The final weekend of the 2016 Formula One season has arrived and tensions are high as both Mercedes drivers prepare to sort out the championship battle at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Although the odds are in Nico Rosberg’s favor, Lewis Hamilton certainly cannot be counted out of contention. As both drivers already know, anything can happen when the lights go out.
Both drivers have had their chance on the top of the Yas Marina podium: Rosberg once in 2015 and Hamilton, one of only two repeat race winners, twice in 2014 and 2011. This circuit was the battlefield on which Rosberg’s 2014 World Drivers’ Championship title hopes were shattered by a mechanical malfunction.
It’s not been a perfect season for either driver, each experiencing their own ups and downs as they tackled the longest Formula One season in history. Rosberg started out strong, earning four consecutive wins in the first four races. Things changed in Spain when the duo came together on the opening lap in an incident which Rosberg was heavily blamed for. The pair made minor contact again in Canada, although the consequences were a little less dire. He returned to the top of the podium for the new European Grand Prix, but collided with his teammate again in Austria. He was also blamed heavily for the incident that cost him a position on the podium.
It looked as though he was going through a slump in the championship, just unable to return to his earlier form and losing out to his teammate. He returned to the top step of the podium in Belgium to start his three race winning streak. He has been unsuccessful in regaining the victory, allowing Hamilton to whittle Rosberg’s championship down to just 12 points.
With the pressure building, Rosberg knows the importance of a good finish in Abu Dhabi. However, he will be treating this race the same as he treats any other race:
“I have to treat this like any other race. Doing a good job on a Grand Prix weekend is always a challenge. Nothing in this sport is easy, so this won’t be any different and I still have to go all out for a good result. I have great memories from winning at this track last year and it’s somewhere I’ve usually been strong in the past, so I have every reason to feel confident. The closer it gets, the more I’m feeling excited. It will be a big battle and hopefully the fans will get a great show to end the year”
Rosberg will be battling for his first ever World Drivers’ Championship title; a task which he has been unable to complete during the two seasons past.
Hamilton: “I can’t and won’t give up”
2016 World Drivers’ Championship Outcomes
