Abu Dhabi Grand Prix review for Motor Verso - Sublime and ridiculous

Photo: Octane Photography

It may not always feel this way, but in F1 pretty much anything can happen. Really. I mean someone trying to win a world championship by driving slowly?

We got it. But nevertheless it contributed to an extremely tense title showdown. Yet one that again in a chief theme of recent weeks somehow ended with the drivers' championship rather as you were.

I give my take on all of the Abu Dhabi goings on in my latest Motor Verso race review, which you can read here: http://www.motorverso.com/abu-dhabi-gp-2016-review-sublime-ridiculous/

Do check out the Motor Verso site too; you'll find motoring news, car reviews and features - the team on the site carry out week-long test drives of the latest cars - as well as photos and videos of the machines.

New Grand Prix Times article: Nico Rosberg: 2016 World Champion - Deserve's got nothing to do with it

We could have seen the question coming. Even though it's a silly question. As no driver, certainly not the front-running ones, has likely ever defied allocation quite like Nico Rosberg.

Photo: Octane Photography

The silly question being whether the newly-crowned Nico is a deserving champion. Even though the World Drivers' Championship isn't the sort of prize that you can just fall backwards in to.

In my latest for Grand Prix Times I explain that with Nico's world title, in Clint Eastwood's words, "deserve's got nothing to do with it". That he's a worthy champion for a number of reasons, as well as look into why he might have been so hard to pin down in the public mind for all of this time.

You can have a read here: http://www.grandprixtimes.com/news/id/13359

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Rosberg Wins, But Was Hamilton Fair?

In a special and unplanned episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we celebrate Nico Rosberg's first-ever Formula 1 World Championship victory. We debate whether Lewis Hamilton's tactic to slow down Rosberg was fair. A clash of objectives between a team trying to win every race it can and its driver trying to win his fourth Drivers' Championship!

How will Mercedes settle Hamilton's disobedience of a team instruction? And should Mercedes have interfered this much in the race given that the Constructors' Championship was sealed many races ago?

Tune in!

Abu Dhabi GP Report - A drawn out affair

So the chief theme of recent weeks continued, somehow. After more than an hour and a half of racing in Abu Dhabi's season finale we ended up where we started, somehow.

Nico Rosberg, once again, did what he had to,
and the championship is his
Photo: Octane Photography

It was not a final round containing a dramatic final twist. Or great drama of any variety. Indeed calling it racing as I did above probably is stretching matters a little. But what we did get was tension. A lot of it.

The chief theme of Lewis Hamilton winning and Nico Rosberg following him in was unabated, and it meant that Nico indeed takes the 2016 World Drivers' Championship.

But more broadly we got whatever the F1 equivalent is of a Dutch auction, when the imperious Lewis made his final throw at retaining his world title. By driving slowly. He was warned by his team in advance not to do any backing up of the chasing Nico into the following cars, but it didn't stop him trying - indeed nothing was likely to stop him in his quest. We had an extraordinary situation of a driver - a la Michael Schumacher in Malaysia 1999 - spending most of the way trying to go slowly. But still leading. Just like 17 years ago you'd have forgiven him for for looking in the mirrors and wondering where the competition was, and why they weren't getting a move on...

Abu Dhabi Qualifying - It all makes sense

There were plenty of reasons in advance to expect that, whatever else happened in our latest F1 title showdown, that Lewis Hamilton would annihilate them on track.

Lewis Hamilton has dominated this Abu Dhabi weekend
Photo: Octane Photography

On the top of his form and mood, having won the previous three from pole. Determinedly relishing the role of the previously-unfortunate and currently-unlikely comeback kid. Plus he's quite the specialist at this Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi, particularly its final sector. And so far annihilation is what we've got. Even F1 makes transparent sense sometimes.

It's looked that way all weekend. The title-battling Mercedes pair have been on top for the most part, and Lewis of them has looked a step ahead almost always. This story continued unabated in qualifying. Lewis was smooth, immaculate and imperious throughout, and set a stunning final time of 1m 38.755 to bag pole position for tomorrow's decider, seemingly without effort.

"Lewis did an incredible job, an incredible lap - you can't say more," an observing Niki Lauda noted, as ever summing matters up succinctly.

The latest Lights to Flag Podcast - 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

Here's the latest Lights to Flag podcast. Ewan, Jack Amey and I to look ahead to our showdown to the 2016 drivers' championship in Abu Dhabi, and our Nico vs. Lewis battle. We look at what we can expect, both for the Mercedes and for their rivals.

