F1 2015 Bahrain GP Thread - Spoilers of Practice/Qualifying & Race

by Fernando Thu 16 Apr 2015, 8:16 pm

Last year Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton held spectators spellbound as they duelled in what was the first night-time race in Bahrain. In the end, it was Rosberg who lost out - so what better place for him to avenge that defeat and also record his first victory of 2015?

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W05 and Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 W05 battle. Formula One World Championship, Rd3, Bahrain Grand Prix, Race, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday 6 April 2014. © Sutton Motorsport Images
There are new elements in play this year of course. The tension in the Mercedes camp is notably higher than it was heading into Bahrain last year. And Ferrari are markedly closer. We can expect the red cars to present another strong challenge to the Silver Arrows in the heat of Bahrain. What we don't know yet is how strong that challenge will be.

Vettel, who like Rosberg and Hamilton has been on the podium in every race so far this season, was sixth in last year's desert epic. All the attention was focused at the front however.

The safety car made a rare appearance courtesy of Lotus's Pastor Maldonado tipping Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez on to this head with 10 laps to run, which put Rosberg, running the soft tyre for his final stint, right onto the tail of the medium-shod Hamilton. The Briton had to mount several robust defences, but clung on to take the narrowest of victories.

"Of course, everyone remembers the race last year and it would be great for the fans if we can put on another great show for them this time," Rosberg says. "If we can do that but with the two top steps in a different order it would be fantastic!

"China was a frustrating weekend for me and I'm glad we have another race right away to get straight back to work. I know I just need to find a little bit more in myself to get back to the top step. I've never won in Bahrain but I've taken the last two pole positions here and also set the fastest lap at this circuit on my Formula One debut, so I know I have the pace.

"It won't be so easy with the competition breathing down our necks. But that makes for even more exciting racing, so I'm looking forward to a great battle and I'm determined to come out on top."

Hamilton, however, is buzzing after his triumph in China.

"It's been a great start - but for me last season showed that you can never feel too comfortable and that's even more the case this time around with Ferrari right there with us.

"I don't actually have the best record in Bahrain compared to other circuits. Last year was my first win here and it was definitely one I'll remember after a great fight with Nico. That's what I love about racing and it's a special feeling to come out on top in a battle like that. I'm in a good place right now. The momentum is with me, so the target is to carry that on and hopefully repeat last year's performance."

Vettel, too, is in a much better place than he was this time last year.

"We have made a great start to the year and the win in Malaysia was wonderful," the Ferrari driver says. "We've taken a podium in each of the three races so far this year, so we are on the right track, and we just need to keep putting the pressure on Mercedes to see what happens next."

Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile, had his best race of the season in China, and has an excellent record in Bahrain. The Finn has taken six podiums here, more than any other driver - with his 2006 fightback a particular highlight, when he finished third for McLaren after starting from 22nd due to suspension failure in qualifying. Yet to claim a podium in his second spell with Ferrari, this weekend could be the perfect ground to make the breakthrough.

The 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit is always very dusty and slippery early on but improves quite dramatically as it rubbers in. It requires plenty of downforce and good torque to accelerate the cars out of the tight corners. It's also heavy on the brakes and the rear tyres, and the most marginal on the calendar on fuel with 1.8 kg consumed per lap.

The need for medium to high downforce should favour Mercedes, as might the acceleration and fuel factors, but the higher temperatures may play to Ferrari's strengths even though it will once again be a night race. The SF15-T's excellent front end will doubtless be a strong asset too.

It's thus difficult to call right now whether the two will go head-to-head the way they did in Malaysia, or whether Mercedes will retain the upper hand they enjoyed in China.

It's equally tricky to call who will lead the charge for the lower points-paying positions. While Williams seem to have a firm claim to be the third best team at present, it's incredibly close behind with Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Sauber all in the mix.

