Nico Rosberg issues 'forever grateful' Max Verstappen message: '50-50 chance of a crash'

Nico Rosberg has revealed he feared a race-ending crash with Max Verstappen during the title-deciding 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, admitting he is "forever grateful" to the Dutchman for racing fairly when stuck behind him.

Rosberg needed only to finish in the top three at Yas Marina to clinch his maiden world championship, but Lewis Hamilton's late-race tactic of backing the field up towards Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen turned a straightforward afternoon into a nerve-shredding ordeal.