Abu Dhabi GP - "What a way to see out 2018"

I watched this race live *gasp* with Wheels on Fire.  Our agreed predictions were that Hamilton would win and Alonso would be retired by Lap 10.
Lap 1 didn't go our way, with Hulkenberg "hanging like a cow" out of his topsy turvy car.  The first, worrying glimpse that the Halo might not be the answer to all F1's safety concerns.  Sam Smith and Geri Spice managed to look suitably shocked for the cameras.
No Ocon/Verstappen clashes to spice up the race this Sunday.  Ocon "knows what Max is like" now and the future of F1 continues to be that Hamilton will get older, Vettel will be even older and make even more geriatric mistakes until Ferrari put him out to pasture and Verstappen will have scared all his rivals into fearing a crash whenever they are near him and so he glides uncontested to 10 championships back to back.
Then the farewells started.  Old Man Raikkonen, whom Ferrari can't quite let go of, came to a graceful stop on Lap 7.  Post-race, he commented that he's not really leaving.  With Sauber and Hass both propping up the Ferrari empire, the only hope for defeating Verstappen is that they continue to subsume all the other teams until F1 is basically Verstappen versus Ferrari and, each race, one driver is chosen to fight back and wound the flying Dutchman, leaving Vettel to take the victory.  It's what Schumacher would have wanted.
It's the end of the 2018 season, I am clearly feeling apocalyptic.
Lap 10 saw the departing Hartley bash the barrier and survive, which is a metaphor for his F1 career.  I don't know why he wasn't brutally withdrawn Kvyat-style earlier in the season to make way for Red Bull's latest fetus driver.
Mid-race, our old friend The Rain was on the horizon but felt the race was just spicy enough to stay away.
Ocon retired on Lap 47, which reminded everyone that Alonso was still battling on.  Still there was a on oil leak on the next lap - but for Gasly!  It even sprayed itself all over Verstappen, compromising his vision.  It didn't get the memo that Fernando was still racing.
So the season ends with Hamilton taking his top off, for no apparent reason but I suspect he was gesturing to something he had indelibly marked on his back.  And Alonso was Driver of the Day.  He pedalled all the way to the end.  Will he be back?  Will he win the triple crown?  Will his progress be more exciting that watching Hamilton/Vettel/Verstappen in 2019?

Always leave them wanting more.