Formula One’s power brokers long ago hatched a plan for the championship to be decided at the final race of the season.
And it will come down to just that in Abu Dhabi in two weekends time with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battling it out at Yas Marina for the drivers’ championship.
The merits of the rights and wrongs of the double points in Abu Dhabi will continue to be debated for the next two weeks and possibly in the aftermath too, depending on how things evolve at the season finale.
But what matters is that the championship is alive and kicking, made all the more mouth-watering by Nico Rosberg’s dominance throughout the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
In the end, he crossed the line barely a second-and-a-half ahead of his team-mate but Rosberg topped every session as he needed to at a circuit he has never really mastered.
The cynics will argue that Hamilton opted against taking any risks and settled for a safe second but the manner in which the Brit has driven this season and in seasons past that is not really his way.
That he stayed ahead is huge for Rosberg personally and the entire championship. Even when Rosberg’s been in the ascendancy in recent weeks, Hamilton has still found a way to scythe his way past and into the lead or force an error from his rival. Not this time.
There is no denying that he has struggled with the pressure of leading the championship and appears to be infinitely more at ease in the role of hunter.
He needs to repeat his Interlagos mantra of driving with nothing to lose in Abu Dhabi. Right now, he takes all the mental momentum into that final race, and Hamilton, never the greatest of poker players, cut a slightly deflated figure on the podium baffled that for once in a straight fight he was beaten by the better man.
Pressure is the key word in the ensuing days. There is no denying that both drivers would be deserving champions. Both are quick and together they have combined to create some pulsating spectacles.
How the sport’s kingmakers would dearly love them to still be going wheel to wheel on the final lap of the final race of the season.
The mathematical permutations of those double points, which remains a farce immaterial of the result, throw up all manner of possible outcomes.
Barring reliability issues, one can reasonably safely guarantee that the two Mercedes drivers will be comfortably ahead of the chasing pack – the third-placed man in Brazil, Felipe Massa, was another 40 seconds behind Hamilton.
However, Hamilton goes into the race knowing that if Rosberg wins then he cannot afford to finish anywhere other than second, and such pressure can play tricks on the mind, even for Britain’s most successful racer in history.
Then comes the whole issue of reliability. Should Hamilton crash out or be forced to retire with reliability issues, Rosberg merely needs to finish in the top five.
Usually, such a spot would give him just 10 points but in Abu Dhabi that would be double and sufficient to overhaul the 17-point gap in the title race. But Rosberg knows he probably has to go for broke in his quest to be world champion for the first time in his career.
History, though, is on Hamilton’s side. He has twice been on the Abu Dhabi podium and was victorious in 2011, while Rosberg has enjoyed a best finish of fourth place at the circuit.
Plus there is the matter that Hamilton has been there and done it, winning the 2008 title when the pressure mounted. Both the heart and head say that he will win and he has been the better racer over the course of the grands prix this season.
That’s to take nothing away from Rosberg, who was given no chance in a straight head-to-head with his team-mate by many on the eve of the season.
Sure, he does not quite thrill with his driving style like Hamilton does, the Briton oozing an edginess on and off track that appeals to the fans.
But the German’s level of consistency is impressive. Ok, there are not the Hamilton-esque fireworks but he can be quick lap after lap after lap.
Both drivers, race organisers and fans alike are licking their lips in anticipation of another decider at Yas Marina. How will it end? Only time will tell.
