Rosberg frustrated with fifth

2016 Canadian Grand Prix

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Nico Rosberg says he is disappointed to have finished fifth after starting on the front row for the Canadian Grand Prix.

After both Mercedes were passed by Sebastian Vettel off the line, Rosberg challenged Hamilton around the outside of turn one but went wide after the two team mates made side-by-side contact, losing several positions.

“Sebastian had a great start, I had a decent one and Lewis had a bad one,” explains Rosberg.

“My position was on the outside. In Barcelona, I gave it a go around the outside of Lewis and it worked out really well. I went for the same again today and he did a really hard racing maneuver and we touched and I was off and that’s it.

“I was pissed off in the moment, but that’s racing in the end. It’s my job to make sure I’m in front after a battle like that next time. And of course that was very costly for me because I lost a lot of places.”

Rosberg fell to tenth after the incident, but battled back to eventually cross the line in fifth after a late battle with Max Verstappen which saw the Mercedes driver spin at the chicane on the penultimate lap.

“It was difficult, especially with fuel – I nearly ran out of fuel and so that’s why I couldn’t really attack Max properly at the end,” says Rosberg.

“He did a very good job as well to defend when I was attacking. But then I had to drop back, save fuel, try again, drop back and in the end it went completely pear-shaped. Managed to carry on, but a frustrating race of course.

“For sure we had a great car again today. So even more disappointing to finish fifth with such a car because the car, as Lewis showed, was good enough for the win.”

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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82 comments on “Rosberg frustrated with fifth”

  1. Oh, those lost points at Monaco… this one was a racing incident tho, and Rosberg got the worst part of it.

    It could’ve gone either way. Had Lewis not understeered into Rosberg, Nico could’ve won the race. Or at least fight for it.

    He just needs to move on from this, and keep going. He’s still in the lead anyway, with more wins than Lewis.

    1. Understeered in to Nico? Lol it was vigorous defending for sure…. Not understeer.

      Lewis running Nico off the track was no mistake. It was what had to be done for the championship.

      1. No.

        If Lewis opened up his steering as he noticed Nico trying around the outside, i would agree. But he didn’t, you can quite clearly see hes got a lot of steering angle to make the first corner and you can obviously see the car under steer. If Nico wants to put his car on the outside of a corner at a notably cold race day when people are having issues with tyre and brake warm-up, at the start of the race when he knows the inside car can lock up and/or under-steer, that’s his prerogative.

        Nico saw what happened to Lewis at turn 1 in Australia when Nico locked up and under-steered into Lewis, Lewis was bumped off track and ended up in around 7th position as a result.

    2. “Understeer” is the pathetic excuse fed to Hamilton for the interviews. Can’t have his shiny image tarnished by realization of foul play and unsportsmanlike conduct, on and off the track. Besides, Hamilton dribbling excuses like “understeer” help him shed the Curious George look he was giving interviewers before the race.

      1. If you’ve watched car racing for any length of time, you would recognise under-steer when you see it without it having to be pointed out or be told by someone.

        Watch his onboard, its clear to see his car isn’t turning relative to the steering input.

  2. Well after two and half years of fighting for the championship, the both have to expect the same treatment in this Turn 1 situation. Both Hamilton (Japan, USA 2015, today) and Rosberg (Canada 2014, Australia this year) haven´t been shy of pushing the other wide. I suggest considering it their driver error if one of them puts himself in the same situation again in the future!

    1. The funny thing is that Rosberg got the same treatment from Verstappen, but that time he was wiser and let Verstappen go ahead without looking for the useless confrontation. It just costs time (and at the start places) when they pull a dumb move like that.

      I just don’t get how mostly Rosberg doesn’t seem to learn from his mistakes.

      1. I thought I was the only one that noticed that. If it was Lewis that defended like Vestappen defended, Nico would have definitely crashed into him.

  3. Did he have a slow puncture before his second stop? I thought I heard something like that, but it’s not mentioned elsewhere, so I’m not sure.

    1. Yes, he had. That’s what has been said by Mercedes.

    2. @f1infigures – In the UK Channel 4 “Highlights” program you hear an engineer on the team radio explaining why Rosberg has been called in, just as he’s coming down the pit lane. In the message the engineer says there’s a slow puncture in one of the rears.