Of that quartet is it Sauber who currently lead the way, their cause helped by another double points score in China - although Marcus Ericsson's 10th place owed much to the late heartbreak suffered by teenage sensation Max Verstappen. Lotus too could have scored with both men - while Romain Grosjean claimed the team's first points of the year with a strong seventh, team mate Pastor Maldonado scuppered his own hopes by running far too deep into the pit entry at mid-distance.

With so little to choose between the teams in terms of raw performance, tyre management could be decisive. Though 54 percent of the lap is run at full throttle, nearly 80 percent is spent cornering, which works the tyres extremely hard. And the track has the highest degree of asphalt roughness seen in all of the season's races, to the detriment of the tyres' thermal degradation.

To cope with such demands, Pirelli have brought their P Zero white-marked medium and yellow-marked soft tyres to this race. "We have the same tyre choice as we did in China, although there will obviously be a bit more temperature involved," motorsport director Paul Hembery explains. "However, with the race taking place in the evening, conditions won't be as aggressive as they were in Malaysia - or even Bahrain two years ago, when the race was still run during the day.

"A defining characteristic of Bahrain now is that tyre performance changes over the course of the weekend as we slowly edge towards afternoon sessions. Last year's Bahrain Grand Prix had a thrilling finish because of the safety car with 10 laps to go, leading to a great battle between the two Mercedes team-mates. It's harder to know what to expect this year - apart from the fact that it's very unlikely to rain!"

In terms of strategy, Pirelli are expecting a two-stop race, similar to last year's race. The same two DRS zones will also be in operation. The first has a detection point on the exit of Turn 9, with activation on the back straight between Turns 10 and 11. The second is activated on the main straight and the run down to Turn 1, with the detection point located just before Turn 14.

The weather is forecast to be around 33 degrees Celsius on Friday, but slightly cloudier and therefore cooler on Saturday and Sunday, at 29 and 28 degrees C respectively. By race time on Sunday, ambient temperatures are expected to fall to around 25.

The race will start at 1800 local time (1600 BST) and will run over 57 laps.

by Jermaine2015 Thu 16 Apr 2015, 9:14 pm

If the red cars aren't closer to the silver cars, Lewis Hamilton will once again pummel cry baby Nico Rosberg into the dust. Nico isn't man enough to mix it with the better drivers.

by Fernando Thu 16 Apr 2015, 9:19 pm

Well it was a 2-3 stop last year so could bring Ferrari into it...

by dyrewolfe Fri 17 Apr 2015, 12:56 pm

Well the Ferraris seem to like hot conditions - or at least they look after their tyres better in more extreme conditions.

If Mercedes do end up having tyre issues, I wouldn't bet against Vettel bagging his 2nd win. Maybe Kimi could get on the podium too?

This race probably represents Nico's best chance at getting one over on Lewis, so far. If he can't do it here, his chances of mounting a serious title challenge are probably over.

by dyrewolfe Fri 17 Apr 2015, 12:58 pm

Jermaine2015 wrote:If the red cars aren't closer to the silver cars, Lewis Hamilton will once again pummel cry baby Nico Rosberg into the dust. Nico isn't man enough to mix it with the better drivers.

Poor quality trolling... 1/10 - and thats being generous! raspberry

by Guest Fri 17 Apr 2015, 1:15 pm

dyrewolfe, seeing as it's a night race, the temps won't be like they (54 degrees track temp) in this pointless day FP1 session. Mercedes not even bothering in this session. If it was a day race, in that temp & with these traction zones, then Mercedes would of been in trouble. Still see it as a two stop race, with Mercedes controlling it, similar to China. I think we are going to see repeats of this 'Mercedes controlling & management' of races, as they dont have the luxury of an advantage anymore to destroy their tyres at will & get away with it.

by Guest Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:11 pm

dyrewolfe wrote:If Mercedes do end up having tyre issues, I wouldn't bet against Vettel bagging his 2nd win.

