Gust of wind caused race-losing error – Rosberg

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In the round-up: Nico Rosberg says a gust of wind caused the error which cost him victory in the United States Grand Prix.

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Comment of the day

Do Mercedes have an incentive to keep racing?
This is just genius:

Surely Mercedes would be better off simply double-DNFing the next three races.

They’ve already won both championships, and the entry fee for a season is a flat rate plus a figure based on the number of points scored in the previous season. I don’t believe the prize money is based on points, rather it’s just the finishing position in the constructors, but am happy to be proven wrong.

So, given Mercedes dominance, they could reasonably expect a one-two in the next three races. So that’s 43 points per race, or 129 points total. This year, on top of the basic entry fee, they had to pay $6,194 per point. So scoring an additional 129 points equates to an increase in their entry fee of $799,026.

OK for Mercedes that’s probably peanuts, but still, I’d rather make the saving. They may as well race, and then just peel off into the pits on the last lap!
Chris (@Cdavman)

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Former F1 driver Christian Fittipaldi won the 2000 CART IndyCar season finale at Fontana. The race ended in drama as leader Alex Tagliani crashed out with two laps to go due to a blown engine. Gil de Ferran, who had set pole position with a record average speed of 241.428mph (388.541kph), clinched the championship. De Ferran went on to become sporting director for BAR-Honda in the mid-2000s:

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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92 comments on “Gust of wind caused race-losing error – Rosberg”

  1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    30th October 2015, 0:08

    So Montoya not only knocks people on the track, but out of it as well!!!

  2. Wow, I bet he had to thumb through an awful lot of pages in the book of racing driver excuses to find that one…

    1. Not really. There have been a few wind incidents in different sessions this year. It makes sense to me.

    2. I think Toto just asked the engineers to look at it and they found the reason @bradley13. Doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me that wind was involved either and it helps explain how he lost control.

    3. You mean like the Alonso one earlier in pre-season?

    4. Poor Nico, bad gust of wind and then having no where for the smell to go afterwards

      1. Yes….some youngsters have a very bad time with the wind, don’t they ? Gives them a lot of discomfort
        and then you have to change their underwear….still, not to worry, in any one of his six languages
        I’m sure young Rosberg will grow up big and strong with only the occasional burp ……

    5. It’s quite unfair to say that and the title of Motorsports’ article is misleading. He clearly says that it’s not an excuse and it’s still his mistake. So I don’t agree with ‘Rosberg *blames* the wind’, as he is merely telling what caused his mistake.

      Making a mistake doesn’t mean it can’t be caused by something.

    6. Maybe he had to do that ‘raising a cheek’ thing because he suddenly needed to do a trouser burp. It happens to me sometimes. The distraction this causes is quite scary when I’m approaching the lights near Sainsbury’s. I can only imagine this is vastly exaggerated when you’re leading a GP.

      … or the engineers looked over the data and found only one thing it could be to try and save a little face. Yes, I’m sure that sudden gusts have caught drivers out already this season, but I just can’t see it being the main contributing factor on this occasion.

      He made a mistake. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making the odd mistake at this level. He admits it himself. He should have just left it at that and dispensed with this wind thing. Even if it was an illusive, extremely localised, gust of wind that didn’t seem to catch anyone else out, or effect them in anyway, he should go into the press pen, with his head held high and his chest puffed out and say “whoops”. This wind excuse all sounds a bit daft, he alludes to it himself.

      Imagine how daft it will sound in ten years time – without context.

      Jarno Trulli springs to mind…

  3. i noticed today that the start/finish straight gets quite narrow towards the end & now has a weird little 2-bend in it where it narrows?

    did not see this in any of the maps or simulated laps???
    http://s7.postimg.org/vaifpas17/Mexico.jpg

    1. Shame, I quite liked the idea of an actually straight 1.2km straight, instead of these Tilke-straights that always have some little features in them.

      1. I’d say the opposite. tilke-straights are usually the same width and dead straight. It’s nice to have little kinks or width changes in them. In mexico, was it there before or not?

        1. @sato113 Straights in Au Dhabi and Cota aren’t straight either.

  4. It was gust of wind, a big one. I’m serious! But everybody has it, and so you can’t really use it as an excuse

    OK Nico, fair enough, those Texan refried beans can have that effect. Just lay off the chili con carne in Mexico though.

    1. :) FCOTD (Funny Comment of the Day) +1

    2. Oh I hope so. The food in Mexico can sometimes be more hazardous than the race. The food in Mexico is so potent, that it is often known to cause considerable diarrhea. He may come down with Montezuma’s Revenge (massive diarrhea)- I’ve heard that is what happened to Mansell in 1987- and once he got there and did his business, he found that someone had stolen the toilet paper- and the culprit was none other than his teammate at the time Nelson Piquet!

  5. it is not so easy when you have someone like me in your mirrors.

    I think that is very arrogant to be honest. I accept that he is a triple world champion but to say “someone like me”, as if above everyone else, is blowing your own trumpet too much surely? I insist I don’t have anything against Hamilton but it does frustrate me when he lets himself down by saying this kind of thing.

    Bernie does, for a change, make a good point about the promotion of the race. He is wrong to say it isn’t at all about money, because a lot of it is, but it is clear the approach the promoters have taken has been incredibly effective, and could be replicated elsewhere.

    As for the MotoGP accident, if Rossi’s penalty isn’t cancelled then I am absolutely never giving that sport a tiny portion of attention again. It’s a disgrace.

    1. I like Hamilton being a little cocky. So many athletes today just toe the corporate line and do not show any flair, its a nice change of pace.

      I completely agree on Rossi, I was so excited all year but have no problem completely ignoring the final if the penalty is upheld.

      1. @clustr1
        I agree, some of the most popular sportsmen were very cocky.
        One of my all time favourites even had the balls to declare “I am the greatest!”
        And “My only fault is that I don’t realise how great I am.”
        And one of my favourite quotes “You know I’m bad. just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”

        It’s all part if the fun, and at least Lewis actually says something instead of regurgitating the corporate spiel.

        1. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful

          1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
            30th October 2015, 6:28

            Maybe it’s Maybelline

    2. @strontium Lewis’ comment comes under the same category as his “I’m the worst team-mate you can have” statement in his post-race interview with BBC. Do these quotes show arrogance? It’s a pretty strong accusation, eliciting a level of misplaced confidence in one’s importance and abilities. On the contrary, I think Lewis is simply demonstrating justifiable confidence and pride. And I can’t quite understand how he is “letting himself down” here, as if he should care that his attitude and views aren’t approved by everyone. Should he change his way of thinking to pander to the masses? Absolutely not. That’s what makes him a champion, and a refreshingly open and honest champion at that.

    3. @strontium
      Bernie simply wants state funding for all GP’s, he believes that governments should pay for the privilage of having F1 visit their countries, and that he should always get paid, even when the circuits and events lose money.
      Like many other extreme Capitalists, he’s a firm believer in corporate welfare.

      1. @beneboy, I think the MexGPs greatest tactic was closing down for 20 years, I reckon Bernie’s right, if all countries did that they would likely draw a big crowd the 1st. year back.

        1. pretty much this @hohum, @beneboy. First year crowds are quite often significantly higher than what you get in the second year and thereafter.

          And its funny to hear Bernie saying how great everything is, but the new media centre not having windows is a bad one (although I wouldn’t be surprised if on Bernies wish – the newer tracks all seem to have that) and seeing how many of the pundits and even drivers already struggle with traffic and parking even before the weekend gets going also doesn’t sound like a great endorsement to me.

    4. I prefer to head his tone before saying anything.
      It sounds funny. And he plays the humble guy for much of the time to simply become randomly arrogant like that.

      But whatever.

