It wasn't intentional, but I guess that's why I got the penalty.”
Ironically, though, Bearman was punished for doing the same to someone else at the end of the race…
Stroll and Bearman’s fight and penalties
While Norris was celebrating his title victory, Lance Stroll was locked in a last-lap battle with Bearman for ninth place, having used fresh mediums to fight his way back into the top 10 after a tricky qualifying.
They went side-by-side through Turn 9, with Stroll using his grippier rubber to drive around the outside of Bearman, but not before the Haas driver made multiple changes of direction and earned the ire of the stewards.
Bearman said he was “miffed” by the five-second penalty he received - but he shouldn't have any complaints once he watches the footage back.
And the fact that Stroll got the place anyway is irrelevant to the stewards’ decision-making.
That final lap overtake led to a jubilant cooldown lap for Stroll as he and his race engineer Gary Gannon, basked in Stroll’s charge into the points - his first since Zandvoort in August.
“That’s what it’s all about, man,” Stroll told Gannon amid celebrations that included excited giggling.
Though that celebration was cut short when Gannon had to inform Stroll that he had a penalty too for more than one change of direction versus Carlos Sainz.
“No, there wasn’t. No way. There’s no way,” Stroll told Gannon as he came back into the pits.
That penalty initially dropped Stroll out of the points, only for news of Bearman’s penalty to land shortly afterwards, re-promoting Stroll to 10th.
And their penalties meant Nico Hulkenberg, 11th at the flag, was swiftly promoted to a much-more fitting ninth-place send-off for the Sauber name.
A Hulkenberg-Gasly rematch
After their clash in the Qatar GP, Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly only just avoided a repeat in the opening laps in Abu Dhabi.
On the first lap the duo were side-by-side on the run to Turn 6/7 chicane and actually made contact while fighting for 18th place in the middle of the straight. Both cars survived and Gasly nabbed the place at the chicane.
Their battle continued for an entire lap, including a hair-raising dice through Turn 9 as Hulkenberg got back ahead before Gasly narrowly avoided running into the back of Hulkenberg when he missed his braking point on lap two.
Gasly had to take to the run-off - and while he did stick around within a second of Hulkenberg, he soon fell out of DRS range.
You may have also missed Gasly receiving a five-second penalty for track limits abuse, a penalty that didn’t change his final classification of 19th.
A last-lap Sauber pass
Hulkenberg’s team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto looked well-placed pre-race, given he lined up seventh, right behind his manager Fernando Alonso.
And he actually jumped Alonso at his first pitstop, only to lose the position to the Aston Martin driver on his outlap on the run to Turn 9.
He did stick close to Alonso initially but then lost two places in three laps as both Haas drivers overtook him, followed by Hamilton shortly after.
That meant Bortoleto was running 10th, with team-mate Hulkenberg right behind him. Sauber called in Hulkenberg, switching him onto a two-stop, but left Bortoleto out on the one-stop.
Hulkenberg caught Bortoleto and passed him on the very last lap for what would turn out to be a points finish after the penalties.
That was crucial as had Bortoleto kept Hulkenberg behind, both would have likely lost out to Stroll - only clearing Bortoleto allowed Hulkenberg to move within five seconds of Stroll and inherit the position.
Sauber suspects a car issue compromised Bortoleto and it conceded it probably should have switched him to the two-stopper, too.
How bad things were for Mercedes
George Russell was billed pre-race as being the biggest potential spoiler in the title fight but after a scrappy start dropped him from fourth to sixth he was scarcely seen again on the broadcast, save for clearing Alonso with ease on lap four.
That’s because the Mercedes struggled to be anything other than a very clear fourth-best in Abu Dhabi.
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +23.279s
5. George Russell (Mercedes) +48.563s
...
15. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1m24.399s
Even Ferrari, coming off the back of a miserable Qatar weekend and having struggled on Friday and Saturday, put on a decent showing on Sunday, leaving Mercedes in no man’s land.
Russell described it as “a dreadful race start to finish”, with fifth “a much better result than the true picture”.
Team-mate Kimi Antonelli had a torrid time as well as race as he came home in 15th place, from 14th on the grid. It was, he said, “one of the times I’ve struggled most with the car” all year.
Neither will be frustrated to know Mercedes was barely featured on the broadcast, on one of their weakest Sundays of a frustrating ground effect era the team is delighted is ending.
‘Legend’ Alonso’s tactics disrupt midfield
Aston Martin’s double points finish was helped along by some great tactics from Alonso, who slowed the midfield pack down to boost Stroll’s chances of picking them off.
“Effectively, Fernando was too strong: he was managing extremely well in that tight part. We were all stuck behind him and then he was pushing in the next four corners, and then that was opening enough of a gap for us not to overtake,” said Ocon, who spent most of his race looking at the back of Alonso's AMR25.
“He still knows the tricks - pisses me off! - but he's incredible. He's a legend in wheel-to-wheel racing and today we were not quick enough to be able to try and go in front of him.”
The tactics helped Stroll to pick off Ocon’s team-mate Bearman for the aforementioned ninth place over the line/10th place after their penalties.
It almost helped Aston Martin catch Racing Bulls in the constructors' after probably that team's weakest weekend of the year in Abu Dhabi - but ultimately Racing Bulls stayed three points ahead.
Also aided was Hamilton's charge back through the field - and once Alonso only had Ocon’s Haas in between him and Hamilton, he pulled the pin and scampered off to secure his sixth-place finish.
