Cape Town - If the first five races are anything to go by, Grand Prix fans are in for a bumper Formula 1 season.
Many racing aficionados have been disappointed over the past four years as first Red Bull and then Mercedes dominated – in each case, the winning margin in the constructors championship was more than 200 points, the 297-point lead Mercedes had over Red Bull last year was the largest so far.
Had there not at least been the internal Mercedes battle for the driver’s championship, which Lewis Hamilton won twice before Nico Rosberg managed to turn the tables last year, it could well have been facing rapidly declining TV audiences.