Nico Rosberg Faces Battle of Character to Secure Maiden Title

Lewis Hamilton will be preying on the nerves of Nico Rosberg as the duo are poised to battle it out in the final race of the

 Abu Dhabi GP 2016. Nico Rosberg;World Champion 2016

Formula One season for the Drivers’ Championship. After 18 meets, the title comes down to the last Grand Prix of the campaign at Abu Dhabi, with just 12 points separating the two.

The German knows that should he finish on the podium he will have secured the first Championship of his career. However, a failure to place within the top four along with a victory for Hamilton would see the 31-year-old become only the fourth man in the history of the sport to clinch the title three times on the bounce.

Hamilton has been through the process before and knows all too well how nerves can play a part in the final race, and he will be hoping beyond hope that the occasion proves to be too much for his team-mate, who has endured an almost flawless season behind the wheel.

The odds are overwhelmingly in the favour of the German. However, Hamilton will challenge him all the way and you can click here to see his chances of pulling off the upset. Taking history into account it would not be a surprise to see him holding the trophy aloft for the fourth time in his career.

Hamilton won his first crown in 2008 in a season that went down to the final race of the campaign in Brazil. The Brit has battled Felipe Massa throughout the season for control of the leaderboard, but he just edged ahead of the Brazilian ahead of the final meet in the Ferrari driver’s home country.

Lewis Hamilton F1 Champion 2008

Driving for McClaren, Hamilton only needed to finish fifth to lift the trophy even if Massa won at Interlagos, which happened to be the case as he coasted to victory. However, Hamilton’s path for glory was far from straightforward due to the wet conditions, leaving him vulnerable towards the end of the race.

Disaster almost struck for the Brit when he was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel on the final lap, which dropped him down into sixth. He was able to rally quickly displaying the resilience of a champion as he passed Timo Glock to ensure that he would not be denied.

Hamilton is on the other side of the coin this time around, hoping for a mistake from the German, or even a fault with his vehicle that has cost the Brit several times this season. The 31-year-old will look back on his engine failure at Malaysia with huge frustration and earlier in the season when Rosberg collided with his car in Spain, knocking both men out of the race.

The Brit has had his fair share of problems, and although life has been far from plain sailing for his team-mate, Hamilton will be praying that the fates conspire against the German just this once. Nerves will also play a factor and Rosberg’s character will be tested throughout the race, just like Hamilton in 2008.

Should he come through the challenge that he will inevitably face then he will be a worthy champion, but a lapse or a misjudgement could open the door for the Brit. Hamilton has proven time after time that he is one of the most clinical drivers in the history of the sport, and he will pounce on any opening he receives.

Finish at GP ABU DHABI F1/2016

✅ Check out more posts with related topics: