MOSCOW, November 22 (Sputnik), Ekaterina Blinova - Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of winning his second world championship in Abu Dhabi, commanding a 17-point lead over Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes team-mate. But Saturday’s qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix showed Rosberg outpacing his teammate.
"I love driving this track but the car is the best I have ever driven here. It is spectacular to drive. When you know you have a package as competitive as ours, it's like being a kid at Christmas," said Hamilton as quoted by the BBC.
Although the World Championship leader beat Rosberg in Friday's second practice ahead of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Nico has still carries a chance to outperform Lewis, according to experts.
"It is very close between us and I am just working to chip away at it. I just have to drive the way I usually drive and what will be will be," Hamilton notes.
The BBC notes that despite the fact "Rosberg and Hamilton's friendship goes back more than 14 years," their relations deteriorated significantly after the Belgian Grand Prix in August, when Nico Rosberg "deliberately" hit Hamilton during the race. "We had a meeting about it and he basically said he did it on purpose. He said he could have avoided it, but he didn't want to. He basically said, 'I did it to prove a point'," Hamilton told the press after the Belgian Grand Prix race, as cited by the BBC.
While the practice on Saturday, November 22 was tight it was Rosberg who finished the final session with the best results. "So after Lewis Hamilton took the spoils on Friday, Nico Rosberg hits back with an impressively committed and quick lap," writes BBC sport journalist Lawrence Barretto.
Rosberg's victory has triggered a heated debate in social media:
It's all about these 2 this weekend! #AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kJ0xhqak5y
— Lee Ashton (@LeeAshton1978) 22 ноября 2014
I'm sure Nico have this pole in the bag. But the race will be interesting and EPIC! #AbuDhabiGP
— Alonso99 Video (@FPatrik99) 22 ноября 2014
#askcrofty Do you think @LewisHamilton will really fight for the victory tomorrow like he said he will, or play it safe? #AbuDhabiGP #Skyf1
— Ben Silveston (@BennySLV) 22 ноября 2014
#askcrofty It will be an anti-climax. @nico_rosberg will win, @LewisHamilton will cruise to second. Another Tilke bore fest. #AbuDhabiGP
— James Proudfoot (@ManxJames) 22 ноября 2014
F1 fans are looking forward to an "epic competition this Sunday with the Mercedes team expected to come out on top, experts predict.
