In a spectacular turnaround from Lewis Hamilton’s five previous race wins, Nico Rosberg found the necessary momentum to bring the championship down to the wire.
Most viewers expected Hamilton to continue his scintillating form into the final two races, but it wasn’t to be as Rosberg dominated all three practice and qualifying sessions.
The race, however, was more of an unpredictable affair than the results suggest, with the drivers trading places multiple times for the lead due to pit stops.
And stops would have been a differentiating factor in the fight, had Hamilton not lost the backend and spun the car in a bid to catch Rosberg.
As Martin Brundle of Sky Sports calculated, Hamilton would have exited the pit-lane 0.5 seconds ahead of his German teammate had he not pushed as hard on the rapidly dematerialised soft compound Pirelli tyres.
Instead the gap was blown to seven seconds, a mere slap on the wrist for a mistake which could have seen him spin a full 360 degrees and lose up to 20 seconds or more.
It was the final 20 laps that were a raw display of each driver’s best qualities, providing hints for how the final race may go down. Hamilton again proved that he is the prime Mercedes garage driver to derive every ounce of power out of the W05 car, as he narrowed the seven-second gap down to within a second during the middle stint.
However, to his credit, Rosberg then managed to hold Hamilton off for 20 DRS assisted laps, maintaining an average 0.6-second gap to seal off the win.
One could say that Rosberg is this generation’s ‘professor’, holding the lead defensively rather than pushing the car to form a gap. This has also shown in his consistency throughout the season, finishing second at almost every other race he did not win.
Hamilton is the polar opposite, most recently exemplified in the US Grand Prix when he pushed to create a five-second gap after passing Rosberg.
When judging both personalities ahead of the showdown in Abu Dhabi, all odds are in Hamilton’s favour, considering his 17-point advantage and ability to pursue under pressure.
Rosberg will have confidence though, something he has lacked ever since he was penalised for the Belgian GP collision. This has been evident when he has locked up his front tyres numerous times while challenging for the lead.
Also, Rosberg’s worst enemy in the final race at Abu Dhabi will be a quality in which his team has excelled the most; getting both drivers into the top two positions on the podium.
However unlikely, if Rosberg wins and Hamilton finishes third, the German will win his maiden title. This may only happen if Rosberg has a superior starting position.
Should he not, he will either rely on unforeseeable circumstances to prevent Hamilton from being competitive, or he will have to pass the Briton to win the race; something that he has not yet shown he is capable of doing.
What do you think? What are your predictions for which driver will come out on top in less than two weeks’ time?
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