Nico Rosberg claimed his second win in as many races at Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Here, we look at five things we learned from the penultimate round of this year's Formula One World Championship.
1. You wait almost five months for a grand prix victory, and then two come along in quick succession. Nico Rosberg followed up his masterful Mexico win with an equally impressive display in Brazil to claim his second victory on the bounce. The revival of a driver, who has spent most of this season sprawled out on the canvas, is commendable and has left many of us asking why he did not start the season in this fashion. Was it a hangover from losing out to Lewis Hamilton at last year's decider in Abu Dhabi? Perhaps the pressure is off with this season's title already over? Maybe Hamilton's intensity, having won the championship last month in Austin, has dipped? Whichever the case may be, let us hope Rosberg can carry this form through to 2016, so Hamilton is given a sterner test.
2. Hamilton lamented a "boring" race in Brazil after he followed Rosberg's gearbox for 71 consecutive laps around Interlagos. The Briton was desperate to seek an alternative strategy to that of his team-mate in a bid to win the race, but a solution was not forthcoming. Hamilton's boss Toto Wolff subsequently said that Mercedes will not change their policy on running both of their drivers on the same strategy. And while the team must be applauded for allowing Hamilton and Rosberg to slug it out on track, their refusal to change their tactical outlook, undoes some of that.
3. The FIA, Formula One's governing body, came under criticism for refusing to stage a moment of reflection for the 132 people murdered in Friday night's horrific terror attacks in Paris. A one-minute silence had long been planned for victims of road traffic accidents and Jean Todt, the FIA president, refused to amend the schedule. The drivers were called to the front of the grid to observe the silence, and as Todt, held a banner with a road safety slogan, Frenchman Romain Grosjean, with the help of three other drivers rather poignantly unfurled the Tricolour.
4. With the risk of sounding repetitive, surely it is only a matter of time before Max Verstappen finds himself in a championship-winning car? The Dutchman, who turned 18 in September, had the paddock purring once more on Sunday after a jaw-dropping move around the outside of Sergio Perez at turn one. "I just do what I think I have to do and , in the end, age doesn't matter," said Verstappen. A promotion to Red Bull seems inevitable, but Ferrari are also said to be interested in the Formula One rookie.
5. Oh how Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and McLaren must be looking forward to the end of the season. Button and Alonso crossed the line in 15th and 16th respectively on Sunday in a season which none of us could predicted to have gone this badly Ron Dennis, the team's chairman, is expected at the final race in Abu Dhabi, so do not expect a repeat of the shenanigans on Saturday which saw Alonso pretend to sunbathe after his car came to a halt in qualifying before he joined Button in a mock podium celebration.
Source: PA
