When F1 had a NASCAR ending. Plus, the first Brazilian GP home star in seven years

Welcome back to Prime Tire, where today I’m thoroughly looking forward to this weekend’s ~~Sao Paulo~~ Brazilian Grand Prix being as wet as forecast.

There’s just something about Interlagos in the rain: 2024.

He couldn’t do it again, could he? Of course he could, he’s this column on what unfolded at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, the result “found a way to make everyone feel bad about a worthy season champion” in Kyle Larson.

Here’s

Denny Hamlin immediately after the 2025 NASCAR season finale (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

And this got me thinking … all the way back to 2014, when F1 tried something similar.

In that case, rather than a season-ending decider where four drivers could take the title if they beat the rest around a regular race, F1 chose to make the season finale in Abu Dhabi pay out twice the points as the other 18 races held that year.

So 50 points for first, 36 for second and so on.

It was a direct reaction to the 2013 season — where Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel wrapped up the title with three races left, two years after he’d done it with four races remaining in 2011. Either side of these seasons, the 2010 and 2012 campaigns went to nail-bitingly close ends in Abu Dhabi.

Fan reaction was near universal. They despised the double points plan.

F1 had it differently to NASCAR. Early season successes would boost a driver around the double-points pay off, while the reverse would keep them from competing for the title prize even with the late points bonanza in play.

But this was a time where car reliability was nothing like it is in 2025 — in what was then the first year of the V6 turbo hybrid engine technology.

There was therefore a very real possibility the otherwise memorable battle between title protagonists and Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg would be blighted by a mechanical malady.

Hamilton had worked his way to a 17-point lead heading to Abu Dhabi — a gap that would’ve ensured the title be decided only on the final day anyway, even with F1’s regular points rules staying in place.

Other than being regularly outpaced in qualifying that year, Hamilton had the measure of Rosberg when it mattered in the races and he’d long looked a worthy champion.

But, like Hamlin, he could still lose a title through no fault of his own, right at the death.

In the end, it was Rosberg who suffered an engine energy recovery system issue while running second, after Hamilton had blasted by his pole-sitting teammate at Abu Dhabi’s Turn 1. Hamilton was crowned (with the second of his seven F1 world titles) and the double points rule was then hurriedly dropped, not to be repeated in 2015 or onward.

F1 realized it’d made a mistake.

Nov 12, 2025