    5. As arrogant as a statement like that is, Hamilton and Rossi can both very much back up a statement like that.

    6. Sure enough it does come off as a bit arrogant. Then again, it is true that its hard to be a teammate to a driver that is as good as Hamilton is, especially when he is on a good run.

    7. If (assuming football knowledge, so ignore me if you don’t have it) Lionel Messi said “defenders don’t like me running at them”, would it be ‘very arrogant’… or just a guy who’s good at dribbling speaking the truth?

      False modesty is far worse than justified self-confidence.

    8. Some may like him, some may hate him but you can’t ignore him.

    9. I think most of the top sports people have an aire of arrogance to them, be it F1, Football, etc. Hamilton does come across as arrogant at times, but I think a lot of it seems to be down to ‘turn of phrase’ rather than intentionally trying to be crass. Hamilton also wears his heart on his sleeve and reveals personal things that most other on the grid wouldn’t, an example would be around ‘the handing of the baton’ from Senna to him. I don’t believe he’s trying to put himself on the same peddle-stool of the ‘legend’ Senna, but rather conceding that his idol had his career cut short and thus we never got to see the full impact, records and history he could set in the sport.

    10. For you to be good at something, you have to believe in yourself. Hamilton is at the top of his game at the moment. Proof? He wins races and championships. What should he say? This attitude that everyone should be humble and lie about their talents just to please losers achieves nothing. Live for the moment Lewis, you are a champion no matter how much it upsets others.

    11. As for the MotoGP accident, if Rossi’s penalty isn’t cancelled then I am absolutely never giving that sport a tiny portion of attention again. It’s a disgrace.

      @strontium Wow. You’re right, we should indeed make it completely acceptable riders kicking each other.

      1. That’s the first time I saw the Rossi incident. He clearly deliberately knocked him with his knee.

      2. @xtwl @lewisco Marquez pushed his head into Rossi’s knee, Rossi nudged him away. That’s completely justified.

        1. Fair enough, I don’t watch MotoGP so maybe its OK.

        2. @strontium, @uan I’m not starting this over again as the evidence is pretty clear, as are the stewards their notes and the FIM director his letter. For those who keep thinking Marquez rammed his head into Rossi, perhaps should they should take a look at how you take that corner normally and how Rossi took it to drive Marquez wide. The latter just accelerated like normally where Rossi didn’t.

          1. @xtwl

            you should have added @sebatianvettel to your reply – apparently he’s weighed in as siding with Rossi.

          2. @xtwl Rossi drove Marquez wide but it doesn’t take a genius to realise that you cannot accelerate into another bike

      3. @xtwl

        “You’re right, we should indeed make it completely acceptable riders kicking each other.”

        That’s one way to look at it. There was no “kicking”, and riders shouldn’t just be able to drive their head and shoulders into the inside rider (just as dangerous). Marquez wouldn’t have gone down if he wasn’t actually touching Rossi. Also, the reaction was rather mild and it’s hard to say if it was intentional or reactive.

    12. Fudge Ahmed (@)
      30th October 2015, 14:09

      Disagree. Great to see a driver with his own style and the balls to be cocky to the press as well as back it up on track. Same goes for Alonso.

    13. Hamilton kind of earned the right to say it I think. It seems true.

      What do you think the reaction on here would be if it were Vettel saying this though?

      1. Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso are the only three drivers who should be able to drop the “someone like me” comment without criticism. I’d love to have heard young Max Verstappen say it though. He might be able to justify such an attitude too.

    14. …someone like me in their mirrors…

      At first glance, this appears to be an unbelievably arrogant thing to say. He said “it’s not easy being my team mate”, or something similar recently. It’s cringe worthy. But, after a giving it a little thought. I’m not sure that it’s intended to be taken literally. Maybe it’s just all part of doing the job of totally destroying your team mate’s moral.