We also look at other recent F1 matters, such as that it's likely to be Jenson Button's final Grand Prix, the regulation changes that await for next year, Zak Brown's appointment at McLaren, as well as the upshots of Bernie Ecclestone's recent comments on the future of certain races as well as the mooting of shorter Grands Prix.

You also can interact with the podcast via its Twitter account and on its Facebook page. If you want to appear on it give us a shout too. And if you have comments then get them to us via the various channels and we'll read out the good ones on a future episode!

Inside Line F1 Podcast - The Best Driver Did Not Win

As the Hamilton vs. Rosberg title battle goes down to the wire, the big question is who will win the 2016 World Drivers' Championship. While the odds may be stacked in Rosberg's favour, this is Formula 1 - and nothing's over till it's over. Could Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing be Lewis Hamilton's best ally in the 'duel of the desert'? Here's a prediction we're going to stick our heads out and make - respective of the outcome, when fans look back on the season they'll probably believe that 'the best driver did not win'.

Niki Lauda thinks that Max Verstappen could be the greatest ever Formula 1 driver - but he needs to be "careful" on his way. Cute that Lauda still thinks that Max will listen to him. As we all know, Max Verstappen listens to NOBODY! Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz admits that the drivers themselves don't understand Formula 1's rules. What hope do we ordinary mortals have then?

Bernie Ecclestone said some pretty interesting (and scandalous) things last week. He said Singapore "was just an airport" before Formula 1 happened and talked about Americans and their short attention spans. Bernie proposed a new double header race format and we tell you what we think about it. Of course, as fans, we're thrilled!

Mithila's wish for Abu Dhabi is for fans to be treated to a serious Hamilton vs. Rosberg wheel to wheel battle on track. Could there be a better way to decide the World Championship? Formula 1 bids goodbye to two great drivers, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. Finally, we make a confident prediction about Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. Tune in!

(Season 2016, Episode 39)

Abu Dhabi Preview - Where the sun sets

Sport has an incredible reductive quality. While prizes usually are based on achievements accumulated over an extended period, somehow they often end up being decided in the margins. Often too at the last. It goes a long way to explaining why even apparently minor setbacks are lamented; the probability is that whatever was left on the table then will come in handy later. And there's no way of getting it back.

The Nico Rosberg vs. Lewis Hamilton title fight
reaches its endgame
Photo: Octane Photography

So it is in F1 and particularly with the determination of its World Drivers' Championship. So it is too this weekend as 2016 reaches its endgame at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Even after the longest season ever, some 21 races, and its thousands of miles of racing over several months, it all comes down to this. The ever-haughty Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are the protagonists, the former but 12 points ahead with 25 yet available.

No wonder therefore Lewis decried Red Bull's rolling of strategy dice last time out in Brazil, given it allowed his title rival Nico to finish second there rather than third or perhaps even fourth. Had one Red Bull got in front of him in Interlagos Nico this time could have afforded no less than finishing next up to his team mate to ensure the crown. Had both Bulls finished ahead then we'd have a straight winner takes all showdown. In either case the situation would have felt rather different to what we've got.

The latest Lights to Flag Podcast - 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix Review

The latest Lights to Flag podcast is here. Ewan and I were pleased to be joined again by Luke Smith to look back on an astonishing Brazilian Grand Prix. Interlagos, and its weather, did its worst, and gave us all the extremes. Not least some brilliant drives. We reflect on all of them.

We also look at the recent news of Ron Dennis being shoved to one side at McLaren, what caused it and what might be next for the team.

You also can interact with the podcast via its Twitter account and on its Facebook page. If you want to appear on it give us a shout too. And if you have comments then get them to us via the various channels and we'll read out the good ones on a future episode!

Brazil Grand Prix review for Motor Verso - Extraordinary and Ordinary

It was a day of extremes, and opposites. In some ways utterly in the lap of the Gods; in others achingly predictable.

Photo: Octane Photography

We started in that familiar way on days that the rain comes down, with seemingly unending delays - and no little lamenting of the modern sport and its drivers. And we ended with something raw, and confirming that those same drivers in fact lack very little in skill and bravery. One of them particularly lacks it.

And somehow, we ended it all with the drivers' championship rather as you were.

I give my take on all of the unforgettable Brazilian Grand Prix in my latest Motor Verso race review, which you can read here: http://www.motorverso.com/brazilian-gp-2016-review-extraordinary-ordinary/

Do check out the Motor Verso site too; you'll find motoring news, car reviews and features - the team on the site carry out week-long test drives of the latest cars - as well as photos and videos of the machines.