It is being billed as the Duel in the Desert as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battle it out to be crowned world champion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The question is who is the deserving champion?
Niki Lauda this week described both as world champions. Two into one simply won’t go but there are arguments for both camps.
Rosberg has been comfortably the quickest over one lap in qualifying, topping pole 10 times to Hamilton’s seven, something of a surprise as the Briton has so often been regarded as the one-lap master.
Then there is Rosberg’s cool and calm authority which has seen him win five grands prix but also consistently placed him on the podium to ensure he lies just 17 points shy of Hamilton in the title race.
Rosberg’s car handling has impressed and surprised many across the grid who expected Hamilton to wipe the floor with him.
Among his notable drives were that victory in Brazil two weekends ago when the pressure to win was arguably at its highest plus the manner in which he managed to earn a podium finish in Canada with the same car problem that caused Hamilton to retire from the race.
The other plus point for Rosberg is the fact that he is doing the chasing and is not the one being chased. It eases the pressure that clearly got to him when he previously led the championship – and means he has nothing to lose with victory the only option.
For Hamilton, the case is marginally stronger. He may have missed out in the qualifying head-to-head but he has double the race wins with 10 this season and, it would be fair to say, he has had the greater of the misfortune of the pair.
Among the lows was the engine failure that forced him out of the first race in Australia, brake failure in Germany which dropped him to the rear of the field, an engine fire in Hungary qualifying and the infamous coming together with his teammate at Spa.
The fact of the matter is that in any other season previously, he would only have needed to finish sixth at Yas Marina in order to be crowned world champion for the second time in his career.
But with double points on offer, it means should Rosberg win then Hamilton needs to finish second. And there potentially enters what Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff this week called “the nightmare”, the fact that Hamilton could suffer a reliability problem and miss out on the title simply as a result of that.
That is not to suggest Wolff and Mercedes would rather Hamilton was victorious.
Wolff himself said: “I care about both of them in an equal way.”
For Mercedes, with the constructors’ title already sewn up, it is the brand that matters and either a Hamilton or Rosberg victory would be good for the brand, albeit in different ways: Hamilton’s global appeal and Rosberg’s for the German audience.
As has been the case all season long, there will be no team orders, a wonderfully refreshing stance from Mercedes.
Instead, it is down to two drivers, who have long been friends to battle it out. During their karting days as teenagers at Team MBM in 2000, Rosberg, from a wealthy background in Monaco, was known as ‘The Prince’, while Hamilton with his darker skin was referred to as ‘The Sheikh’.
On the evidence of this season both would be deserving champions, but it would be fitting if ‘The Sheikh’ edged it in Abu Dhabi.