    15. Well, out it this way: Hamilton’s provocation of Rosberg had the effect of Rosberg promising it would act as motivation. So even if you’re a bit squeamish about people saying what they think, it may well at least improve the competitiveness. Really I think Hamilton’s just bored of Rosberg as a competitor, it’s too easy, which is why he talks of battling with Vettel. Arrogant or just plain realistic?

      1. *put (it this way)

  6. Do you think Nico Rosberg will be inspired by Hamilton’s ‘you can do it too’ message? Or will he be the counterpoint, ‘just because you try doesn’t mean you’ll succeed.’

    1. ‘You can do it too’…. I love the locic hey. It sounds all great and inspirational, but its kind of like when someone says ‘how do I look’ and you reply ‘great’ without even thinking about it purely because it is the socially correct thing to say. If everyone goes out there and ‘does it’ then there will still only be one winner, and a bunch of others whom, well, ‘couldn’t do it too’ lol. So truthfully you can’t do it if someone else is, and for every 1 happy winner there are many unhappy losers that worked just as hard and dreamed of success just as much as the guy that won, but they didn’t. Sad truth, and why I think certain people aren’t really that genuine at all, just want to be seen to be.

      1. Yup. I’m pretty sure that Mark Webber really wanted to be world champion and tried his best.

        The real message is: you could do it too, but you probably won’t.

        1. I’m pretty sure that Mark Webber really wanted to be world champion and tried his best.

          @selbbin He was closer than Rosberg in 2010 and is very close in 2015 albeit not in F1.

          1. Exactly. He stated a few times that he really, really wanted to be the driver’s champ, and 2010 was his only realistic shot. He had the skills, the dedication and the opportunity, but still couldn’t cross the line. A great example of wanting, working, believing and earning, but not achieving.

    2. nothings going to change.the questions being asked about nico this season,are the same that were asked last season.

    3. I think it will certainly motivate him to make it a dominant win here

      1. But I doubt that message was anything other than Hamilton telling Rosberg he doesn’t have what it takes. And that is what might really motivate Rosberg – that Hamilton felt the need to rub it in, as we could take it as an endorsement that he feels the need to do so

    4. Lol @selbbin, perhaps it depends how far Toto has been able to dilute Rosberg’s emotions? :)

  7. Rosberg and Alonso were the two drivers to look forward to this season. Rosberg if he can match up to Hamilton and give us a fight for the championship and how the McHonda move shapes up for Alonso.
    Ironically, both their seasons got derailed thanks to a “gust of wind”, remember testing in March.

  8. I’m going to assume cotd is speaking tongue in cheek. Surely the negative marketing impact of dnf’ing intentionally in the final 3 markets of the season not to mention around the world would far outweigh the 800 grand.

    1. Fudge Ahmed (@)
      30th October 2015, 14:17

      I thought the same. How on earth is that COTD.

      It’s like all the people saying Rosberg could let Vettel through to keep the championship alive… on what planet would that ever happen unless a driver was acrimoniously about to retire or switch teams.

      1. COTD isn’t saying that Mercedes should do it, just that it’s weird. I think Keith (or whoever choosed the COTD) wanted to show how absurd some rules are.

  9. Although I think Lewis has the spots (the sequence of moves in pro-wrestling) wrong, he actually delivers a really good dive crossing body!

  10. I’m guessing the COTD isn’t serious, but it is an interesting thought. IIRC, there are X amount of GP you can miss a year before you forfeit any money you may have earned, hence the dramas with Marussia/Manor and Caterham last year.

    On another note, if you want to take it further, it isn’t just entry fees, but accommodation, travel, and freight costs that would be saved, not to mention wear and tear costs of the vehicles…

  11. I agree with Keith, COTD is genius!

    1. I think it misses the point. For Mercedes F1 it isn’t about being cost-efficient IMO. It’s about marketing the brand. How does deliberately not finishing help with the brand? It doesn’t. It damages it. I’m sure it is not worth saving $800k just to damage their brand. The media will stop talking about them being world champions and only talk about them being “quitters”. Honestly, I think the COTD is bizarre, not “genius” as Keith puts it.

