ON REFLECTION: Brazil

Rosberg needs to prove it next year

Welcome to the 2015 season Nico Rosberg. The German, fresh off the back of his fifth consecutive pole position, won the Brazilian Grand Prix, just two weeks after claiming victory in Mexico.

But it has all come far too late.

Lewis Hamilton is the world champion and won it convincingly. Rosberg, when the pressure was on, couldn’t cope with the Englishman and faded badly, leaving us without a title race.

Since Hamilton confirmed his third title in the USA Rosberg has been outstanding. But is his current form down to a lack of pressure, a relaxed and off the boil Hamilton or hard work paying off?

Rosberg needs to produce this form next season. Until then, as impressive as his current form is, its almost meaningless.

Hamilton is worried by Rosberg’s form

However, one person who is a good judge of whether the threat is serious or not is Hamilton himself.

And his body language and behaviour suggests that Rosberg is going to give him a real run for his money next year.

Hamilton insisted that he was faster than Rosberg and couldn’t compete with him due to the difficulty in following around the Sao Paolo track.

He’s wrong. He struggled to match him all weekend. He was beaten because Rosberg was better.

The intensity levels have risen in the last few races, largely due to Hamilton’s on-track manoeuvres and the now infamous ‘cap-gate’.

Hamilton is rattled, and that bodes well for 2016.

Bottas has won Williams battle

After a season-long battle for supremacy it finally seems as though Valtteri Bottas has defeated Felipe Massa in a titanic battle at Williams.

The Finn has pulled 19 points clear in the standings, meaning Massa will have to win in Abu Dhabi and hope that Bottas finishes badly if he is to overcome the deficit.

Massa has had a fine season but his inability to put together a consistent campaign has once again been his failing.

Bottas has finished strongly and will just pip him to the post. But the team has one of the strongest and most closely-matched driver line-ups on the grid.

2015 will be remembered as forgettable season

Brazil let us down. Usually it can be relied upon for a classic. Rain, safety cars, first corner crashes, late drama; it usually has it all.

But not this time. Instead we were served up a familiar feast: Boredom.

The Brazilian Grand Prix, like most others, were instantly forgettable. 2015 has not been a vintage year, with off-track squabbles, engine and cost issues and on-track dominance by one. It is safe to say DVD sales for the season review will not break records.

Verstappen warms the heart in a miserable race

But there was one thing that made us smile: The sight of a ballsy 18-year-old continuing to blossom into a star.

Max Verstappen stole the show once again. His overtaking has improved remarkably and he is now one of the best on the grid.

His debut season has been far better than anyone could have imagined and the best is yet to come. He wows us with such regularity that it is almost expected. Bring on Abu Dhabi.

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