Head To Head Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton

[Dizzi]

All this chat is very interesting but as Lewis himself said he should have put in the good lap on his first run, then whether Nico ran off track deliberately would be immaterial.
Personally I don't think Nico set off on the lap intending to scupper anyone but if he knew he was down on the first sector (was he?) maybe the years with Michael rubbed off & he spotted an opportunity. It was an incredicbly effective use of yellow flags while not harming the car at all.
I don't want to believe Nico would cheat, I really like him but I can't shake a nagging doubt.

On the other hand I wish Lewis would stop whinging and call the shots, if he's convinced he's right then ruddy well call for a pit stop - don't moan afterwards.

I'd rather this year go down as a close battle for the title on the race track racing and not who 'out-cheats' who.

 

[Hamberg]

http://tinyurl.com/okkgal3

 

[Bill Boddy]

Conspiracy theories are usually much more interesting than the truth. Is something similar happening here?

 

[Quintessentially]

Nico's celebratory reaction as he pitted at the end of qualifying, fist pumping in the air as if he had beaten Lewis without the aid of yellow flags, which he had brought out was questionable.

The victory dance and fist pimping in front of Hamilton was seemingly meant to provoke a reaction/non reaction and it worked. Whether Rosberg cheated or not, I feel Lewis should’ve had the clarity of thought to rise above it, having been in a similar situation before in years gone by. He might have felt strongly that Rosberg was fighting dirty Margarito style but he should’ve shaken hands and moved on. Unfortunately he reverted to the familiar thunderous mood, making him an easy picking for his critics. Of course it’s easy for me to type this on the internet but he simply couldn’t erase the impression that he wanted to punch Rosberg’s lights out every time they were pictured together post-event and he expended far too much negative energy in the whole affair, from the touchy radio messages to the press conference after the race. He doesn’t strike me as the easily forgiving type and I can see retribution on the cards. Surely, he can find some comfort in the fact that Rosberg is unlikely to share the same piece of tarmac in the upcoming races??

 

[teabagyokel]

Assuming Rosberg did not cheat, why the hell would he not celebrate being on pole in Monaco? Is that not supposedly one of the pinnacles of any Formula One driver's career, especially when considering 9 of the last 10 pole sitters have actually won the race?

If he hadn't celebrated, that's a sure indication that he knows he'd done something unethical.

 

[Brogan]

According to Brundle and others, the majority of the paddock believed he cheated.

The stewards believe he didn't and it's their opinion which carries weight.

The only person who knows "for sure" is Rosberg.

 

[Mephistopheles]

The stewards said he did nothing wrong so he did nothing wrong, doing nothing wrong is not cheating if someone has proof that he did something wrong I suggest they send that proof to the FiA for their consideration...

 

[teabagyokel]

I would also add that Rosberg has a history of cocking up final qualifying laps by pushing too hard.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

I know it's splitting hairs Mephistopheles but to be more precise, the stewards found no evidence of any wrongdoing, rather than having any conclusive proof that he did nothing wrong. A bit like a referee can only give a penalty if he sees the offence. I guess that's why there is still debate about the matter.

 

[Hamberg]

But referees don't have data and footage to base their decisions on. The stewards have reviewed the data and reviewed all footage. They have seen everything we have and much more and came to that conclusion.

So what if the paddock all believe it to be deliberate? What an opportunity to help fuel the fire, destabilise the team and cause the probable next WDC to become paranoid!

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

I'm just trying to make the point Hamberg that there is a difference between proven innocence and not finding evidence of guilt. Maybe my football analogy wasn't the best example; how about court cases where the defendant is found 'not guilty' through insufficient evidence, while everyone believes they are as guilty as hell? I'm not saying that's what happened here, just that it does happen. That uncertainty is what gives rise to debate, claim and counter-claim, conspiracy theories, etc.

 

[Slyboogy]

People are quick to point out that Hamilton was faster when the yellow flags impeded him, what if Rosberg went faster on his lap without making a mistake?

 

[Mezzer]

Then that would have been absolutely fine, would it not? Personally, I'm not sure if Rosberg did or did not go off deliberately, what I question is what guidelines the drivers were given in the case that they did, i.e. were they instructed to stay where they were so as not to impede the rest of the session?

 

[Road of Bones]

Here's a thought - how long does it take to recover a stationary car back to the pits from Mirabeau? Perhaps Nico was merely trying to make sure he made it back to the pits under his own steam, without sitting with the engine running for 5mins while the track cleared sufficiently for him to reverse out - that option would have risked damaging the PU and compromising the rest of his weekend, and the fact that he accidentally stitched-up his main rival was just a happy coincidence...

 

[siffert_fan]

But if the yellow flag was already out, what was there to impede?

 

[Mezzer]

I suppose my question is, recognizing the limitations on space at Monaco, how could it have been better handled than it was, then and for the future? Rosberg was off course, was there really an immediate need to bring out the yellows? Could in future the run off be longer (safer) and thereby allow other qualifying/racing to continue?

 

[Mephistopheles]

Nico Klinsmann?

 

[teabagyokel]

Mezzer - Looking at that street on Google maps, I'd say they're pretty much at the limit unless they want to go over cobbled streets.

 

[Jen]

OK, let's put Nico on the rack and see if he confesses. Or we could use the ducking stool - if he survives, he is guilty; if he doesn't who gives a toss, he was justly drowned.

Oh, and let's not forget the worthies (witches) who know better than the sainted ones!

Whether one likes it or not, the stewards found him not guilty!

 

[The Artist.....]

Mind... The stewards also saw nothing untoward in Singapore 2008..... However, I would like to see a line drawn under this; the stewards are the ultimate arbiters in a race weekend...