      1. @Cdavman – It’s funny and shows the absurdity of stretching some ideas beyond their rational capacity.
        All F1 teams could save a lot of money by quitting F1 – and there are no team actions predicated on that logic. Unless, maybe, the COTD by “Chris” is actually by “Christian”…

  12. How is a minimum speed under the VSC going to work? It has to be low enough so they can make it safely through the sharpest corner. If they go along at that pace for the whole lap it would take mighty long.

    They could have a minimum delta, but that would only limit the damage that could be done.

    Fixed speed VSC like they have in WEC then? I doubt F1 cars could work with that. They need high speeds to keep the tyres and brakes working. The drivers even complain when they are behind a supercar going at full speed while functioning as the safety car for being too slow.

    Maybe the system could release the cars when they are the same amount of time behind the car in front of them. That would be best since it would then be like nothing happened in between. Sounds rather complicated and error prone though.

  13. Thanks for the COTD, and yes it was definitely meant to be tongue firmly in cheek! I just thought it was interesting to highlight that there’s a sort of penalty for doing too well (ignoring the obvious marketing benefits of dominating the sport). As people have mentioned, there’s a penalty for not participating in X number of grand prix, however there’s nothing to stop them turning up, but retiring both cars every race – McLaren have been doing that all season long!

    Of course, there’s obviously clear benefits for Mercedes by trying to win the next 3 races that’ll more than outweigh the $800k additional expenditure, and at the end of the day they’re a racing team, they’ll want to be winning. I suspect Mercedes would have a hard time convincing either Nico or Lewis not to bother finishing the race if they’re in the lead anyway!

  14. Come on Nico, now that is a Jose Mourinho level excuse.

    1. @kingshark Were you there? In poor weather every driver can make a mistake. The extremely heavy rainfall would have been the consequence of low pressure, rising air forming rain. As the rain was so strong, there would have likely been a large pressure gradient present, meaning strong winds. These pressure gradients take time to pass over, so strong winds would likely still been present. So likely it was actually a gust of wind, not a pathetic excuse.

      1. @formula-1
        If you read a lot of my previous posts, I often defend Nico. I quite like him and I think he is a very fast driver, but the amount of mistakes that he makes is downright frustrating to watch; almost as frustrating as his poor racecraft and constant attempts to go around the outside of Hamilton instead of trying the cut-back.

  15. If Ferrari get close next year Nico may well be a great help to Vettel, of course not to smash Hamilton off but in a 50/50 challenge in a corner he may no longer yield and see both cars go off than let Hamilton by. I would like to see this (only in a 50/50) better to go off than give an inch to a teammate after these comments, Hamilton will have a title to go for so Nico should make Hamilton back down next year. He may not be able to beat Hamilton next year but he may stop Hamilton winning a title next year. I doubt this would happen but I would not be surprised if it did.

    1. Nice fantasy but I feel pretty confident @markp that after Spa last year Rosberg was told ‘one more and you’re out’. I don’t think he can risk anything aggressive. Not that these ’50/50′ situations exist anyway, they’re just Hamilton using the laws of physics to put his car ahead, as racing is about.

      If Ferrari are stronger next year and it’s Seb vs Lewis that will be even more the case. Mercedes will be focussed on Lewis and won’t take any hindrance from his teammate. Nico’s problem will be preventing the Ferraris coming 2nd and 3rd and knocking him down to 4th, and by next year there will be talk about his contract and that ultra-desirable seat.

