And so it is confirmed. The Formula One circus will arrive at Yas Marina Circuit later this month with everything up for grabs after Nico Rosberg won the penultimate race of the season in Brazil yesterday and reduced the gap with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the championship standings to just 17 points.
Rosberg, who started on the pole, passed the chequered flag 1.4 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who made an uncharacteristic driver error midway through the race when he locked his brakes at Turn 4 and spun off track. He recovered to eat away at Rosberg's resultant six-second lead but was unable to sneak past in the final stages. Felipe Massa, the Brazilian with Williams, finished third in front of an elated home crowd.
Hamilton remains in the driving seat ahead of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 23, holding a large lead and safe in the knowledge that the season-finale in the UAE provides double points. The 2008 world champion can secure a second title regardless of Rosberg’s performance as long as he finishes in the top two at Yas.
In races he has completed, Hamilton, who won the previous five races before arriving in Sao Paulo, has not finished outside the top two since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July. The only smudge since then came in Belgium, when Rosberg collided with Hamilton’s car to end the Briton’s race prematurely.
Hamilton cut a disappointed figure moments after yesterday’s finish. Although that could have been as much about podium interviewer Nelson Piquet asking for the whereabouts of his famous girlfriend as much as the fact the 29-year-old Englishman showed far greater race pace than his teammate at the Interlagos track.
“I had a great time,” Hamilton said straight-faced, adding that the spin “cost me the win”.
“I was much quicker up to that point,” he said. “I locked the rear and went wide. Nobody’s mistake but my own. It was a great race, pushing right to the finish, which is what motor racing is all about.”
Motor racing is not, critics say, about manufactured drama. The introduction of double points in Abu Dhabi was implemented at the start of the season by Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s supremo, in a bid to ensure the championship fight would go to the wire. It was a needless move: without double points, the race at Yas would still have been decisive.
“In Abu Dhabi, I am going to drive pretty much the same and hopefully improve,” Hamilton said. “It’s everything to play for.”
With financially troubled Caterham absent from this weekend's race in South America and Marussia having recently folded, the depleted 18-car grid completed as orderly a getaway as has been witnessed this season. Rosberg held his lead comfortably to finish his first lap with a 0.832 second advantage over his teammate. He built upon it until the first round of pit stops, when Hamilton began to close in. By the 28th lap and having both pitted a second time, Hamilton was ready to take the lead. But then arrived his rare mistake, allowing his German teammate breathing space.
“I’ve been very happy with my whole weekend,” Rosberg said. “I’ve been feeling comfortable in the car and was able to control the gap from Lewis during the race, so it all worked out great.”
The mood between the two drivers was not so jubilant, as the two men appeared to avoid each other after the race. That tension is likely to increase between now and the final race weekend.
Mercedes management know one of their drivers will be crowned in Abu Dhabi and will be crossing their fingers it is achieved through racing and not reliability issues. Others are hoping it is achieved through driving skills and not double points.
Whatever happens, Yas Marina will be the scene of a season finale that should live long in the memory.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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