Head To Head Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton

[Fenderman]

Momentary lapses of judgement, malicious or otherwise, can have serious consequences. A puncture at high speed can lead to a big accident. It seems to have escaped the attention of the media commentators and pundits but that was a seriously good save Lewis made today. We have seen what happens when a car spears back onto the track out of control, particularly at esses like Les Combes.

That is why drivers need to accept responsibility for their actions. If they don't do that, then they are fated to repeat the error and the next time the consequences may be somewhat more serious. If it takes a penalty to drive the point home then that is what is necessary. However, Lewis has played a psychological card by spilling the beans on the meeting in public. That means that the incident won't go away and will haunt Rosberg at every press conference. He will be on the receiving end of the constant needle that Hamilton faced every time he messed up. It will be interesting to see how Rosberg holds up to an added pressure that, in truth, he didn't need to create for himself.

 

[Mephistopheles]

You see the spot just above the strip on the tyre and the face of the tyre it is about an inch and a half wide that is the spot Nico would have to purposely aim for if his intention was to puncture the tyre and considering a driver can't even see his own front wing then it would take some serious skill to hit that target on purpose...

 

[The Artist.....]

From what Rosberg is saying, he deliberately did not avoid the contact (which is different to deliberately causing the contact)...

Frankly, the number of times that Hamilton (and other drivers) have taken lines and just assumed that the driver who was alongside them in the braking zone would vanish, I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents.

After all, in 2011, Hamilton had another accident in the braking zone for turn 4 at Spa...... And apparently that wasn't his fault either'

 

[marksawatsky]

Mercedes could have had a 1-2 finish but Nico blew that for them. What if they were to have him sit out a race, stick a spare driver in his seat and that way they collect WCC points (assuming the spare driver is good enough), Nico gets zero points and is punished and hopefully Lewis wins and brings the championship back to 4 points?

 

[Brogan]

 

[P1]

Mercedes could have had a 1-2 finish but Nico blew that for them. What if they were to have him sit out a race, stick a spare driver in his seat and that way they collect WCC points (assuming the spare driver is good enough), Nico gets zero points and is punished and hopefully Lewis wins and brings the championship back to 4 points?

That's one option. The other is to detune his engine for a few races.

 

[The Artist.....]

View attachment 8540

Nico Rosberg turning right in a right hand corner shocker!!!

 

[Dizzi]

Sounded to me Nico just wasn't going to back out and expected Lewis to, not that he was deliberately trying to puncture Lewis's car. Rash and foolhardy but not aimed at harming his team mate except by taking the place. Unfortunately he forgot the Lewis's/Alonso's/Vettel's etc of the world will hold their line & a wiser man would have tried later.
Nevertheless Nico appears to have declared he didn't avoid the accident when he could have so I wouldn't be surprised if some official action is taken retrospectively bythe powers that be. Perhaps Kimi will finish on the podium after all, that'll cheer the Tifosi before Monza

 

[Fenderman]

Nice one Brogan . A zoomed in shot of a still frame from a screenshot of a replay. Excellent! That's in the tradition of FOM race coverage. If Bernie sees that he's sure to offer you a job. Oh, wait ... he'll just tell his producers to copy the method. Doh. I hate giving him ideas ... I know how much he listens to the fans

Quote: "After all, in 2011, Hamilton had another accident in the braking zone for turn 4 at Spa...... And apparently that wasn't his fault either'"

Reposte: Yes it was. No it wasn't. Yes it was, No it wasn't, Was. Wasn't ...

 

[Brogan]

Nico Rosberg turning right in a right hand corner shocker!!!

That was the third screen shot, after he had steered left.
I suspect you knew that though.

It's OK, I don't expect you of all people to see anything wrong in what Rosberg did and instead hold Hamilton to blame for "not giving him enough room" or some such other bullshit.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

From what Rosberg is saying, he deliberately did not avoid the contact (which is different to deliberately causing the contact)...

