Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi desert showdown

Andy Murray may have ended the year as men’s world number 1, but there’s another Brit still fighting for the World Champion title in 2016.

In any other year in Formula 1 history, Germany’s Nico Rosberg would already be a couple of weeks into celebrating his first title at the pinnacle of motorsport.

He must be rueing F1’s decision to expand the 2016 championship from the previous season’s 20 races to 21, leaving him with one final battle against his team mate, and rival, Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is 12 points behind, with 25 available for a win. There are various permutations that could see Lewis take his 4th title (and 3rd in a row) in the heat of Abu Dhabi. The headline-grabbing one is nice and simple though, and shows the level of challenge he faces – even if he wins, Rosberg needs only to come 3rd to take his first title.

True, Hamilton has won the last couple of races, is at the top of his game, and may well be the most naturally gifted driver behind the wheel of a multi-million pound, carbon fibre, missile on the grid.

But whilst his form has been somewhat erratic this year, Rosberg has piloted his identical Mercedes near-perfectly, less prone to the errors, poor starts and the strangely off-form weekends that his rival has occasionally produced.

After his win in Brazil two weeks ago, Lewis has been busy reminding the media (who he sulkily fell out with during one of his dips in form recently) that he wouldn’t be on the back foot were it not for assorted car failures earlier in the year.

That’s true, but it isn’t the full picture. Without his previously mentioned, self-induced, poor performances, he’d be right there with his rival. Plus, in any given season, someone always suffers problems at some point. Rosberg has been lucky this year, but he still needed to deliver consistently to leave himself on the brink of the title on Sunday.

Strangely, they’re both quite hard to like. Whilst Hamilton is the darling of the press for his bling, private jets and party lifestyle, his overt displays of wealth and sometimes prima donna attitude don’t help to endear him to F1 fans who like their Champions fast, but humble.

Rosberg has reigned in the red-mist, vengeful, tactics that occasionally saw him and Hamilton tangle in previous years, but does seem to lack the charisma of some of his fellow drivers. He’s also been booed when on the podium a few times this year.

Unpopular as it may be, I’d like to see Nico clinch the crown. To take it against arguably the best driver of his generation would be no mean feat, and may be his only chance to do so.

Hamilton will bounce back if that happens – who would bet against him winning multiple additional titles in the future?

Having said that, both may well be fighting a teenager called Max for the ultimate prize in the future.

Gentlemen, start your engines…

This post first appeared as my 'Thank grumpy it's Friday' column, in the North West Evening Mail, on the 25th of November 2016. The version used on their website was re-titled as 'All set for desert showdown'.

And now it's all over! It certainly was a slow-burner, but Verstappen, and then Vettel, added to the excitement, whilst Lewis disobeyed team orders to push Rosberg back towards them for a thrill final 10 laps.

Great to see that Rosberg kept his nerve, and took his first title - hugely well-deserved, and Hamilton now faces suggestions of somewhat ungentlemanly conduct, and even dirty tricks, by some sections of the media.

Farewell to one my personal favourite drivers of the last couple of decades too, as Jenson Button limped into retirement with broken suspension. Judging by the relaxed chap we saw post-race, he either didn't care, or had already seen off a couple of beverages. Cheers, JB!

Only 118 days until the next race, apparently...

(CD A-Z: The genius that is Jeff Lynne, and his fabulous "Armchair Theatre".)

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