Got a feeling this could another cracker in Bahrain, Ferrari looked very, very good on long runs. Yes, Mercedes have the near second gap on the quicker tyre, however, with this being about rear tyre deg, unlike China, I can see Mercedes having again to manage this race to a two stop. Ferrari also quickest in the speed traps. This could be a thriller.

by Guest Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:49 pm

Yeah, over one lap, Mercedes still dominant to half a second +, but the long runs were telling. Both Mercedes drivers worried in the post practice interviews. In FP2 during the long runs, Vettel was on average 0.6 secs a lap faster than Rosberg when they were both running the 'soft' tyre, which will be the main one used in the race.

by Guest Sat 18 Apr 2015, 11:00 am

Lot of talk about Hamilton now playing the waiting game on this Mercedes contract, thinking ferrari's upward curve of competitiveness will peak next season. From what we're seeing & if it was generally available, it could be a smart decision, seeing as timing is everything in this sport. Vettel has no.1 status, Hamilton says he's never demanded no.1 status & will race whatever the circumstances & will rely solely on his ability. Even Bernie has piped up this morning stating Hamilton at Ferrari would be good for the sport next season. Who knows why this contract is stalling, however if Hamilton see's a red car passing him this weekend & taking the chequered flag, I doubt Lewis will be reaching for the pen anytime soon on that Mercedes contract. I mean, winning a championship at three different teams is quite an achievement to have on your C.V.

by Guest Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:03 pm

Cracking qualifying

Hamilton pole, followed by Vettel, Rosberg & Kimi. Should be a cracker tomorrow

by mystiroakey Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:04 pm

Rosberg 3rd . Ouch.

Great pole from Lewis. 4 on the spin for the season

by Fernando Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:06 pm

Being 3rd is fine for Nico considering he'll be on the clean side of the track. Won't be surprised if jumps Seb at the start.

by mystiroakey Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:07 pm

It will still mentally injure the lad.

by CaledonianCraig Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:25 pm

Really pleased to see Ferrari making a good fist of putting up a challenge to Mercedes - it gives an extra dynamic to the race other than Hamilton V Rosberg. Both Vettel and Raikkonen will be pleased with that quali I think. Further back down the grid slightly more promise shown by Red Bull and Ricciardo and McLaren, you feek, are very slowly finding their feet as Alonso got them into Quali 2 for the first time this season and wasn't a million miles away from the top ten, Should be a very interesting race tomorrow.

by GSC Sat 18 Apr 2015, 7:30 pm

Hamilton wont be at Ferrari next season.

by Guest Sat 18 Apr 2015, 9:03 pm

Everyone was writing this season off after Australia, still quite frankly amazed at how competitive this Ferrari is. Not only was it the fastest package in Malaysia (day), it appears it will & has been admitted by Hamilton/Rosberg this weekend, to be the best package for tomorrow's night race. At first it was 'it's just the conditions' for Ferrari's pace, however, as time has gone on, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. THIS IS TURNING INTO A SERIOUS CHAMPIONSHIP. Mercedes are worried, Rosberg has been found out massively, so how long before they start calling the shots & backing Hamilton permanently? Vettel is here & here to stay.......

by Guest Sat 18 Apr 2015, 9:38 pm

Think it's quite clear Ferrari have crossed the divide from being an occasional nuisance to Mercedes, to a more serious & genuine championship challenger. Mercedes are clearly rattled & it's worrying that their second driver appears mentally fried, but also seems to be incapable of staving off the challenge from Ferrari in qualifying already. Without doubt this is now a serious championship unfolding & Ferrari are only going to get stronger, especially when their new upgraded engine package comes for Canada.

As for tomorrow, I see Ferrari being very strong. Hamilton might be needing those defensive karting manoeuvres to stave off the finger & possibly the iceman.

by GSC Sun 19 Apr 2015, 2:47 pm

Basically going to come down to how early Ferrari can get Mercedes to blink on the first stop

by Guest Sun 19 Apr 2015, 3:36 pm

Lol @ Button

by Guest Sun 19 Apr 2015, 5:04 pm

Ferrari just don't have the pace, Vettel making mistakes

by GSC Sun 19 Apr 2015, 5:06 pm

Kimi had good pace on the options. May be Vettels saving grace

by Guest Sun 19 Apr 2015, 5:58 pm

Decent race, not the classic I thought as Ferrari lacked the pace in the first stints. Hamilton controlled with ease again & has opened up quite a lead now in the championship. Cracking drive in the end from Kimi, not so much by Vettel who made numerous errors, probably out of frustration that the supposed race pace just wasn't there. Further woes for Renault power with another blow out.

