Head To Head Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton

[Brogan]

but if Rosberg wasn't turning right, he wouldn't get round the corner, as he would have gone off the track!

Which is what he should have done, just as Vettel did when he knew he was never going to make the pass.

The facts are:

Hamilton was in front
Hamilton was on the racing line
Hamilton took the racing line through the corner
Rosberg was behind
Rosberg hit Hamilton

 

[Fenderman]

The Artist.....

Um, actually, no. Watch the replays from which I grabbed the screen shots carefully again. It is in a video freely available on the BBC website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/28921431

Rosberg actually made a sharp jink left and right again. We usually only see that if the car steps out unexpectedly and the driver is making a correction. We can see from both off-board and on-board footage that the car was stable through the turn until Rosberg jinked the wheel.

I suspect that if the FIA do look at the incident again, the footage and corresponding telemetry will make their minds up. Rosberg's hope will be that something shows up in the traces to convince the FIA that he was reacting to an issue to do with a sudden imbalance of the brakes or differential. I suppose we can hand him that get out if his own words don't convict him.

 

[The Artist.....]

No, you're absolutely correct- although I think it's a little brave to say that there was no instability there.

Certainly, there's no damning evidence of a deliberate attempt to drive into Hamilton!

 

[Fenderman]

I've just edited my post to give him a get out clause.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Forget it The Artist..... you're on a hiding to nothing buddy...

 

[Kewee]

I've made numerous comments regarding Hamilton/Rosberg. All these previous postings were made before Rosberg confirmed he's a complete prick and a smart-ass. I won't elaborate as I would be repeating everything Brogan has been posting. You only have to look at replays to realise all his comments are spot on. When your viewing replays don't forget to take off your rose-tinted glasses.

 

[The Artist.....]

Let's be honest, this isn't about Spa, but is about Bahrain, Spain, the last lap in Hungary and so on, when Rosberg has jumped out of the way in similar situations. Rosberg hasn't complained much publicly about some incidents that some might have questioned (e.g.being given no space in Hungary), and this was drawing a line in the sand; if you continue to close the door, I will stick my foot in it from now on! That's precisely what Ayrton Senna used to do, and what Hamilton was praised for earlier in his career!

 

[Kewee]

The Artist..... Watch replays at normal speed. The law of physics was always going to place Hamiltons car in the gap Rosberg tried to squeeze into. Rosberg knew that, anticipation is one of a top drivers many skills, he had the choice of backing-off and chose not to.

 

[Brogan]

if you continue to close the door

He was on the racing line and stayed on it.

Show me one bit of evidence that Hamilton "closed the door" on Rosberg.

 

[The Artist.....]

Sheesh.

If a driver is alongside, with any overlap, drivers need to take that into account. - irrespective of who the driver is! That sometimes means you can't take advantage of the whole track width!

Magnussen was engaged in similar dodgy tactics with both Alonso and Button (and Vettel).

If a driver is alongside, and has to leave the circuit (as you seem to believe Rosberg should have done), then the defending is too robust!

 

[Brogan]

If a driver is alongside

Rosberg wasn't alongside.

 

[Kewee]

The Artist..... ALONGSIDE!!!!!!! What was I saying about rose-tinted glasses.

 

[The Artist.....]

Kewee Brogan.

Rosberg was alongside going into the corner.

If he wasn't alongside at all, then the cars wouldn't have hit each other!

Yes, there was very little overlap by that point, but there was still an overlap!

 

[Brogan]

He wasn't alongside.

At best his front wheel was level with Hamilton's rear wheel.

 

[Brogan]

It looks like Rosberg has been harbouring resentment since Hungary and simmering over it during the break.

"On Thursday," Hamilton said, "he (Rosberg) expressed how angry he was at Toto and Paddy. I thought: 'It's been three weeks.'"

So at the start of the GP weekend, Rosberg once again raised Hungary and how pissed off he was that Hamilton (quite rightly) ignored the team order to move over and let Rosberg through for another easy win.

That makes what happened premeditated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/28922996

 

[RasputinLives]

Button was asked after the race about his battle against KMag and said he had no issues and it was all part of racing. In describing the action he stated that Magnusen held the racing line which he's entitled to do.

The one moment that was out of line was when Kev did not leave Alonso a car width when he came alongside. I can see why that was out of line even if I think the penalty was over the top. That was all about being alongside though.

(Which, by the way, Alonso only managed to do by having all 4 wheels off the track at the previous corner)

Lets not kill the art of defensive driving here. A driver in a slower car getting his elbows out in order to keep in front is one of the exciting bits of F1. You do that by anticipating the moves the driver is making behind you and placing your car in the correct position so they can't do it. One of the main ways of doing that is by holding a line. Its the driver behinds responsibility to make sure he doesn't hit the back of you.

Of course the rules change if your alongside.

 

[The Artist.....]

RasputinLives my view is always that if a driver has to leave the track to avoid an accident, then it's gone too far... I may not share that with many, but defensive driving is one thing....

 

[Fenderman]

Indeed RasputinLives

What some of us armchair punters sometimes forget is the fact that you can't just tighten your circle at speed because some dickhead wants to drive on a path that will intersect with yours. You have to trust the other guy to know where you are going because he should know that it is where they themselves would be going in the same circumstance. It's called reading the road which includes anything that's on it ... such as the other bloke.

Outside passes are the most difficult in any motor-sport and to pull them off requires putting oneself in the other guy's head and seat when you plan the pass. It's so basic that there is really no excuse.

 

[RasputinLives]

RasputinLives my view is always that if a driver has to leave the track to avoid an accident, then it's gone too far... I may not share that with many, but defensive driving is one thing....

Yes but you also have to take into account a driver leaving the track due to not leaving himself enough room - which is what happened to Button on KMag and Vettel on Hamilton hence why we have no complaints from them.

After watching it a fair few times it seems clear to me that Rosberg went for a move and it wasn't going to happen and therefore needed to get out of it. Getting out of a move like that requires losing some time. Thats part of racing. Again exactly what happened to Button and Vettel. Looks to me like Rosberg wasn't prepared to slam on the brakes, lose ground to Lewis and prpbably get attacked by Vettel so he tried to keep in there which was silly. Especially when its your team mate.

As for if he did it on purpose......well I don't want to believe it but where there is smoke you usually find fire.

 

[Mezzer]

The Artist..... Sorry but your point is laughable. There was zero chance of Rosberg successfully overtaking there. Zero. It was a petulant response to being beaten off the grid which was nobody's fault but Rosberg's. Your comments read like you've never seen a race before. How exactly could Hamilton have given more room? He was on the racing line, should he have done a right angle turn and a left angle turn?! You're making this nonsense up. Rosberg should have lifted so they both got through safely and then tried to attack somewhere else. That would have been the mark of a deserved world champion.