Rosberg's resurgence: Is Lewis Hamilton off the pace or is Nico upping his game?

While Hamilton wrapped up the drivers' championship in Austin three races ago, Rosberg has been on pole position at the last five rounds and converted each of the last two in to victory.

The improved performances on Saturdays have been especially impressive, with Rosberg having previously scored just one pole position this season as Hamilton dominated by taking 11 of the first 12 on offer.

Asked if he thinks an increase in tyre pressures at the Italian Grand Prix could have had an impact on his recent run of qualifying form, Rosberg replied: "No, I don’t.

"I don’t think so. I think I’ve just raised my game. That’s it."

However, while Rosberg claims it is a result of personal improvement, Hamilton says there is a different external factor which could have swung things in his team-mate's favour, having not been on pole position himself since Monza.

"Well, from Singapore onwards there’s been a change to the car – but whether or not that’s made a difference, I don’t know really. We’ll have to see. But it has changed since Singapore," he said.

And while Rosberg says he had the measure of his team-mate in Brazil last weekend, the pair also disagree over who was the quicker driver.

"Contrary to what Nico was saying, there was one point where I was all over him but I just couldn’t get by," Hamilton said. "I just couldn’t get close enough in that last second and I did have the fastest lap, so I obviously had the pace."

Was Hamilton seriously talking about this last race weekend? Out-qualified and out-driven from start to finish, Hamilton simply didn't look on edge. His protestation that he "was all over him" yet somehow "just couldn't get close enough" is self-contradictory. His other recent comments, about how recent changes to the car have helped Rosberg instead of him, come across as similarly sour grapes.

So where is all this coming from? Hamilton has been a brilliant champion this year, but with - by his own admission - his job already done this season, it's understandable if he's lost a little edge. He has nothing more to prove in 2015; Rosberg does. Yet Hamilton's latest protestations are a sign that he has realised that these final races of the season aren't about 2015 - they're about 2016.

Rosberg has his nose in front on current form, and if he wraps up the season at Abu Dhabi with another victory, he'll have a serious psychological edge when the cars line up next March in Australia.

Well, maybe not an edge exactly - but he'll have levelled the playing field with the man across the garage for the first time. That could be crucial in the next title race - and fans will be hoping that it means the pair will fight it out in a thrilling campaign. Preferably one that isn't decided several races early.