      1. Wow you’ve got it all figured out. So what you are saying is that NR actually lost this year and last because he has been threatened by the team not to race. So LH is only succeeding vs NR because NR is hobbled by the team as a designated number two, not a natural one. Interesting. Sure puts a different flavour to his therefore misguided cockiness and his pushing of NR off the track, just as one example, knowing only he is allowed to do anything and go for it but Nico can’t. Wow. Just wow. Nico really does need to leave trumped up Mercedes then. And LH is not nearly the force we thought since he needs Toto’s threats toward NR to succeed. No wonder you can so easily write Nico off for next year. He’ll not even be allowed to race, ala Ferrari and their one rooster. And yet you can still find it in your heart to joke about NR’s emotions still needing tempering, like he is some child. Really sad.

        1. So what you are saying is that NR actually lost this year and last because he has been threatened by the team not to race. So LH is only succeeding vs NR because NR is hobbled by the team as a designated number two, not a natural one.

          No I’m not saying that at all @robbie, as well you know :). When was the last time a team publicly fined one of its drivers for colliding with his teammate? He’s on a final warning for being bad.

          When Rosberg tries to be aggressive it doesn’t work and his team do not like it, so it’s not an option. When he executes a good move Lewis accepts the inevitable, Nico gains the place and everyone is impressed. That’s what he needs, not any kind of attitude.

          Yes I was amused by Lewis’ version of the ‘talk’ Toto mentioned, soothing the emotional Nico. I sniggered I have to confess. I took it as barbed but humorous, and deserved. Really as a reaction to your teammate winning the wdc Rosberg’s behaviour was poor. Understandable I guess, but only if your expectations are not too high.

          I suppose the problem is that Rosberg’s expectations are too high, in many ways. He’s never looked likely to beat Lewis with anything but luck or dodgy dealing. Like Jenson he’s quicker in about 3 races a year. But he seems to feel he’s expected to be really annoyed every time he loses.

          1. Well what I just don’t buy is your notion that he is still on some final notice. First of all that it even exists, secondly that you would even know this, and thirdly that they didn’t all put it past them a week after Spa last year. And if you really believe it I don’t see how it is anything but a team order to not compete. Or risk what, in your opinion, since it is ‘final’? You actually believe they’d put that kind of guillotine over his head?

            And then you begrudge him his reaction to, as you claim, LH winning the WDC when in reality it was his reaction to being pushed off the track combined with his reaction to his own mistake. With this supposed threat over his head? You’d think you’d fully understand his reactions not to mention his inability to compete, if he has some final ultimatum hovering.

            Regarding ‘the talk’ for all we know that was a minute of conversation between TW and NR with TW saying sorry mate but LH says he didn’t do it on purpose but thank you for going wide and helping avoid a worse situation. But instead you et al have decided they are more like teenagers and that NR still has his bottom lip out a week later and needing talking down off some ledge. Couldn’t possibly be that he wants to win so bad it hurts.

            I just don’t get the ridiculous and childish reaction to the very alleged immaturity you et al claim NR has shown when in fact his actions have been normal and human and he is likely well past it… was likely so the minute the heat of the moment was gone after the post-race stuff. That’s how these professional athletes are trained but you’ve got him as some loser just because he is no LH.

            I find your take on Nico far more immature than you accuse NR and for that matter Mercedes of being, including your buying into the invented drama of the media looking for a story that isn’t there by asking LH, not NR, about some ‘talk’ and hoping he would say something juicy.

        2. @robbie Same stuff lol, ah well its not the one year as you said last year, he now has 2 years in wc car so will be be use to it next year? lol. Nico whines the most of any driver especially this year.

          1. Really, when has he whined?

          2. When not?

      2. @lockup You are right, no team will allow its slowest driver to hinder its quickest driver from winning the championship, that is simply out of question. Even if two team mates collide in a 50/50 situation, the weakest driver will still be more to blame for the incident from the team’s point of view. It is not favouritism, it is pragmatism. If both drivers are equally strong, then it is another story but that is not the case at Mercedes at the moment.

        I have heard a lot of suggestions that Rosberg should become more ‘cut-throat’ to beat Hamilton but I believe it would not help at all. If you are constantly slower in qualifying, make a bad start when you have nailed the qualifying lap, fail to grab the opportunity when your rival stumbles (Hungary, Singapore) or simply lose a couple of tenths here and there, then more aggressiveness will not improve things.

