Head To Head Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton

[snowy]

Toto Wolff felt the need to challenge media speculation that there is a rift in the team and a falling out with Niki Lauda.
F1 news: Talk of a rift at the top of Mercedes F1 team 'rubbish' - Toto Wolff

But he hasn't felt the need to tackle the media speculation about the rift between the Mercedes team and Lewis Hamilton, after he lobbed that "team player" grenade into the F1 paddock...

 

[Il_leone]

Well there is a suggestion that Toto and Niki don;t always see eye to eye which they have denied again

The team player attitude well its obvious to see that Rosberg has been the beneficiary since Austin and the free to race has not really materialised

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Get out of here! They're very good friends. Susie's not too happy though.

 

[erinha]

The team player attitude well its obvious to see that Rosberg has been the beneficiary since Austin and the free to race has not really materialised

What was everyone expecting? They did the same thing they've been doing all season long. They rarely let the 2 drivers use different strategies and it feels like they are always micromanaging things. Their radio messages don't help the situation either. Only races that I can remember where the driver behind was allowed to use another strategy were Spain, Hungary and Abu Dhabi. We had numerous boring races with Rosberg waiting and waiting behind his teammate and nothing happened then either.

 

[Il_leone]

Well the last few races we were hoping for gloves off racing and instead got follow the leader

 

[cider_and_toast]

You mean exactly like the previous 16 races only with a different driver in the role of leader?

 

[teabagyokel]

There's a lot less moaning when Rosberg is not given a contraflow strategy to overhaul Hamilton. The internet echoing the team radio, or just the micro-analysis of Hamilton again?

 

[F1Brits_90]

oh i hope this isnt just bernie pulling the strings to make sure f1 fans have some kind of excitement going into the next season because while i saw that the mclaren story i saw this one, about toto Wolff telling The Mail on Sunday Mercedes might try to bring further excitement to F1 in 2016 by unleashing Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
"Our dominance is bad for Formula 1, It is. It makes the racing boring. It becomes predictable how the result is going to be. The sport needs multiple winners. It needs the odd freak result. It needs the underdog to win. The moment you become a dominant force, you suffer & your brand suffers. You become the dark side of the force

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff considers 'unleashing' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg

 

[snowy]

"So I want the dominance to continue but if it were to continue like this, I need to think what to do so we do not become the enemy and how we can help the show. Maybe it's about unleashing the two of them [Hamilton and Rosberg] completely. Make them have their own strategy cars. That would be a solution."

Finally, now that all the damage has been done the realisation dawns: that this is not just a team sport but it is also a sport for gladiators. And if you hobble the Lion, Bull or gladiator you create a work of fiction, in which case you'll have to make the script exceptional and believable. A thing that Mercedes and F1 have singularly failed to do in recent years.

 

[FB]

Meh, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[siffert_fan]

To be honest, when Wolff makes pronouncements like that, I have to wonder how much of the last two seasons results have been the result of team orders and preferences rather than the true, "unrestrained driver competition" that the team likes to portray.

 

[snowy]

To be honest, when Wolff makes pronouncements like that, I have to wonder how much of the last two seasons results have been the result of team orders and preferences rather than the true, "unrestrained driver competition" that the team likes to portray.

Because they have just the one race strategist and have been obsessing over the appearance of being fair to both their drivers, they have produced a mountain of fixed races and getting on for half a dozen lost race wins.

 

[F1Brits_90]

To be honest, when Wolff makes pronouncements like that, I have to wonder how much of the last two seasons results have been the result of team orders and preferences rather than the true, "unrestrained driver competition" that the team likes to portray.

well we been very skeptical of it all, wolff had been fair almost down to the nth degree. just look at abu dhabi?? where they were managing the engine power levels you can level 9 for a few laps, then we'll give your teammate its for same laps. ok by luck with the safety car, the decision in mexico was correct to pit both but i why should lewis have to pit because there something wrong with nico tyres. its absolutely ludicrous

 

[FB]

I don't believe, for one minute, that Hamilton's dominance over Rosberg has been down to team orders, he is simply the better driver.

 

[Titch]

At least it shows that Toto is aware that a dominant team is a bad thing. Not that he will, or can, do anything about it. Not if he wants to keep his job anyway. But the powers that be could do a lot to make teams more equal.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Toto saying that Mercedes domination is bad for the sport is a bit like a press spokesman for Sharks saying that eating humans is bad for their image. It may well be the case but there's no point trying to stop them from doing it, it's what they do.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I was bored so I did this. If Nico and lewis finish all remaining races in 1st and second, then Nico needs only 6 more wins from the remaining 17 races.

 

[Il_leone]

Which we hope won't happen given that Red Bull are supposedly 2nd fastest team and got a huge upgrade

People are already beginning to write off Ferrari

 

[Greenlantern101]

I really hope not. But a 1 second advantage last time out. Eeek.

 

[Il_leone]

Nico Rosberg says wins lack ecstasy without a Lewis Hamilton fight

Whilst true he's only doing his job..I remember the same thing labelled at Button before he decided he will race Hamilton in the same team to prove a point and he did

Nico is the only one of the main contenders who is performing to where he is and keeping out of trouble