by CaledonianCraig Sun 19 Apr 2015, 6:04 pm

For me Raikkonen was the driver of the day (not Rosberg as commentators were suggesting). Raikkonen started 4th and finished second whilst Rosberg started 3rd and finished 3rd. Better race in terms of overtaking for Nico but he still ended up losing ground in the title race. Scruffy race from Vettel and further back Alonso 11th nearly getting McLaren their first points of the season. Decent race but not quite as stellar as I thought it could have been.

by mystiroakey Sun 19 Apr 2015, 6:16 pm

who would say rosberg was driver of the day... Are they on crack?

Easy win for Lewis. Rosberg again under pressure making an error.. Bottas did well to hold off vettel.

Raikonen did well but Lewis lost his 5 second advantage over rosberg after the first pit because AGAIN he was in danger from vettel so the lead driver(lewis) has to relinquish his first pit and still couldn't get close enough to threaten and he also didn't have to battle Rosberg for second so also lost no time there.

Lewis driver of the day and and deservedly won.

But Raikkonen did well.

by CaledonianCraig Sun 19 Apr 2015, 6:23 pm

mystiroakey wrote:

Lewis driver of the day and and deservedly won.

But Raikkonen did well.

Lewis did what he had to do but he had the advantage of the best car on pole position and no real challenge so can't really say he was driver of the day. He was rock solid though. Raikkonen gets it for reasons I stated earlier - started 4th and finished 2nd and beating Rosberg in the faster car.

by mystiroakey Sun 19 Apr 2015, 6:27 pm

Nah lewis for me. He wasn't helped out by the no 2 driver on two occasions(had to lose out on first pit and then raikkonen wasn't held up later in the race because rosberg lost it and feel of the track under pressure) yet still won by a canter. Ferrari were insanely fast today. do not think they were not because vettel was scrapy and had an extra pit due to damaging his nose.

Raikkonen got 2nd because

1. ferrari was fast
2. rosberg had a mare
3. vettel had a mare

by CaledonianCraig Sun 19 Apr 2015, 6:45 pm

mystiroakey wrote:Nah lewis for me. He wasn't helped out by the no 2 driver on two occasions(had to lose out on first pit and then raikkonen wasn't held up later in the race because rosberg lost it and feel of the track under pressure) yet still won by a canter. Ferrari were insanely fast today. do not think they were not because vettel was scrapy and had an extra pit due to damaging his nose.

Raikkonen got 2nd because

1. ferrari was fast
2. rosberg had a mare
3. vettel had a mare

We will agree to disagree. thumbsup

by mystiroakey Sun 19 Apr 2015, 7:13 pm

Its allways tough to award a pole winner as driver of the day- and we rarely do because they have the advantage- but the reality is they cannot beat first place.

What i liked about hamiltons race was that he got a 5 second lead- which then ended up being a .6 second lead due to rosberg taking the first pit stop(which isn't really on) , and then built it back up to another 5 second lead.

I think ferraris strategy for Kimi was bang on the money and that car was so fast on the mediums- In full race conditions there isn't much in these 2 cars. And as i said i feel like he was gifted 2nd spot.

BUt I am happy for anyone to say Kimi or Lewis had the best race. Both are valid enough.

But anyone saying rosberg had the best race is blinded by something or just blind drunk.

by Gregers Sun 19 Apr 2015, 10:31 pm

How was Lewis driver of the day? Kimi arguably would have won the race had he come in for new tyres a couple of laps earlier

Either way outside of the final 8 laps or so it was another snooze fest of a race today

by CaledonianCraig Sun 19 Apr 2015, 10:42 pm

Gregers wrote:How was Lewis driver of the day? Kimi arguably would have won the race had he come in for new tyres a couple of laps earlier

Agreed.

