As far as former Formula One star Mark Webber is concerned, the 2015 world championship is already over - and Lewis Hamilton is the winner.
"It's over, that's all over," said Webber when asked about the title fight between Hamilton and his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.
"Lewis is completely on fire at the moment," Webber told Reuters in an interview to promote the publication in the UK of his book Aussie Grit: My Formula One Journey.
"Lewis is going to finish the end of the year as a three-time world champion and then it’s in his court to keep that drive and hunger going."
And Webber has worse news still for Rosberg, who he feels might never have a chance to get back on a level footing with Hamilton again.
"With how the cars are now and next year is going to be a tall order for Nico to get the high ground," he said. "Lewis is in a phenomenally confident window at the moment, so that's going to be hard."
Webber added that the German was going through the same sort of 'near miss' hangover after missing out on the title in 2013 that Webber himself experienced at Red Bull after Sebastian Vettel won his first title in 2010.
"The year after [coming second] is probably the hardest. In my personal opinion it was," said Webber.
In other interviews to promote his book, Webber has also complained about the lack of depth in driver talent in Formula One, called on Pastor Maldonado and other drivers who purportedly lack professionalism to leave the championship, and urged Jenson Button to call time on a frustrating spell at McLaren and come join him in sportcars.
"He’d enjoy sportscars and we’d welcome him with open arms," said Webber. "But if he elects to stay a bit longer then [McLaren] might pull a rabbit out of the hat next year and punch where they should be punching."
Eric Silbermann tells us which circuits formerly on the F1 calendar he misses most
2016 F1 driver line-ups so far
F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
