Will Lewis Hamilton win his second Formula One title? Or will Nico Rosberg join his father as a F1 champion?
Find out as The Roar live blogs the final race of the Formula One championship, with commentary and updates from 11:45pm AEDT.
After qualifying yesterday, Rosberg holds the advantage for the race, after securing his 11th pole position for the season.
Hamilton though qualified second and did exactly what he needed to do to win the title tonight. The equation for Hamilton is simple. If he finishes in second the title is over and he is the champion.
If Hamilton finishes in third, and Rosberg wins the race, then the German takes out the title. For that to happen, Rosberg is going to need the help of other drivers in the field.
The drivers most likely to do that are the Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. They qualified third and fourth for the race and have the same engines as the Mercedes duo for the race.
If Bottas, and Massa, get a good start and get in front of Hamilton, then anything can happen. They look to be the best bet of helping Rosberg tonight.
The Red Bull Racing duo of Dan Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel are also in the battle but must rely on strategy to overtake the Williams and the Mercedes.
They were almost a second behind the Mercedes duo and look to be struggling to match the speeds of the Mercedes engine on the back and front straights.
Red Bull will be looking at strategy, and looking after their tyres, to stand any chance of success tonight.
Ricciardo has done this plenty of times this season and yielded results that looked impossible at the start of the race.
Don’t be surprised if the Australian has one more strategy wildcard up his sleeve.
This weekend could also be the final race for a couple of drivers.
The big one is Jenson Button, who could leave McLaren at the end of the season, to make way for Fernando Alonso in 2015.
The 2009 champion will be sorely missed from the field and will be regarded as one of the greats of the sport. His longevity in the sport was instrumental in his success. His ability to negotiate tough conditions was also impressive.
Some of his best wins in the category came from tricky and treacherous conditions.
This weekend could also be the final race in F1 for Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi and Jean-Eric Vergne. Between them they have 258 race starts and one podium position.
They have been an important part of the championship for multiple series and will be missed from the field. Here’s hoping they can find a grid spot for 2015.
Vergne looks to be the best bet with Toro Rosso still looking for a second driver for 2015. Whether they pick Vergne, or another driver, will be the big question of the off-season.
Today is also the last race for Vettel at Red Bull, and Alonso at Ferrari, before there moves to other teams next year.
In six years at Red Bull, Vettel won 38 races, had 65 podiums, and won four championships with the drink supplier. This combination will be remembered in the same vein as the Schumacher Ferrari relationship.
This weekend is also the debut race for Will Stevens at Caterham.
Stevens has raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 series for the past two years and was the test driver for Caterham last year.
His aim will be to finish the race and stay out of trouble.
Tonight’s race is the 28th championship that has made it to the final round.
It is the seventh battle between teammates for a championship in the final round as well. For Hamilton, this final round battle has been familiar.
In 2007 and 2008 he lost and won the championship in Brazil in dramatic circumstances.
In 2007 he was beaten by Kimi Raikkonen to the title by just one point. Hamilton would gain revenge the next year with a one point win in the title over Felipe Massa.
For Rosberg, this is his first battle for the championship. How he handles the pressure will be interesting.
If he does win the title, Nico and his father, Keke Rosberg, will become the third father son combination to win the title.
It will also continue the incredible record of Germans in the category of Formula 1. In the last 14 years of the championship, nine titles have been won by Germans.
Looking to stop that will be Hamilton, and I think he can do it.
Mercedes have had 11 top two finishes this year. They have been dominant this year and Hamilton should finish in the top two to wrap up the championship.
Rosberg will need a mistake to win the title and I can’t see it happening.
PREDICTION: Hamilton to win the championship in a close battle with histeammate.
Join The Roar as we cover the final race of the season.
Distant Knight
Guest
Did you forget Vettel for once Frankie? Can't wait to hear what you'll have to say if he gets whipped by Kimi next season...
Frankie Hughes
Guest
MotoGP>F1 Anyway Hamilton is a stiff. He struggled to beat his hand picked team mate. In the best car seen in F1 for 20/30 years. When Vettel destroyed Webber, Poms made out Vettel was just beating a second tier driver. Whilst when it was Hamilton's chance, he barely had the mental strength to seal the deal.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Frankie, if you think 2014 was the worst season in F1 history, why don't you just find another form of motorsport that will satisfy yourself? Fans (or the F1 Family as its called) who are passionate about the sport, despite who's dominating never become disillusioned with it. Even when Sebastian had his run of four straight championships, whilst there were some who were extremely unhappy, the rest gave him the respect he deserved and never fell out of love with the sport. Objectively, it was a fair fight in the end from Lewis and Nico. There was no faux pas' as per what happened in Spa, but it was a little disappointing that Nico had problems with the car otherwise they'd be duelling till the final lap. In the end, the best driver won and the championship was not decided by double points.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Quality over quantity.