Before the race Hamilton was the warm favourite and expected by most to win so all he did was what was expected of him and wasn't as if he had to pass anyone either. On the other hand you would have got better odds against Kimi finishing second and he pulled it off and for those saying Ferrari were in great shape today I'd disagree as Vettel couldn't get past Bottas at the end.

by Guest Sun 19 Apr 2015, 10:44 pm

It's not even important who the driver of the day was.

As for the 'Kimi would of won the race pitting earlier claim', that can't be said for certain & it was agreed by the pundits. Lewis had more in his pocket in my opinion, like in China. You feel Lewis can just push & extend his advantage when someone challenges, his tyres were fresher in clean air & Kimi's were being punished closing the gap, aided by Nico's brake by wire issue

Interesting season ahead, just feel this is still one year too early for Ferrari to mount a sustained challenge. Can see Ferrari nicking regular points off Rosberg, but in this form & mood, Hamilton just seems to be controlling everything with ease.

by mystiroakey Sun 19 Apr 2015, 11:30 pm

I think people underestimate winning from pole.

You can't do better than staying ahead the whole way through and winning. That can not be bettered.

Kimi was good, but aided by vettels extra pit and rosbergs melt under pressure or break wire failure(who knows which one it was)

Vettel couldn't get past bottas. But bottas is a top driver, Williams has a great engine and he run softs on the last stint compared to vettels mediums, and vettel just had a mare all race, he just wasn't on it, his set up couldn't have been perfect for him.

posters saying kimi would have past Lewis if the race was longer are grasping at straws. He was on softs and they could have gone at any point after the race finished. Lewis is also a top draw defender. And he has been tyre managing this season like no other season before, so he had more in the tank if needed. If the race was longer and LH knew he was under threat , he would have reacted to that potential threat ..

Lewis seems a different driver this year. Last season it was all about pure racing. He never winged if rosberg pushed him back and drove slow. He drove right up to his gear box at the cost of his tyres and took him more than most. On many occasions Lewis's tyres were shot race end but he still kept rosberg at bay.

He is now grabbing poles for fun and has made that count on 3 of 4 occasions .. Strategy was as much to blame as anything else in the race he lost.

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 8:35 am

I like to think my postings are consistent and fair so I must say I feel these wins/pole positions are no different at all from when Seb Vettel ruled the roost and a lot of posters on here (including me I'd say) failed to gush out the praise or at least be amazed or impressed by driving skills on show. Therefore, the same applies here for me I am afraid. I judge race drivers on winning in adverse conditions where they don't have the best car (and Lewis does) or have many overtaking to do (which Lewis didn't).

It was weird as I watched yesterday as it was like watching Seb in a Red Bull leading and Seb chucking his car around and damaging in it his quest to wring as much as he could out of a car not the fastest car on the grid and it was like watching Lewis from a couple of years back when he was in exactly the same situation. It just shows what these situations do to both of those drivers.

by mystiroakey Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:38 am

No you are just gushing over Kimi who was gifted 2nd place.

As i said though you can give driver of the day to Kimi or lewis - it doesnt matter- I would only give driver of the day to someone other than the winner that did something very good. In this casr Kimi started 4th and got second due to the two in front of him making errors.

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:42 am

Gushing? If that is the case then you are equally gushing over Lewis Hamilton. And sorry if I am not wetting my pants over Lewis basically doing what Vettel was doing whilst at Red Bull - basically it is a carbon copy situation.

by mystiroakey Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:45 am

No i am not- Lewis couldn't do anything more. and kimi was gifted 2nd. give the drive of the day to who ever you want- As I said i dont care. But I am very consistant and you say you are~(you will not give drive of the day to the winner under almost any circumstance if they are on pole).

Unless someone does something really special the drive of the day goes to the winner for me- especially if he controls it the way Lewis did.

