What has been one of the most enthralling F1 championships for many years draws to a conclusion this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Unbelievably, going into this final race of 19 there are still 4 potential World Champions - Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. The favourite has to be Alonso in his Ferrari as he enters the race with an 8 point cushion over Webber and has been the form driver of the second half of the season. However, after the first two practice sessions the McLarens are looking competitive for the first time in a few races and because Alonso and his car have been so competitive since mid-summer I'm thinking he is due a poor result which would open the championship wide open.
Of course, Red Bull could have made things easier for their driver Webber last weekend by allowing him to pass Vettel and take the win and leave only one point between him and Alonso, but it does not appear to be their way and means whilst they secured the constructors championship in Brazil they have made it more difficult for one of their drivers to secure their version of the championship.
Personally I believe, whilst Red Bull will continue to be competitive for many years to come in F1 this may be their best chance to secure the driver's championship for a few years and that in the last couple of races they should have supported Webber's attempt to do this, but because there has been a bias towards his younger German colleague from the team ownership this has not happened. This is a shame because like Jenson Button last season this is the first time in a long career that started at the back of the grid that Webber has been in a car that could take him to the title. Secondly, he would be a great ambassador for both F1 and Red Bull as World Champion and it is this latter point that I think is the problem for the Red Bull marketing machine - a laid back Aussie in his mid 30s is not what they envisage as the face of the brand. This I find strange as he is one of the gutsiest drivers on the grid and has a penchant for the spectacular (accident that is)! Finally, and this is a purely selfish view, as a bit of statto there have only been three Australian drivers to win Grand Prix and the other two went on to become World Champions - Jack Brabham and Alan Jones - and I'd like to see that symettery continued by Webber, especially as I like the guy which isn't something I can say about every Australian sportsman!
I mentioned earlier that this might be Red Bull's best chance of winning the drivers championship for some time and the reason I say this is because whilst undoubtedly the have one of the best, if not the best technical director and F1 car designer on the grid, because of their quest to be succesful this year they may struggle next year and who knows how long Adrian Newey will stay on the team. In addition to McLaren and Ferrari who are bound to be at the front of the grid again next year it wouldn't surprise me to see Mercedes there, especially as they took a decision mid-season to concentrate on next year's car rather like Honda / Brawn did two years ago and it is just possible lightning may strike twice. It also wouldn't surprise me to see both Renault and Williams kicking on next season.
As most of the season there have been five drivers battling for the championship it has been forgotten that there are 19 others in each race and three of them deserve special mention. Firstly is Rosberg who in an uncompetitive Mercedes has picked up a significant points haul, consistently out driven his illustrious teammate Michael Schumacher and next year deserves to be in a car in which he can win his first race. Secondly, Kubica has confirmed his reputation at Renault this season and is another who deserves to be in a race winning car which if Renault can't provide then I expect to see him at Ferrari or McLaren in the next year. Finally, Kamui Kobyashi of Sauber only made his F1 debut towards the end of last season and looked exciting but this season has gone from strength to strength and I imagine has probably made more overtakes for position than any other driver on the grid and when he does overtake you don't want to miss it! All this in a distinctly average car just goes to prove his talent (reminds me of a young Ayrton Senna in a Toleman), and I think he could go on to be the first Asian to win a Grand Prix and possibly a championship if provided with the right machinery.
Anyway, the real issue is who will become World Champion on Sunday evening. At the beginning of the season I said Alonso and now after eighteen races that is still my thinking, though I'd like to see Webber do it. Having said that it will be an interesting race that I think will be won by Lewis Hamilton and Webber will be on of those on the podium with him.
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