Could you explain, to Mr Pedantic of Hitchin here, exactly what that difference is? Because to my mind, if you saw contact about to happen and knowingly did nothing to avoid it when you could have, that would amount to the same thing.

 

[The Artist.....]

To be honest, there is a 151(c) issue of bringing the sport into disrepute.

I suspect that in a heated meeting, Rosberg blurted out that he had deliberately not got out of the way, because yada yada yada, having been attacked from all angles!

Hamilton then reports the first half to the press,....

The whole washing of dirty laundry in public brings the entire sport into disrepute! I do feel that Hamilton should just keep his mouth shut!

After all, McLaren were investigated in 2007 for instigating team orders in a very similar situation- and he got himself disqualified in 2009 for talking to the press inappropriately!!

 

[Fenderman]

Just another thought ... Brundle, I think it was, mentioned as if in mitigation, that drivers can't see their front wings. Can they not see their front wheels either? I ask that because it occurs to me that if one can see one's front wheel with someone else's rear wing end-plate alongside, surely it is safe for them to assume that their front wing is perhaps too close to a rear tyre for comfort?

I'm sorry but that was plumb clumsy and careless on Nico's part whichever way one cuts it.

The Artist..... The media will have pounced on Hamilton the moment he came out of the building. Answering their questions in what I suspect is somewhat guarded language is hardly reporting to them.

Hamilton's bosses aired their anger in public so are they to be prosecuted for bringing the sport into disrepute as well? If Lewis broke with team protocol by speaking out then that is an internal matter for the team.

Methink's Bernie is rubbing his hands with glee thinking to himself "What were those moaning Minnies saying about 'not enough entertainment in F1' ?"

 

[The Artist.....]

Could you explain, to Mr Pedantic of Hitchin here, exactly what that difference is? Because to my mind, if you saw contact about to happen and knowingly did nothing to avoid it when you could have, that would amount to the same thing.

The difference is;

If I'm deliberately going to hit someone, I turn in and cause my car to hit them.

If I don't take action to avoid an accident, I see a car coming directly towards me, and make no effort to move out of the way.

The first is an active process of hitting another car. The second is a passive action.

I'm sure we can all agree that the first is not on, whilst the second is a greyer area!

 

[Brogan]

Rosberg drove into Hamilton,.

The steering wheel angle clearly shows that.

 

[The Artist.....]

That was the third screen shot, after he had steered left.
I suspect you knew that though.

It's OK, I don't expect you of all people to see anything wrong in what Rosberg did and instead hold Hamilton to blame for "not giving him enough room" or some such other bullshit.

Me of all people? Really? Is that what this place is coming to? people aren't allowed to have differences of opinion now?!?

I know exactly that it was the third screen shot, but if Rosberg wasn't turning right, he wouldn't get round the corner, as he would have gone off the track!

Do I think Rosberg is in the wrong? No. Do I think Hamilton's in the wrong? No.

It was a racing incident.

 

[The Artist.....]

Brogan

The pictures are very clear.

1. Rosberg initially turns right
2. He sees Hamilton's car coming across the track, so he turns left to avoid a collision
3. He turns right to continue turning through the corner.

If the wheel was straight he would be heading off the circuit.
If the wheel was to the left, he would be heading off the circuit even more quickly!

See Toto Wolff's comments for a more balanced view

http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115558/wolff-rosberg-was-misinterpreted

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

This was about Rosberg sticking his nose into a place where he knew that it would get hit by the car in front as it took the expected line into the corner. To me, doing that and knowing that contact would happen (or be highly likely to) and deliberately not taking avoiding action, has the effect of causing that contact. To then afterwards blame the driver in front for not 'giving him room' is disingenuous in the extreme.

 

[teabagyokel]

I thought Rosberg was guilty from the moment he utilised the Wenger defence of "I didn't see it".

That's plain weird from a guy who was driving it, and struck me as evasive at the time.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

BroganIf the wheel was straight he would be heading off the circuit.
If the wheel was to the left, he would be heading off the circuit even more quickly!

Like Vettel did perhaps, when he realised he had put himself in an untenable position?