Formula One set for Hamilton vs Vettel rivalry to reach its peak next season

The stage is set for Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel to each pit their formidable powers against the other as the curtain stands ready to go up on what promises to be one of Formula One’s most mouth-watering rivalries of recent years.

Hamilton may have wrapped up his third world championship with three races to spare. But in the trampled wake of his dominant march to the 2015 title are signs that his advance towards a fourth title next year may not be as inexorable as it was this season.

Mercedes have been the dominant force in Formula One since new regulations mandating the switch to incredibly complex 1.6 litre turbo-hybrid engines came into effect at the start of last year.

Ferrari struggled to come to grips with the new rules in 2014 and endured their first season without a win in over two decades. But the sport’s most successful team, under new management and with Vettel replacing fiery Spaniard Fernando Alonso in the cockpit, made giant strides over the winter.

All season long – ever since their shock victory in the second race of the year at Malaysia – Vettel and Ferrari have been a constant thorn in Mercedes’ side.

Provided Ferrari keep ascending the performance curve over the 2015-16 off-season at the same rate they did last winter, a clash between two of the best drivers of the current generation seems inevitable.

SPOILED FOR CHOICE

The prospect should have Formula One fans rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Despite the abundance of so called ‘pay drivers’ on the grid, the current Formula One field boasts talent in depth.

Today, fans are arguably spoilt for choice with three clear standout drivers in Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso, widely hailed as the best drivers of the generation and all of who can stake a claim to being among the sport’s all-time great drivers.

Yet Formula One in recent years has been subjected to spells of multi-year dominance, first by Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 and now by Mercedes, which means we haven’t seen either Hamilton, Vettel or Alonso really go head to head on near-equal terms.

True, the 2010 title race was a four-way battle heading into the last race of the season with Hamilton, Alonso, Mark Webber and Vettel in contention.

But as enthralling as that season was with the momentum swinging between the different title protagonists all year long, it was more of a teaser, hinting at the potential of a Hamilton or a Vettel, who were still in the early stages of their careers and yet to peak.

It lacked the drama that a season-long title showdown between two greats at the very top of their game generally provides.

In 2012, too, Alonso and Vettel duelled for the title all year. The battle went down to the season finale but the playing field was far from even with Alonso driving an inferior Ferrari. The sting was taken out of that year towards the end, with Vettel and Red Bull hitting a purple patch of form and dominating the final third of the season.

Similarly, in 2007, Alonso and Hamilton were team-mates at McLaren, driving exactly the same car fighting on exactly the same terms.

But Hamilton was in his first season in Formula One.  Even though his string of podiums and victories belied his inexperience, he was still very much a rookie. Alonso, too, while the reigning double world champion, was not yet at his best.

DRIVING BETTER THAN HE EVER HAS

Hamilton this year, by his own admission, is driving better than he ever has. He went through a painful growing up phase after winning the championship for the first time in 2008.

But winning his second title last year – after a six-year drought – and the manner of his victory gave him a major boost in confidence and, according to him, helped him find a ‘balance’ in his life that has allowed him to unleash the full force of his searing talent.

Vettel, too, is back driving at his best. Temporarily disillusioned with the sport last year as his winning streak was brought to an end by the new rules, Vettel is back in love with Formula One this season.

His move to Ferrari – the same team with which boyhood hero Michael Schumacher won five straight titles – has given him fresh motivation.

He didn’t win a single race last year but has won three in 2015 and has driven to nine further podiums. The only driver to have beaten the Mercedes duo to the top step of the podium, he lay second in the championship until his retirement from last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

ITCHING TO HAVE A GO

As much as a Hamilton versus Vettel battle would be a treat for the fans, both drivers are also itching to have a go at each other.

Hamilton, having just won his third world title, is riding a wave of confidence and is brimming with self-belief in his ability to face and overcome any challenges that come his way. ‘Bring it on,’ he seems to be saying.

Vettel too, back in the ascendant, is determined to return to the top of the sport he dominated and to shed the misconception that his earlier spell of dominance was down to his Adrian Newey-designed Red Bull’s superiority.

Then there’s that burning desire to win for Ferrari, the sport’s most legendary team, to restore them to greatness, perform a phoenix act as Schumacher did.

WHO IS THE BETTER DRIVER?

Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso are widely perceived to be the three top drivers of the current crop. Which one of them is the best is a question that has been hotly debated.

Alonso has generally been hailed as the standout driver of the current era, slightly shading Hamilton. Vettel, meanwhile, has never been considered as good as them, his success largely put down to superior machinery.

It’s a shame Alonso will not be in on the battle and, given the playing field can never be completely level, it’s a question that is unlikely to ever be definitively answered.

But with Vettel and Hamilton taking each other on on near-equal terms, next season we could get pretty damn close.