With just a few days remaining until the 2016 champion is crowned, there are still Lewis Hamilton hopefuls praying for a miraculous come-from-behind victory and who want nothing more than for Nico Rosberg’s title hopes (if not his engine) to go up in flames.
For Hamilton, the equation is simple: finish on the podium or kiss the title goodbye.
Ironically, the task at hand is exactly the same for Rosberg, with the added security that if he finishes anywhere on the podium he’ll claim the title regardless of where Hamilton finishes.
Lately the F1 Twitterati have been debating which of the two drivers is the most deserving. With that in mind, I dedicate my final column before the decider to some thoughts about the drivers, including the only two things that I know for sure going into the Abu Dhabi weekend.
Firstly, Lewis Hamilton would already be champion by now if not for reliability issues. He had the Malaysian Grand Prix under control when his engine combusted which, combined with heavy penalties in the Belgium Grand Prix and numerous qualifying mishaps, effectively pulled the handbrake on his title charge.
More importantly though, both drivers have had their share of bad days. Interestingly, it is how they have conducted themselves on their worst days that could determine which driver finishes ahead of the other when the sun sets on the 2016 season.
A good run of form and mechanical reliability during the start of the so-called ‘European season’ not only brought Hamilton back into the equation after his horrid start, but handed him a considerable points lead.
However, on a few occasions Rosberg has beaten Hamilton into the first corner, regardless of which car qualified on pole, which was costly for the Briton. Memorably, Rosberg skipped off into the distance during the Italian Grand Prix, for example.
On the other hand, Rosberg has struggled throughout the year, particularly in the wet. Monaco and Silverstone are obvious low points, with many also believing that he got out of jail in Brazil thanks to a questionable strategy call from Red Bull that assured him P2.
Similarly, Rosberg has repeatedly fallen afoul of the stewards. On some occasions the charges were laughable, others simply embarrassing, as he was forced to rationalise defensive moves that most fans would consider excessive. Far from saintly behaviour, but entirely defendable.
Less so have been Hamilton’s worst days. Not his reliability issues, but mental preparedness: the ultimate defining quality of a champion driver, at least in the hyperbolic sense of the word.
Lewis was all at sea during the European Grand Prix, crashing in qualifying and never threatening during the race. Singapore was another low, and although brake management was offered by way of explanation, many left the race with the belief that Rosberg had proved once and for all that, when driving at his absolute peak, he was every bit the match of Hamilton.
Unforgivably, Hamilton didn’t even turn up mentally in Japan. Still reeling from his Malaysian retirement, he made a mockery of the official FIA press conference, walked out of another media commitment and generally conducted himself like a man who wanted to be anywhere but the racetrack – his performance served to confirm as much.
The first four rounds of the season made it clear this would be Rosberg’s best chance yet of winning a title. He still had a fight on his hands to win it, the kind that leaves seasoned heavyweight prizefighters in a daze, but it’s looking as though he will he finally clinch the prize he has chased with unrelenting ferocity for three seasons.
Of course, Hamilton might still win, but if he falls a few points short of claiming his fourth title, it’ll be a situation that he has played a part in creating.
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