Da Spoon
Guest
Look at the scoreboard Aussie
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Sir Jack Brabham was better than all the hype-jobs you Poms keep banging on about..
Da Spoon
Guest
Oh I forgot to add button to the list. 15 world championships. Aussies 4.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
None of those British stiffs compare with Fangio, Schumacher, Senna or Vettel
Da Spoon
Guest
He's up there with the other british world champions Stewart , Clark, Graham Hill, Hawthorn , Surtees , James Hunt , Mansell , Damon Hill , Could win it again next year to become our most successful driver. Already fifth on the all tim GP wins list. A bit better than average.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Gifted the 2008 championship after the FIA spinelessly refused to expunge the result of the 2008 Singapore GP, where Renault admitted to fixing the race. 2014 is arguably the worst season in F1 history. Hamilton is mentally weak and an average driver
Da Spoon
Guest
Proved if you have the right car you can win the title. I think his career will be remembered in the UK but may be not elsewhere. To call him pathetic is a bit wide of the mark and typically Aussie.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Lewis Hamilton most overrated multiple world champion ever. Lucked out in 2008 and 2014. His pathetic career will be forgotten very quickly.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
That is all from me today. Thanks for joining me in the final race of the season. It has been an incredible season of F1 racing. Bring on 2015. Until next time it is bye for now.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
So Hamilton is the champion for 2014. Rosberg establishes himself as a championship contender but falls just short of his maiden title. Australia also uncovered a star in 2014. Dan Ricciardo captured our heart, and minds, with some scintillating drives this year. Tonight was another one. That ends the 2014 season. Tomorrow will be the beginning of 2015. Most of the pieces have been put into place for next year. Other will fall into place over the next few weeks. 2015 will be interesting. Can Mercedes continue their form from 2014? Can Williams and Red Bull improve? Can Ferrari and Vettel become a lethal combination? You'll find out when the new season starts in Australia. Testing will also start shortly. Bring it on.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP - 1. Mercedes 651 2. Red Bull 373 3. Williams 254 4. Ferrari 210 5. McLaren 161 6. Force India 127 7. Toro Rosso 30 8. Lotus 10 9. Marussia 2 10. Sauber 0 11. Caterham 0
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS - 1. Lewis Hamilton 384 2. Nico Rosberg 317 3. Daniel Ricciardo 238 4. Valtteri Bottas 186 5. Sebastian Vettel 167 6. Fernando Alonso 161 7. Felipe Massa 134 8. Jenson Button 126 9. Nico Hulkenberg 96 10. Sergio Perez 59 11. Kevin Magnussen 55 12. Kimi Raikkonen 55 13. Jean-Eric Vergne 22 14. Romain Grosjean 8 15. Daniil Kvyat 8 16. Pastor Maldonado 2 17. Jules Bianchi 2 18. Adrian Sutil, Marcus Ericsson, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Kamui Kobayashi, Will Stevens, Andre Lotterer 0
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
It is Williams' first double podium since Monaco in 2005. Lewis Hamilton becomes the fourth British driver to win multiple championship. Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Jim Clark are the other three. Hamilton also becomes the first driver since Juan Manuel Fangio - in 1955 - to win a championship with Mercedes.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
FULL RESULTS 1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes 2. Felipe Massa - Williams 3. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 4. Dan Ricciardo - Red Bull 5. Jenson Button - McLaren 6. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 7. Sergio Perez - Force India 8. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull 9. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari 10. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari 11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren 12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso 13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 14. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber 16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber 17. Will Stevens - Caterham DNF - Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham DNF - Pastor Maldonado - Lotus DNF - Daniil Kvyat. - Toro Rosso
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Nico Rosberg finishes 14th. Jenson Button finishes 5th in what could have been his final race. I hope it isn't. Button is a fantastic driver who will be missed if he leaves the sport.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Felipe Massa finishes in second with Valtteri Bottas in 3rd. Daniel Ricciardo had the race of the day. He came from pit lane to finish 4th. You are a star Dan Ricciardo.