Renault finished the season on a high as they snatched sixth place in the standings from Toro Rosso, a result team principal Cyril Abiteboul described as a "fantastic reward" for their hard work.
Renault headed into the final race four points adrift of Toro Rosso and with the goal of overhauling that deficit to not only claim the additional $7 million in prize money, but to provide the team with a massive boost as they head into a busy winter.
"Mission accomplished," declared Abiteboul. "We came here with one clear objective – at the start of the year we set out to finish fifth, which was very ambitious, but ambition is good – you have to set high targets.
"This season we’ve not made it easy for ourselves and the last three weekends have been a microcosm of this rollercoaster of a year. At times we’ve been too aggressive, then too conservative, but we came to Abu Dhabi with a very extreme preparation and the weekend went almost exactly to plan.
"Sixth was the revised goal and I’m so proud we got it. It’s a milestone for the team and an achievement that goes beyond the on-track result. It’s a motivation for everyone – for every team member and a fantastic reward that will count far more through the winter than any financial considerations."
The points they needed came courtesy of Nico Hulkenberg who finished in sixth to end his season on a high point.
"It was a bit of a thriller! It was a very interesting first lap, then very interesting again after the stop when I had to get past the Haas, which was super-fast on the straights and obviously I had Checo right behind me waiting to take advantage.
"We managed to come out on top and it’s a very decent end to the season. Sixth position in the championship is good for us and will be a morale booster for the team over the winter.
"We had a good package over the second half of the season, but we have had some issues so it is great to finish on a positive result and go into the winter with our chins up."
