Mark Webber has warned that the 2012 championship finale may not be as spectacular as some are expecting.
The Australian’s Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, are separated by just 10 points with only the Austin and Brazil races now to come.
But Webber told WA Today: "They may not even see each other on-track — that’s the way it turns out sometimes.
"It’s a bit like an FA Cup final or the rugby league grand final — sometimes it doesn’t live up to the hype."
Indeed, while Ferrari is pushing hard to improve its F2012, the latest rumour is that upgrades tested at Idiada recently failed to deliver the expected speed boost.
Even Felipe Massa admits Red Bull is the favourite going into this weekend’s US grand prix.
"It’s a new track, and I might be wrong," he told Brazilian reporters this week, "but from what I’ve seen on the simulator, it’s similar to Korea and India.
"We were reasonably competitive on those two circuits, but Red Bull was very strong," said Alonso’s Ferrari teammate.