Mercedes needed to outscore Ferrari by three points to secure its second consecutive title, but the retirement of Nico Rosberg meant the Italian squad had outscored the German team.

Lewis Hamilton won the race, but Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen had finished second and fifth, giving the Maranello team three points more than its rival (28-25).

But Raikkonen was given a 30-second penalty for his clash with Williams driver Bottas at the end of the race, dropping him from fifth to eighth.

That meant Mercedes outscored Ferrari by three points, which is exactly what it needed to wrap up the title.

Mercedes has secured its second championship crown in a row after another dominant season, in which it has scored 12 wins in 15 races so far.

The German team has so far scored 531 points to Ferrari's 359.

Zetsche congratulates team

Dieter Zetsche, head Mercedes-Benz cars, congratulated the team for its achievements with a statement after the race.

"What an incredible moment for Mercedes-Benz! Congratulations to our team in Brackley and Brixworth who have worked so hard to make this achievement possible, winning a second world championship in a row," he said.

"After winning in 2014, we raised the bar again to secure this year's title, and we needed to because our rivals gave us plenty of headaches as they stepped up their performance. The work by our team is the perfect example of what drives Mercedes-Benz forward: the best technology.

"The most efficient hybrid petrol engine that our company has ever made, world-beating aerodynamics and intelligent design in every part of the W06 Hybrid racing car.

"Most importantly, though, we must not forget the human factor: we have two exceptional sportsmen at the wheel, Lewis and Nico, and a fantastic team behind the scenes, who have delivered 12 wins in 15 races so far this year.

"Their work has made every employee of Mercedes-Benz a world champion and we are very proud of them."