And please I really do not want you to wet your pants over anyone.

by Guest Mon 20 Apr 2015, 11:24 am

In my opinion Lewis is having to work considerably less than this time last year, Nico has regressed & the Merc is still gaping the Ferrari in both qualifying & race trim. Is this similar to Vettel at RB, pretty much. As a fan of Lewis, it's great seeing him win, although I'd much prefer to see him tested & battling for wins, that's where the excitement is.

If form continues like this, I see Hamilton strolling to this title. Ferrari's engine upgrade comes in Canada, so we will see how that affects the dynamic.

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 12:14 pm

John wrote:In my opinion Lewis is having to work considerably less than this time last year, Nico has regressed & the Merc is still gaping the Ferrari in both qualifying & race trim. Is this similar to Vettel at RB, pretty much. As a fan of Lewis, it's great seeing him win, although I'd much prefer to see him tested & battling for wins, that's where the excitement is.

If form continues like this, I see Hamilton strolling to this title. Ferrari's engine upgrade comes in Canada, so we will see how that affects the dynamic.

Spot on John. thumbsup

It strikes me as gross double standards for people to milk Hamilton's wins now and heap praise on him when Vettel got stick for doing exactly the same - winning titles in a car far above the others. In essence all he is proving at the moment is that he is a better driver than Rosberg. I give much more kudos to drivers winning in a bitch of a car or competing against the odds. Sure this is not Lewis's fault but neither was it Seb's fault either and this comes from someone who has been critical of Seb in the past.

by mystiroakey Mon 20 Apr 2015, 12:23 pm

Who is milking hamiltons wins that was also giving seb stick?

are you reading stuff that isn't being posted.

John saying he doesn't have to work as hard isnt a negative- its a plus- he is controlling races, but ultimately it boils down to him being 25 pts down from the first race last year due to no fault of his own.

However the plus is that the second place team is so much better this year than last.

last year the Mercs were much more dominant.

However Kimi did nothing amazing yesterday, he just raced well and took advantage of the two in front of him's mistakes.

The ferrarios look good and I hope they can close the gap even more- Because we dont want every race to be like this- LH needs some challenge and I cant see how rosberg is going to do this. Lewis isn't proving today he is better than rosberg- he has proved that all his life.

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 1:02 pm

My point was in my consistency here. I know that when Seb ruled the roost I refused to be overcome with excitement by the state of affairs in F1 and what Seb was proving. He had the best car and the comfortable beating of his team-mate so I couldn't accept stuff being chucked around that he was one of the best drivers of all-time. Well now we are in an identical position with Lewis in the best car on the grid and he comfortably has the beating of his team-mate so I am not going to lavish praise gor doing no more than what I'd expect from him.

I suppose that is why, pre-race weekend I was musing that it would be great to see Hamilton at Ferrari. That would be the daddy contest of them all - a fight to the bitter end to find out who is the best driver of the current generation as for me winning in a car far superior to others is hardly proof of very much.

by dyrewolfe Mon 20 Apr 2015, 2:33 pm

Disappointed Ferrari couldn't mount more of a challenge, until the latter stages of the race. The decision to put Kimi on soft tyres for the last stint was a good bit of strategy...puzzled why the didn't do the same for Seb. He may have found a way past Bottas on softs.

Best thing for meabout the race was seeing Rosberg looking positively Hamilton-esque, after losing places at the start and during the pit stops, passing Kimi twice and doing a hat-trick on Vettel. he actually looked like a properly aggressive racing driver, rather than someone just racing to a strategy.

Shame about the brake-by-wire glitch that gave both Mercs problems at the end. Didn't hurt Hamilton, but couldn't have come at a worse time for Nico, with Kimi breathing down his neck. Hope he'll take the positives from that drive and try to continue with that mind-set.

Great drive by Bottas to keep Vettel behind him...probably helped to have that Mercedes power to pull away on the straights, after Vettel was all over him in the corners. Only needed 1 mistake though.

Shout out to Ricciardo for salvaging something for Red Bull with 6th place in a car that is way off the pace.

