How Rosberg put Hamilton on the back foot

Try as he might Lewis Hamilton just cannot seem to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

This race means a great deal to Hamilton, by virtue of the fact it was his hero Ayrton Senna's home event, but a second successive defeat to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg as this Formula 1 season draws to a close means Hamilton has now failed to win this grand prix in nine attempts.

Hamilton is a triple F1 world champion and winner of 43 grands prix in a phenomenal career, but none of those victories have come around Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit. Those of a superstitious bent would probably describe Hamilton's relationship with this place as jinxed...

He has come close of course, notably in 2012 when he qualified on pole and led the race before an unfortunate collision between his McLaren and Nico Hulkenberg's Force India. Last season he fancied his chances too, pressuring Rosberg until a spin entering the Curva do Lago just before his final pitstop.

Second remains his best finish in a race he would dearly love to win. It took his hero Senna eight attempts to finally crack the nut, but Hamilton's quest will now move into double figures, foiled this time by the fact his Mercedes team-mate continues to enjoy a purple patch of form since the world championship was settled in Hamilton's favour in America.

Senna finally won the Brazilian GP in 1991 © LAT

Some would say Hamilton has throttled back since clinching his third championship, but the tiny margins between the two Mercedes at Interlagos suggested Hamilton - however run down/partied out/fevered up he might be feeling since sealing the deal at Austin - was pushing as hard as ever to break his Brazilian duck.

The way things panned out was almost a repeat of the last race in Mexico. Mercedes enjoyed a clear pace advantage over the rest of the field, while Rosberg again crafted a small but crucial edge over his team-mate.

Ultimately, Hamilton will probably feel that just 0.078 seconds decided this race. Yes, he eventually finished over seven seconds adrift of Rosberg on Sunday, but less than a tenth settled their private battle for pole position on Saturday.

Rosberg was a bit faster through the Senna S and slightly neater through the tight left at Pinheirinho on his pole lap, and once he'd nailed his start and covered off Hamilton's attempt to attack around the outside into the first corner, the race was his to lose.

Hamilton felt he had the pace to win this race, and said so emphatically afterwards. In truth, Rosberg was controlling things from the front, which was the natural advantage he enjoyed from starting ahead and maintaining track position over his nearest rival.

In terms of average pace, Hamilton was faster than Rosberg across the third of the four stints that made up their grand prix, and also across the first part of the second stint, when he made his most concerted effort to challenge for the lead.

He used DRS on the main straight to stay close, and darted around behind Rosberg a couple of times (almost getting a look inside at the Senna S as Rosberg took a deeper line in on one occasion), but he grew increasingly frustrated - at the fact he couldn't pass Rosberg, at the fact he couldn't close enough to really attempt a pass, at the fact trying to follow closely was killing his tyres, and at the lack of alternative strategic options to try to force a chink in Rosberg's armour.

Afterwards, the triple champion suggested F1 needed action to promote more overtaking and better racing.

Hamilton was left bemoaning the state of F1 © LAT

"Something has got to change," he said. "Some races you can follow, which enables good racing, like Austin. Otherwise for the fans it's not too exciting to watch.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what we say because it won't happen. The big bosses make the decisions, and whether or not they are the right ones is another thing..."

Unsurprisingly, Rosberg was keen to stress that Hamilton wouldn't have been able to pass whatever happened, because his own pace was simply too fast.

"I had the pace advantage over Lewis, so he wasn't going to come past me," insisted Rosberg. "I was six seconds in front at the end. He's not going to pass me with that pace."

Hamilton backed off over the second portion of the second stint, at that stage seeking to preserve tyres that needed to last roughly 28 laps if Mercedes was to get both of its cars home on the fastest two-stop strategy, and he also appeared to coast home over the last seven laps or so, complaining to the team that his tyres had "gone off".

This happened even though Mercedes switched its drivers onto a three-stop strategy in the middle of the race, in order to cover a roll of the dice by Ferrari, which was unexpectedly quick in race trim. Sebastian Vettel managed to stay within roughly 10s of the two silver cars over the first 30 laps.

"We were looking to do two stops, but when Sebastian went to three it was a no brainer to shadow him, because we had enough margin to do it safely," explained Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe. "There was a slight worry with Kimi [Raikkonen], but he was much further back."

A few laps earlier Hamilton had been asking whether he could convert to a 'Plan B' strategy in order to carry the fight to Rosberg. At that stage he was told the only thing he could do was try to extend the life of his second set of tyres, in hope of attacking his team-mate with slightly fresher rubber at the end.

The two Mercedes were close for a while © LAT

Hamilton perhaps could have forced his team's hand by just coming into the pits anyway and switching himself to a three-stop strategy. Maybe if the title was still to play for he might have taken the risk of breaking team protocol that gives first call to the leading car.

Perhaps any such move would have backfired because of the closer proximity of the Ferraris, but the way Hamilton breezed back past Raikkonen when he did eventually make a team-ordered third stop suggested otherwise.

