Down to the wire! Now that’s a phrase we will be hearing a lot this week as the Formula One circus heads to Brazil for the decisive season finale on Sunday.

Fernando Alonso versus Sebastian Vettel, the underdog versus the favourite, muscle versus speed. The truth is anything can happen and often does when the title is left to be decided at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo. This is after a spectacular United States Grand Prix which delivered one of the best races of the season. If that display does not pique the interest of American racing fans, nothing will.

It had all the ingredients of a Hollywood western: a duel in Texas between the brooding, swarthy Spaniard and the finger pointing upstart from Germany, both to be outdone by the flashy, smooth talking Briton.

But best of all the race delivered a result that ensures that the 2012 Formula 1 title is decided at the final grand prix of a grueling 20 race season which has been packed with drama and twists and turns.

What a year it has been. Memorably, there were seven winners from the first seven races, and although it is down to Vettel versus Alonso at the end, the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button were all contenders at one stage or another. The season also delivered a brand new winner in Pastor Maldonado who sensationally won the Spanish Grand Prix back in May.

Equally newsworthy was the return of Raikkonen to the top step of the podium on a famous night in Abu Dhabi, crowning a fairytale comeback for one of the sport’s least verbose but most loved drivers.

At the same time Michael Schumacher’s tenure at the pinnacle of the sport is set to come to a disappointing end. His comeback with Mercedes was a flop because the team simply failed to deliver a decent car for the seven times world champion to ply his trade. Make no mistake, Schumi in a Red Bull, and perhaps even a Sauber some say, would have won races. Alas the greatest driver, statistically speaking, was reduced to supporting cast with only one podium in three years to show for his efforts.

But over the past half dozen races Red Bull, and Vettel in particular, found a rich vein of form, no doubt uncovered by their design genius Adrian Newey. Remarkably he has scored four wins since Singapore (six races ago) and laid claim to the world title, which could be his third in as many years. The kid from Heppenheim is smashing records in the process.

However, Alonso has simply refused to give up. The Ferrari F2012 is clearly not in the league of the Red Bull RB8, particularly in qualifying. This is a problem because it means that the Spaniard has been forced to start from around sixth or seventh on the grid for most of the latter half of the season.

As a result first lap incidents, which eliminated him in Spa and Suzuka, have all but cost him the title through no fault of his own. Couple that to the fact that he has not won a race since the German Grand Prix, nine races ago, and it is miracle (as he says) that he is still in the hunt.

In Brazil, Alonso, who is 13 points off Vettel at the top of the table, fancies his chances in the finale as he has done for the past few races. The man from Oviedo has been adamant that he will win the title should he arrive in Brazil within striking distance. He is.

I am no Alonso or Ferrari fan, my six year old son Luis and I are Hamilton fans. But, against the odds and all logic I am going to stick my neck out and say that Alonso will win the title at the final race, in dramatic style; as Raikkonen did in 2007 and Hamilton a year later at the very same venue.

Sure it will be the biggest (and most unlikely) upset in the history of the sport - but that is what Formula One has been all about of late. And, come on, credit to Spain’s greatest racing driver for his tenacity, fighting spirit and relentless never say die attitude.

“We will try to go to Brazil with the possibility to fight for the World Championship, which is something that we fight for all through the year. We arrive in a fantastic position, only Sebastian is in a better position than us but we should be proud of ourselves,” mused the underdog before heading to South America.