Overall, a fairly watchable race, but the glaring deficiencies in performance are still evident and a lot of teams have some serious catching up to do if this season is not to turn into another stroll for Hamilton and Mercedes.

by Guest Mon 20 Apr 2015, 3:54 pm

dyrewolfe wrote:Rosberg looking positively Hamilton-esque, after losing places at the start and during the pit stops, passing Kimi twice and doing a hat-trick on Vettel. he actually looked like a properly aggressive racing driver, rather than someone just racing to a strategy.

Shout out to Ricciardo for salvaging something for Red Bull with 6th place in a car that is way off the pace.

It's actually quite easy to look Hamilton-eque, when overtaking cars you're more competitive than & shouldn't be behind in the first place. The most important point is, Rosberg can do it on the inferior red cars, he can't do it on Hamilton & that's all that counts.

As for Ricciardo, it just shows how embarrassingly bad Renault have become & these ridiculous rules, that as a consequence of Bahrain, that in Barcelona, he will be almost certainly be racing his fourth & final engine of the season.

by rycoys Mon 20 Apr 2015, 8:39 pm

To say nico can't do it on Lewis is a bit harsh . He was unlucky in the 1st corner and again it gave lewis to much of a headstart, nico did brilliantly to get past vettel 3 times it isn't just the superior car. As soon as nico gets nailing poles he's luck will change Lewis is just too good to give him any advantage. Nico proved he's a class driver hes Been low on confidence.

by Guest Mon 20 Apr 2015, 8:59 pm

rycoys wrote:To say nico can't do it on Lewis is a bit harsh.

Harsh? It's basically fact, he's only had 23 races to prove it & still hasn't made a successful & completed move on Lewis.

by rycoys Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:22 pm

How many times has Lewis done it when not on pole? All im saying its fine margines that Lewis has found particularly this season, nico is still a class driver and gets unfairly criticised imo especially by lewis lovers.

by GSC Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:37 pm

Nico is mentally broken, he isn't coming back.

To be fair, no one on this board is as bad as DC, who seems to have a personal shrine to Hamilton set up at home

by Jermaine2015 Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:39 pm

dyrewolfe wrote:
Jermaine2015 wrote:If the red cars aren't closer to the silver cars, Lewis Hamilton will once again pummel cry baby Nico Rosberg into the dust. Nico isn't man enough to mix it with the better drivers.

Poor quality trolling... 1/10 - and thats being generous!

I'm guessing you've never read any of my previous posts regarding Nico Rosberg? I don't consider him to be a true German. But you feel free to continue with your 'troling'...

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:43 pm

The real truth of the matter is that Nico is just too conservative and not aggressive enough. He's not a driver who wrings the neck of his car for that extra tenth of speed so to speak. Remember he has been at Mercedes the longer time so he should have had a bit of an advantage of the car over Hamilton but obviously not. In the world of F1 some drivers are born racers with that win at all cost mentality when racing at the head of the field - the champions have that mentality but Nico doesn't. Now I am not knocking him as such. He is a top quality driver but not champion material. He has had (after this year) two seasons in a car that is the fastest on the grid and he looks to be about to finish last in a two horse race again. If he can't win the title in the current circumstances then it ain't gonna happen at all barring bizarre circumstances such as Hamilton having a run of DNF's or Hamilton have a massive crash and missing a gew races in the season due to injury (perish the thought).

by rycoys Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:48 pm

Nico has to take positives from this wk end and just needs a bit of luck to get back to nailing poles, I think it's a cop out to say any success is because of having the best car. Vettel in theory has the 3rd best car but was poor, doesn't change tge fact hes a class driver. Nico did vettel 3 times and it was better the whole race.

by CaledonianCraig Mon 20 Apr 2015, 9:53 pm

Nico can't take any positives though. He has said a number of times that he hates getting beaten by Hamilton - well it happened again and whats more he finished 3rd and this in a race where people were proclaiming it as a better weekend for him. Bizarre. Shocked

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