        Rosberg is a great driver but all the ‘drama’ (like Hamilton’s aggressive moves and cheeky comments) has happened because he has not been as good as his team mate this season. Hamilton acts like that because he can and no clear-the-air talks or ‘killer instincts’ are going to change that.

      3. I cannot imagine this happening I am just saying if it did I would not be shocked. Certain times things can occur where this year they were not so important like the last race but at the start of next year if a US GP start occurred I can imagine Nico refusing to leave the track limits and crashing into Hamilton. Neither would be to blame in such a tangle.

    2. I don’t understand the complaints about Hamilton being agressive. He had the lead and therefore the racing line. it’s that simple these days. It’s just stupid of Rosberg to keep his car in an utterly lost position. In the end you still need to back off and then you lose big.

      There are tons of examples of this and normally the driver that is behind yields and just closes up to try again later. people who stay in a lost position either crash or get pushed off. Most drivers learn from this and stop doing that.

      Look at the start of Hungary. Both Mercedes drivers have a poor start so Vettel jumps them. Hamilton is away better than Rosberg, but he is sandwiched by Rosberg on his rear right and Vettel on his left front. So Hamilton backs out and is able to stay just behind Rosberg. If he had been stubborn and kept his position then all three would have come together.

      Of course a few turns later Hamilton makes the same mistake Rosberg always makes and sees a gap opening up that never really materialized and gets “pushed off”.

      1. Except that you can throw your argument out the window because LH was never more than alongside NR and didn’t have the lead unless being out of control and running Nico wide (hence the need to explain he didn’t do it on purpose) is considered a lead. I consider it not being in full control of the car and he is lucky NR went wide to avoid worse contact than LH caused.

  16. petebaldwin (@)
    30th October 2015, 10:55

    Because of wind….. :D

  17. How Rosberg believes he cold have won that race without the mistake is beyond me. Lewis opened up a 5 sec gap in as many laps after overtaking him, and he almost lost 2nd to Vettel.
    He should be thankful the race ended when he did, or he would have come a humiliating 3rd. And he should be happy the mistake saved his blushes of being overtaken by Lewis on the track.
    Obviously, his tires being just 6 laps older couldn’t have helped either. Damm Pirellis.

    1. Indeed. It was Kvyat crashing that really lost him the race, not a gust of wind… unless a gust of wind caused that one? Who knows in these crazy times.

  18. Rosberg needs to leave Mercedes imo, He need to be completely out of Hamilton’s shadow, I believe he had the raw power to match him, but not with that mentality, he seem demotivated and frustated a lot after 2014. its proven this season as he had no pace in Saturday anymore. also I thought he is a quick learner, yet that guy still never learn about Hamilton tricks. its true that he recover on form currently, but that was after Hamilton 3rd title is almost a guarantee.

    1. Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
      30th October 2015, 16:46

      There is more chance of Nico winning the WDC by staying with Merc and hoping Lewis breaks his leg wrestling or something, than there is in moving to another team.

  19. That sounds like a lot of hot air.

    (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

  20. A ‘gust of wind’. Even without said wind he’d still have lost the race so the point is irrelevant.

    Boy better get a move on and get over his confidence issues. Some drivers go their entire careers without a race winning car, let alone a championship winning one and if he doesn’t hurry up and win one he’ll probably never get a better chance. This domination, as with all those before it will come to an end eventually but it’s unlikley he’ll ever find himself in a car as historically dominant as he has now. If he doesn’t do it soon he never will.

  21. We are witnessing the slow and painful disintegration of Rosberg as an F1 driver. With every defeat he loses another bit of credibility and makes it worse by making statements like this..

  22. @cdavman

    You know, I’ve never looked at it from that angle. That is a bloody good point.

    Well done on your COTD, sir!

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