SPOILER ALERT: 2009 Formula 1 season wraps up with a bang at inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Auto Car

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

Les jeux sont faits. The line signifies the last call for bets at a casino, and is all too familiar to racing fans visiting Monte Carlo for the annual Monaco Grand Prix. But these days the Mediterranean principality isn't the only place that features state-of-the-art Formula One race cars speeding past casinos. Nor is it the only exotic locale anymore that stages an F1 grand prix around a marina, for that matter. Over the past couple of years, Valencia and Singapore became two of the newest circuits that incorporate trackside docking for mega-yachts alongside wheel-to-wheel action, and this year Abu Dhabi joined the fold with the much-hyped Yas Marina Circuit. But by the time the F1 circus sailed in to the Gulf emirate for the last round of the 2009 Formula One World Championship, the titles were already settled and the champions already crowned.

With the major plays already made, some might have dismissed the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as insignificant. Indeed, if Bernie Ecclestone had his way with his proposed olympic-style medal system, the race might have been canceled altogether. But if you ask us, removing the title chase from racing boils motorsport competition down to its essence, all eyes focused purely on the checkered flag instead of scoring points in the larger context of the championship. And if anything, the action on Yas Island only proved the point. Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.

Gallery: 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix