Lewis Hamilton has few chances of becoming Formula One world champion in 2016. The most "reasonable" explanation for this is that the Roman god of racing is giving him a very hard test. And there is a good reason for that. The God's of racing allowed a new Four Time world champion (let's call it Tetra, "four", in greek) very recently, in 2013. The Tetra status (defined by "a driver who won 4 or more World Driver Championships") is very rare, and the god wants to do things differently with Hamilton. Let's find out why.
Juan Manuel Fangio
Let's say it is the god Consus, that some sources associate with ancient chariot racing.
Consus came up with a Formula 1 championship in 1950 and he immediately inserted a demi-god among men. That demi-god won 5 of the first 7 championships. After that, Consus decided that no one would ever get close of those numbers. That's why he sent Jim Clark to race in F2 in Hockenheim, under rain, in 1968.
Later, in the Seventies, he started to have some doubts, as Stewart became the third Triple (after Brabham and Fangio, of course). In the eighties, some drivers, helped by safer conditions and a different mindset, tried really hard to unsettle Consus' decision.
Alain Prost
Eventually, the deity allowed Alain Prost to become the second Tetra. After all, he might have been champion in 1981, 83, 84, 88 and 1990.
But Prost wisely, didn't race after finishing his fourth championship.
Ayrton Senna was poised to also become Tetra. In fact, if you look at Williams-Renault between 1994 and 1997, you would say that he would win for sure between 1995 and 1997 and surpass Fangio - like Fangio himself once predicted. (You could say he would have '94 also, but let's not consider it; in a "regular" year, Schumacher would not be stripped of 4 races, 25% of total) However, Consus slept during that fatal April-May weekend and Fate thrashed his plans.
Michael Schumacher
God Consus was left with Schumacher. The man started winning, and the standard was so above his contemporaries that he had to "force" the German to go to Ferrari, delaying his time. Eventually, Schumacher proved himself worthy, and in 2001 he became the third Tetra. Of course, you all now that he was going to be the first to surpass Fangio.
For some unknown reason, Consus doesn't like Fernando Alonso. He should be the next in line, but after the first 2 titles, the deity turned his back on the Spaniard, until this day.
Sebastian Vettel
Instead, Consus decided to reward Red Bull investment on Formula One. Sebastian Vettel, like an efficient machine, took on the mistakes of others and started collecting titles.
Did Consus felt sleepy? Was he thinking of a Triple Champion and forgot about 2013? You can't point a finger to Vettel's trailing to become the fourth Tetra, after Fangio, Prost and Schumacher. However, after 2013, Consus thought twice. Perhaps there were now too many Tetras. And never before was a Tetra beaten the way Vettel was by Ricciardo in 2014.
(Schumacher in Mercedes was a different story. That was a personal chat between the God and the Hepta, "Seven", and nobody else should stay in their way, because an Hepta has the right and the duty to race over a 21-year span, and until 43 years old.)
Lewis is being tested, really hard
So, Hamilton was now being rightfully rewarded. He achieved the Triple status, with ease and class. However, Consus is now determined not to fabricate Tetras so often, or at least so easily. Lewis will have to sweat very hard to earn the Tetra badge. That's why he had a series of mishaps (early in the season and in Malaysia) so that his fight was compromised. Consus gave the ball to Rosberg, and told him: "it's up to you, now; if you drop it, I can't do anything else for you." So far, Rosberg did not drop it.
Hamilton has a though fight ahead. Next year, there will be changes in regulations, and they usually shake up the F1 grid, like it happened in 2009 and 2014. And there is Verstappen, 12 years younger than Lewis.
