Nico Rosberg World Champion!

[Nitrodaze]

I can't help thinking that If Hamilton had put even half the amount of effort and focus into 2016 (particularly the start) as Rosberg, he would have been WDC.

Too much hobnobbing with Hollywood A list celebs and emulating that lifestyle, relying more on his raw talent than hard work, which wasn't enough to circumvent a reliability differential from Rosberg.

Anyone else suspect likewise?

I can't argue against that. I felt Hamilton took Rosberg for granted abit and paid the price. He was at times scrappy with his starts and appeared on occasions to have arrived at some weekends unprepared and slightly wornout from his life outside F1. But l do not think that was the reason why he lost the title to Rosberg. But you are right in that he did not build enough points buffer to adsorb any unforeseen eventualities or at least make sure that it would be more difficult for reliability issues to wreck his title chances.

That said, l have a deep feeling that it probably would not have made the slightest difference. The nature of the problems that afflicted Hamilton were very unusual to say the least.