      1. Thanks! I was watching the German broadcast and I can only understand very basic German… Rosberg’s post-race interview was more about the start and the penultimate lap, not so much about what had gone wrong in the meantime. The only thing Rosberg got lucky with this race was the timing of the puncture, as he had plenty of time to recover.

  4. Hamilton did the right thing, he was defending his position.

    1. just out of genuine curiosity, what was your take on spain?

      1. @mrboerns I put the blame on Rosberg, did not leave enough room.

        1. And what says Hamilton did today? Because no doubt Rosberg was fully alongside…?

          1. The rules state to leave space on the straight only as it’s dangerous (as we’ve seen in Spain) to push someone wide at high speed
            In a corner:
            If you’re on the racing line you don’t have to give space, it’s up to the guy behind to back out…

          2. The difference is in one of those cases the driver not leaving enough room was taking the racing line out of a corner, in the other the driver moved off the racing line on the middle of a straight.

          3. Considering it was front wheel to front wheel contact, that suggests that Rosberg was completely alongside Hamilton and that space should have been left…

            If it was the other way round there would have been a lot of shouting that Rosberg pushed Hamilton off the circuit, that he breached the rules and everything else…

          4. It was the other was around a couple of years ago… https://vid.me/eHOS/rosberg-hamilton-canada-2014

          5. Ok, I think I can clear this up.

            Hamilton made a mistake. It would have been great racing but Lewis under steered, nothing he could do. Not his fault.

            At the same time, it’s a risk to go around the outside of something, but, given that it was both the start and a left right, it’s not surprising that cars go round their side by side. So Rosberg was right to be there.

            Racing incident. Sucks for Rosberg, just bad luck.

      2. How is that relevant? Rosberg made a move on the straight where he pushed Hamilton off on the opposite side of the track from the race line. In Canada Hamilton defended the race line.

        Different situations regulated by different rules.

    2. The right thing? Are you serious? He wasn’t even ahead. You can watch the highlights, and you’ll see that no one takes that corner like that. Cars take it side-by-side and they are fine. This is typical Hamilton, being very dirty and only towards his teammate. Let him try this with Vettel and see what happens. Nico’s fault in this case is he once again yielded, instead of holding his line with the result being two broken Mercedeses again.

      And I saw your comment about Spain. That’s funny, who says Rosberg is supposed to “leave enough room”? Are you familiar with the rules at all, or are you just trolling? And by the way, the on-board footage shows Rosberg did his defensive maneuver when Hamilton was still behind him.

      1. Lol, if he did that to Vettel, we would hear crying, then investigation then racing incident rulling because it was on the start.

        However I dont get you guys saying this is anything different than Spain. Mercedes driver in front pushes overtaking Mercedes driver on the grass.

        Exactly the same, done for exact same reasons. I see it as 1:1.

        And they both know whoever comes first after opening laps first, will get better pits and eventual victory.

        If Lewis didn’t understeer…(right, he understeered in to Nico by accident if anyone buys that) Nico had a very good chance of making it past on berter line and ahead to eventual race Victory.

        There is an all out war between those two. Australia, Spain and Canada are just results.

        1. @jureo and bobec
          The difference between Spain and Canada is that Lewis was attacking on a straight and Nico slammed the door shut without even leaving some space, he defended above the limit without leaving the mandatory space, he should have left a minimum car width and not push his teammate to the grass, In Canada Lewis genuinely defended his position and I think any respectable driver would have done the same, if it was Vettel, Max or Ricciardo, you can go to the replay of Canada 2014 where Rosberg had done the same, plus the stewards aren’t blind they would have investigated it if it was wrong like in Spain, no champ drivers leaves places on the table easily, Rosberg should have known better.

          1. Do yourself a favor and read the regulations, giving special attention to Article 27.6. ONE defensive move IS ALLOWED, as long as it is initiated before a significant part of the car is alongside. Only after that one defensive move is the defending car required to leave room for one car.
            Please, don’t even start talking about Vettel, Max or Ricciardo, or anyone else, because anyone can watch the replay and see that NO ONE took that corner like Ham did, and cars easily negotiated it side by side. That’s a fact. You just CAN NOT “defend” a position when the other car is already next to you, not to mention ahead of you. And the reason there was no investigation is that Rosberg was silly enough to yield and avoid an accident like in Barcelona. If he held his own, there would have been a more serious collision, possibly resulting in both cars retiring, and there would have definitely been an investigation.

