So the World Championship could be settled by the end of this weekend. If Nico Rosberg wins the race here in Brazil, as he has done on the past two occasions, he will emulate his father and carry away the biggest prize in motorsport. It must be such a tantalising prospect to him, and yet on the other side of his Mercedes garage is the man who can still rip away those childhood dreams, the man who has beaten him in two season-long contests already, and a man who seems to have found his feet again after a slight aberration combined with some poor luck on F1's Asian tour.
One of the most repeated statistics this weekend will be the fact that Lewis Hamilton has never won in Brazil. This is his tenth attempt and despite wrapping up the 2008 title here, for a variety of reasons the outright win has never gone his way. Perhaps the simplicity of his objective this time will help him overcome the record books; assuming Rosberg finishes the race in reasonable shape, Lewis needs to win to stay in the hunt and take it to the finale in Abu Dhabi. That kind of clarity of focus is an advantage at this tense stage of the season, and as much as Rosberg will state his usual mantra of aiming to maximise each race as it comes, the implications of different results will play more heavily in the number 6 car, and a moment's hesitation or doubt across the entire weekend could prove costly. If Rosberg were to suffer a non finish and Hamilton takes the win, suddenly Lewis would be back in front with one race to go.
The tension won't only affect the two drivers; the whole Mercedes team will be desperate to give them the tools to do the job on track and not let car problems or a poor tactical call decide the outcome. Each member of the team will want to perform at their best but after 19 races spread around the globe nobody is going to be feeling at their freshest. This will be as much of a test of their ability to perform under pressure as it is of the drivers, and up to now you have to say they have done a fantastic job, despite Hamilton's engine failure in Malaysia which as far as we know was nothing to do with a mistake from the race team, but a problem further back down the line. There are so many subtle little ways in which a weekend can get away from even the strongest of teams, and last time out in Mexico proved just how tough and competitive this unit is, defying both the race pace Ferrari had shown on the Friday and the qualifying pace that Red Bull displayed on Saturday to earn yet another one-two finish. Yes, they have the best car but the human element behind that success should not be forgotten.
And it will be on the track between the lakes, Interlagos, where the next chapter unfolds, a chapter that could possibly bring an early ending to a fascinating story, but one which I expect will still have a few surprises in store. The undulating terrain, an ever present risk of a shower, a first corner that invites passing attempts and a passionate Brazilian crowd which will be there to give Felipe Massa an emotional send-off in his last home race all add up to an event not to be missed. One of the most exciting races I ever commentated on was here in 2012 when Vettel won the title, and Hamilton's dramatic final lap of 2008 is legend. This track can be a maverick, and it could well be the setting for another Tale of the Unexpected.