It's game on between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg: What we learned from the Austrian GP
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Published 23/06/2015 at 15:01 GMT
Nico Rosberg took his third win in four races in Austria – but it was the performance not the points that suggests the title battle could actually be genuinely on, says Will Gray.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
Image credit: F1i
ROSBERG CAN REALLY RACE
Ever since Lewis Hamilton arrived at Mercedes, Rosberg’s race pedigree has constantly been questioned.
Last year, the German often beat Hamilton on a Saturday, taking 11 poles, only to let it slip on Sundays. He won just five races, most of which involved Hamilton having some kind of problem.
This year, Hamilton has got to grips with qualifying and taken seven of the eight poles so far. It has meant Rosberg has had to find a way through to the front – and until last Sunday he had only managed to do so, again, when Hamilton had issues.
He was still seen as inferior, a good driver but one that did not have that extra little something to turn a bad situation good.
But four laps on Sunday went some way to changing that opinion.
Once Rosberg had snatched the lead at the first corner, he was in a position to control the race and the only way he could slip up (other than mechanical issues or a driving mistake) was through vulnerability in the pit stops.
When he pitted on lap 33 his lead was just over two seconds. Hamilton stopped two laps later and when the pair crossed the line at the end of the Briton’s out lap on lap 36 the gap was up to 4.6s.
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(L-R) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton (2nd), Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg (1st) and Williams Martini Racing's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa (3rd) celebrate after the Austrian Formula One Grand Pr
Image credit: AFP
It was enough to make Hamilton ask for radio clarification. He was shocked because, as demonstrated by his mistake in going over the white line on pit exit, he had been pushing as hard as he could.
Rosberg showed the kind of fragility expected of him with mistakes on his in-lap that cost 1.1s (0.4s of which was recovered with a shorter stationary time than Hamilton) but it was the early laps on the harder compound tyre where he made the race safe.
His out-lap was 0.7s quicker than Hamilton; then, during Hamilton’s in-lap, he set the fastest lap of the race. By the time Hamilton came out, Rosberg had built the buffer he needed.
Hamilton’s penalty for crossing the white line ultimately made all that irrelevant for the race itself, but it was significant for the championship.
The gap is now just 10 points - but more important than that is the fact that the psychological gap has closed completely. Rosberg now believes in himself.
It may, of course, have just been that Austria simply favoured the German over Hamilton - Rosberg was the dominant driver throughout the weekend after all. But he has been searching hard for solutions, mentally, physically and mechanically – for instance, last weekend he had a new seat that sat him lower in the car. And maybe he has found something.
If that is the case, the next question is can he use it to sustain a genuine challenge...
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Nico Rosberg leads Lewis Hamilton in Austria
Image credit: Imago
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McLAREN TAKE PAIN TO GAIN
Things are getting embarrassing for McLaren Honda with the partnership hitting a new low in Austria – but they say it’s all about a ‘no pain, no gain’ approach.
The Honda power unit has been disastrous in recent races but that, it is claimed, is because of a total philosophy change.
Rather than taking a cautious approach to development, they have been pushing hard for quick fix power improvements. Inevitably that has meant a reduction in reliability, but they can fix that later once the performance is at a better level.
In Austria, both cars suffered 25-place grid penalties for changing numerous parts, with the team replacing as many components as possible once they went beyond the limit.
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Fernando Alonso (McLaren) - GP of Austria 2015
Image credit: McLaren
The team had also pinned hopes of a performance upgrade on aerodynamic development, with a new package tailored to work around a shorter nose, but engine issues meant they had minimal time to test it.
Boss Eric Boullier has admitted the team is effectively using each race weekend as an extended test – although it was not extended very far in Austria as Fernando Alonso lost time in FP1, both cars were stopped in FP2 and both cars were out within 30 minutes of the start, albeit Alonso because of an accident not of his own doing.
Boullier said it is “damaging” to have two world champions in their line-up and to be regularly putting both at the back of the grid – especially as the season is now eight rounds in.
But Honda say the problems are “almost fixed” and the pain may be worth it if that light at the end of the tunnel is finally on its way...
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RICCIARDO GETTING FRUSTRATED
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Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull
Image credit: AFP
The failure of Red Bull and Renault to get to grips with the new regulations has cast doubt on their F1 futures but even if both stay there could be significant change on the horizon.
Lead driver Daniel Ricciardo has been biting his lip hard this year, but he finally fired off last weekend.
The Australian, who stepped into Vettel’s shoes in the hope of helping Red Bull rise again, has come under increasing pressure from team-mate Daniil Kvyat and is clearly becoming frustrated by the struggles of the former champion team.
In Austria he admitted if things don’t change soon then “something big has to happen and someone needs to step up and make it happen”. He talked of a need to “fix things” with “a fresh approach.”
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Daniel Ricciardo, caught in a rare moment when he isn't beaming from ear to ear
Image credit: F1i
Ricciardo’s compatriot and predecessor Mark Webber missed out on achieving the success his talent deserved because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – at Williams during their decline and at Red Bull when Vettel was so dominant.
He’s not ready to accept the same fate.
“I think I can make a bit more noise now,” he warned. “And I feel like I need to...there’s obviously contracts in place for some things but if you’re not making progress then I think you’ve got to try and push the envelope a little bit.”
The tree has been shaken. But the question is how well-respected is Ricciardo, and his views? And will his warnings see heads roll at Red Bull?
Will Gray
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