As the 2015 Formula One season enters the home straight, it's looking increasingly likely that Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will retain his drivers' world championship while his team go on to once again lift the constructors' title. While there is still time for fellow Mercedes man Nico Rosberg to claw back the Englishman at the top of the drivers' standings, the German has again been forced to play second fiddle to his team-mate in a season in which Hamilton has won eight Grand Prix to his colleague's three and a late comeback seems unlikely.
In a similar tale to last year, the Mercedes cars have dominated the majority of races this season, continuing to put distance between themselves and the rest of the grid. While the real talking point of the 2015 season has been Ferrari replacing Red Bull as Mercedes' main rivals, Hamilton and Rosberg have again been in a league of their own. The Mercedes one-two in Australia in the season-opening race set the tone for the year, and it's been Hamilton who has been the more consistent of the two over the course of the season up-to-date. He has put himself in a great position to go on and win his third drivers' world championship, and second title in three years since leaving McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have both looked capable of matching the Mercedes duo at points this year, but Ferrari's consistency hasn't come anywhere near to that of the sport's current dominant force - with Hamilton and Rosberg recording just a single retirement apiece after 14 races of the season gone. And while Rosberg has again proven he is one of the best drivers in the world, he still can't find a way past his long-time friend and rival, to mean he is at the time of writing 14/1 with BETFAIR to stage a late comeback and win the title.
With Hamilton and Rosberg both seemingly set to remain with Mercedes next season, the drivers on the grid will know their teams are going to have some work to do to cut the gap between themselves and the leading two. The internal battle between the two Mercedes team-mates looks set to enter a fourth season, in which Rosberg will be hoping to receive more luck than he has this year. While Hamilton has undoubtedly been the better driver this season, it's fair to say the British star hasn't been on the end of as much poor luck as his team-mate, although that won't make Rosberg feel any better as he watches on as his childhood friend lives out his dream for a third time.