Reading and watching Lewis and Nico in their press conference earlier today left me with something of a niggle on my mind. I couldn’t quite work out what was going on.

The obvious refusal of a somewhat synonymous gesture (a simple handshake) led you to believe that the closed and frosty relationship we’ve seen develop over the past three years was simply set to continue, with their answers being typically jerky and spiteful towards one another. Yet, during the interview, the pair were remarkably candid in their answers. The majority of the questions centred around their relationship, both past and present, with Lewis being very open in his answers in regards to what their relationship was when they were younger and Nico talking about a base respect that grew out of that relationship. Lewis even mentioned how “proud” he was of Nico on his performances this year.

It truly was a sight to behold, the pair were sat right next to each other, which allow me to point out how rare a sight that is in itself. What struck me as simply astonishing was just how calm, relaxed and seemingly happy they both were (Lewis more than Nico, for obvious reasons). We haven’t seen that for a long time, at least I don’t remember seeing it since very early on in the V6-hybrid era. They were smiling, acknowledging each other’s existence and even, in the smallest of feasible facial expressions, offering each other a smile. Could this be a stark realisation from two friends teammates that life goes on outside of the paddock, and that beyond said paddock, the pair could once again be friends as well as teammates? Or perhaps I’m just reading too much in to it. Perhaps it might take losing the title to Nico for Lewis to realise that, and vice versa? I’m at a loss as to whether this entire press conference was simply clever mind games, toying with one another to lower their guard, or whether there was genuine emotion and compassion in what they were saying.

Whichever side of the fence you happen to be sitting on, one thing we can all agree on is that both men will be absolutely gunning for it come Sunday afternoon, and that whichever man triumphs, he would have wholeheartedly deserved it. One could very well argue that Nico has had lady luck firmly on his side all season in terms of reliability, but on the days where reliability hasn’t reared its head, he’s done the job when he’s had to. Equally has Lewis. Both men have shown that, on the right weekend, they’re unbeatable.

A season of ups and downs, of raw excitement and mind-numbing boredom, and of drama and intrigue will draw to a close this weekend. A World Champion will be crowned and we’ll also say goodbye to a couple of the most-loved faces in the paddock, but that’s for another time. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has settled two World Championships in the past, but the 2016 World Drivers Championship could well be the most poignant.

Feature image courtesy of Sutton Images