The Formula 1 season comes to an end this weekend with the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It has not been an exciting year for the sport. The dominance of Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull car was evident from the start and, after his first few wins, it was clear that he had no challenges for the title, his second consecutive one.

The German driver often started from pole position and never looked back, going on to win race after race, leaving only tidbits for his rivals. On most occasions, the only interest was who was going to finish behind him.

Not even his team-mate Mark Webber could keep up the pace, in spite of having the same car. The Australian driver probably did not receive as much attention as his counterpart, but he never seemed able to maintain the same rhythm. Webber can still finish second in the drivers’ championship, but it seems a tough challenge for him as both Jenson Button of McLaren and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari have a sizeable advantage.

Button starts off as favourite to end up in the runner-up spot, having a 10-point lead over the Spanish driver. With Red Bull easily winning the constructors championship in September, the fight for second place is the only interest that remains in an otherwise dull season.

The regulations that were introduced this year did make driving more exciting, and we saw more drivers overtaking each other than in previous seasons, but in most instances the race ended up in a procession behind Vettel. This reduced much of the interest.

When Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari dominated Formula 1 a few years back, the rules started to be changed to enable more drivers and teams to have a chance. These included the way drivers qualified for the pole position, and the number of points they won depending on their final position. This worked to give the sport a new lifeline and generated more interest.

However, now that we have a similar situation with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, it is unlikely that the Formula One authorities will go for other drastic changes. Still, it must be admitted that the sport cannot afford to have a similar season in 2012. It’s all well and good for the winners, but a sport where there is no competition risks putting people off, rather than attracting more enthusiasts.