"I know Lewis was calling for an alternative strategy in the race, but it's actually not a team policy [to not allow it]," explained Lowe.

"If there's an alternative for the second place driver, like swapping compounds, we discuss that and make it available, and the driver has an opportunity to show an underlying pace advantage.

"But when the alternative is 10s slower... I know Lewis was frustrated, but he wouldn't thank us if that threatened to lose his second place to Sebastian.

"Lewis was just frustrated because he couldn't overtake. I actually think this track is one of the better ones for overtaking, but a 0.2s advantage isn't enough; you need 0.5-1s."

So Hamilton was stuck with his lot. If he was going to win the race, he had to do it by forcing a change of position on the circuit. He redoubled his efforts on his final set of tyres, but got held up in traffic (at one stage gesticulating as he lapped Romain Grosjean) and took too much from the rubber trying to catch back up to Rosberg.

"I love this track, it's such a great circuit but unfortunately it's so difficult to overtake," said Hamilton. "You get within a second and you lose downforce, there is no way you can get closer.

Verstappen showed passing wasn't impossible © XPB

"Contrary to what Nico was saying, at one point I was all over him, but inside one second I just couldn't get by. I had the pace today."

The ballsy efforts of Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen showcased how overtaking is possible around the Autodromo Carlos Pace, but the Dutchman (who twice went around the outside of rivals into the Senna S in a car that is not blessed with straightline speed) pointed out overtaking is a lot more likely when you're not driving an identical car to your rival.

"With the Mercedes, maybe they have more problems when they are closer to each other," he suggested. "Also their speed is higher, so maybe it's a bit more difficult for them.

"They are both on a very good pace, and I have to say when one of the Toro Rossos is behind the other it's very difficult to get past. Definitely if you have the same type of cars, it's very hard.

"For us, we have very good cornering speed, so if we are behind a Lotus or a Sauber or a Force India, we always catch up in the fast corners, even when we are behind. That's different for sure.

"For them, it's equal everywhere: The corners, the straights. Then if you are behind, you lose a lot in fast corners, so I can understand Lewis."

Mercedes strategic intransigence in the face of Hamilton's radio calls stemmed partly from the fact Ferrari was uncomfortably close in the race.

Vettel was pleased to be so close to Mercedes © LAT

Form from Friday practice suggested the Scuderia was further behind than usual here, but the team felt its pace was disguised by traffic over such a short lap (both cars completed lengthy race runs without interruption in second practice), and Vettel's strong drive to third place (finishing less than seven seconds behind Hamilton) indicated the Maranello engineers had a valid point.

"I think overall it's true we are closer compared to Australia," confirmed Vettel. "Obviously Malaysia was a bit different for us, but I think in general if you look at the beginning of the season to now we are a lot closer.

"I don't know what happened to Lewis in the end, I think the real gap we have to look at is the one to Nico. I think they were dropping a bit of pace, I was catching up as well.

"Obviously my race didn't go too well in Mexico, but I think the pace was strong [there too]. That's due to hard work. We've improved on the engine side, the motoristi in Maranello have done a miracle this year, that's due to the car."

Ferrari ultimately wasn't quite close enough to challenge Mercedes properly in the Brazilian GP, though at least close enough to deny Hamilton a strategic option in his personal duel with Rosberg. Last season, Mercedes didn't have to pay any attention to what was happening in its wake in Brazil; this year was rather different.

But whether or not Hamilton was denied a strategic chance to pass Rosberg, and regardless of whether overtaking was possible or not on this track, nothing should detract from a fine drive from the German, who has simply been the better Mercedes driver over the past two grands prix.

Rosberg is now on a winning run © LAT

The exact reason is unclear, and Rosberg is either unable or unwilling (perhaps both!) to explain exactly why he suddenly has the upper hand. "It's just going a lot better at the moment," he said. "I don't have an exact explanation unfortunately, otherwise it would make it all a lot more simple."

There is a theory that perhaps the new Pirelli tyre pressure limits, introduced from September's Italian GP, have affected Hamilton more than Rosberg.

Hamilton won from pole there, but since has failed to start from the top spot on the grid. Mercedes suffered a mysterious disaster at the next race in Singapore, where it couldn't get either the soft or super-soft tyre compounds working properly.

There have been no repeats since that race, but that turnaround in tyre operation has also coincided with Rosberg's current qualifying hot streak. Perhaps there is some technical aspect of the W06 now that is inadvertently favouring Rosberg over Hamilton?

"From Singapore onwards there has been a change to the car, but whether or not that's made a difference I don't know really," said Hamilton. "We'll have to see. But it has changed since Singapore."

But one thing that hasn't changed is Hamilton's bizarre lack of success at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Nine attempts, only one pole position, no wins, only two podium finishes.

It's clear Hamilton badly wants to win this race, to feel that bit closer to his Brazilian idol. One day it may eventually happen, but Hamilton will have to wait at least another year to make it so. Rosberg was simply too good this time.