Formula One: In the end, Lady Luck finally shines on Lewis Hamilton

“Losing engine power,” crackled Nico Rosberg’s voice, perfectly level and not betraying the sense of despair that surely must have overtaken the German when the problem struck as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix neared its halfway mark. The hybrid systems on his Mercedes had packed up, costing him significant chunks of horsepower and losing him multiple seconds to his title rival Hamilton. [caption id=“attachment_1818783” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. Reuters[/caption] He had been chasing Hamilton at the time, having lost his pole position advantage to him at the start when the Briton rocketed off the line and into the lead. Rosberg had been shadowing the lead Mercedes, close enough to stay in touch with the silver car but far enough behind to preserve his tyres, as he planned to stretch out his second stint in an attempt to jump past Hamilton at the pit stop. But this stroke of misfortune was now leaching any remaining hope out of his already remote chances of clinching the title. In a season in which luck – or the lack of it in Hamilton’s case – had played such a pivotal role, it was perhaps inevitable that reliability would influence the season-finale. But what was surprising was that it was Rosberg’s title charge that was hampered by unreliability just when it mattered most. All season long it had been Hamilton who had drawn the short straw as far as bad luck in the team was concerned. In many ways, the season-opening race in Australia had set the tone for the rest of the season. While Rosberg proved just how fearsomely quick the Mercedes was, Hamilton was forced to retire after a handful of laps, leaving him on the back foot from the start against his team-mate and only realistic title rival. Later on in the season, in Canada, both Mercedes were simultaneously struck by an issue with their hybrid systems, but it was Hamilton who was forced to retire with his rear brakes spent, while Rosberg limped home in second place. Things only got worse for Hamilton as the Formula One circus travelled through Europe with the Briton’s campaign lurching from setback to setback, barring a brief respite in Silverstone where it was Rosberg who was struck by gremlins. A brake failure in qualifying in Germany, an engine fire a week later in Hungary, a collision with Rosberg in Spa that forced him into his third retirement of the season, all hobbled Hamilton’s title bid. “I would say this is probably, as far as I can remember, this is the toughest season,” Hamilton told this writer in Singapore. “There’s been a lot of issues through the year, a lot more on my side. But what I really feel is I feel really positive with how whatever’s been fired at me I’ve dodged it all, managed to recover from it.” That attitude has been crucial to keeping Hamilton’s championship hopes alive and eventually helped him clinch the title. Starting 20th in Hockenheim, he fought his way up to third at the finish. Starting from the pitlane in Hungary, he recovered from an early spin on a damp track to finish third and ahead of Rosberg who had started on pole. And when his luck finally turned, Hamilton raced to five straight wins, and six wins out of final seven races. So dominant was Hamilton in the latter stages of the season that he claimed 193 points out the maximum of 200 points on offer over those seven races. From trailing Rosberg by 29 points following the controversial collision at the Spa-Francorchamps Hamilton went into the Abu Dhabi race 17 points in the lead. He needed only to finish second to clinch the title even if Rosberg won which, after Mercedes dominated practice, seemed like a straightforward task. But double points meant the title race was wide open and – given he had just come off a streak of five-straight race wins and in light of the ill luck he’s had this season – the spectre of unreliability hung over the showdown. Fate inevitably played a part but fortune favoured Hamilton on Sunday and dealt Rosberg a cruel blow – perhaps its cruellest all season – instead. At the very end, when it mattered most, lady luck – who has played such a pivotal role in the championship this season – picked the more deserving man.