          2. Just watched the replay of Canada 2014 and I strongly suggest you do the same. Nico went for the apex and he had a full right to it. Ham also tried to get on the apex at the same time. Come 2016 and Ham is nowhere near the apex. Yes, I know – tailwing, understeer, bla bla….

        2. i completely get people’s frustrations and the argument that it was obviously done on purpose by Hamilton which come on it definitely was on purpose. What I don’t understand is people pretending to ignore comments and known rules in order to make a point. The rules do not require a driver to leave any space on a corner but they do on a straight. There’s no ifs and buts, fair or unfair what Hamilton did was perfectly legal and what Rosberg did was legal by the skin of his teeth if ham was anymore along side it would have been a penalty but he wasn’t so no further action. Even if Rosberg was ahead in the corner Hamilton would not of had to give way! However if they had collided then an investigation would of favoured whichever driver was on the racing line into the corner.

          1. Then why was Hamilton the only driver to do such a move on that corner? Why is no one else doing it? And I thought it happened by accident, because he “understeered”:)
            Yes, this is a grey area in the rules, but still there are some guidelines. A great resource is a web page called “THE RULES OF RACING” by F1METRICS. According to the rules, guidelines and incidents described there, at turn in responsibility should be shared if they both fought for the apex, because Ros is ahead on the outside at about 50%. But Ham doesn’t even aim for the apex. He misses the apex and pushes him out. That’s something I can’t remember seeing before. Yeah, maybe there is no written rule to stop Ham from doing that, but also there is no rule to stop Ros from a fair fight for the apex, so he should not have yielded. And then Ham pushes Ros out after turn exit, at the approach for Turn 2, and he is not ahead enough to do this.

            Now, if there was an investigation, they would definitely have looked at who was in front and by how much. As for the racing line, I would say Ros was on it at turn entry, until he was physically pushed out.

        3. Well, there are rules when you can defend a position and even push someone out, and when you can’t. When a car is next to you, you can’t start a defensive maneuver. 50% overlap was the cut-off, and now the rules say you can’t do it when “a significant part of the car” is alongside next to you, meaning front wheels and maybe even the front wing. I Barcelona, Rosberg made his steering input to the right when Hamilton was still right behind him. It’s not very relevant that the two cars made contact when they were alongside each other. When you start the move is what matters, and the rules do allow ONE defensive line change, after which you have to allow space. Again, this one defensive lmove can not be initiated when the other car is already next to you.

          1. @Bobec, because Hamilton is more ruthless, because he takes gray rules as suggestions.

            Sure he could be nice and galant like Stirling Moss. Wonderful in every way and known for NOT being a champion.

            Nico is very fast, starts better, but… When it comes to maximizing opponent loss, he is nowhere.

  5. Rosberg should know better. Never try to pass Lewis on the outside because he’s gonna push you out and then claim he had understeer. Can’t remember where, but I’m 100% he’s done this before. Sorry guys, I know there are a lot of Hamiltom fans around, but the man is a bully on track! Thing is, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. It’s just… unsavory to watch. That’s the word.

    1. You can clearly see Hamilton understeering/

      Also while you’re on your computer, youtube the race start from Canada 2014 and Australia 2016 (and Australia 2016 if you feel like it). Tell me how that goes. I await your response.

      1. I’m surprised you didn’t just quote the last race, it would have been easier. I stick to my opinion, that he is a bully on track. Hamilton and Ricciardo have a similar way of passing other cars, they just throw themselves in and hope for the best.

        1. It’s no ones fault if you can’t recognise under steer, i suggest going back to the popular video sharing website and watching numerous videos on under/over steer once you’ve become accustomed to it’s effects, re-watch the Canadian race start.

          If you can’t be bothered doing that, as i suspect you won’t be. When someone over-steers, they counter-steer to stop the rear-end from spinning around, so it’s easy to spot. However, when someone under-steers, they try adding more steering angle, you will see the car ‘push’ forward, but its more subtle.

          It’s got zero to do with any sort of bullying. If Nico wants to try a move around the outside of the first corner of the race when cars are heavy on fuel and have cold brakes and tyres, then thats upto him to risk it. If you watched the race start from Australia as i advised, you would have seen Nico lock up and under-steer right into Lewis’ path, bumping Lewis off the road. It happens.

    2. And he dares do that only to him teammate!

      1. He did it to Alonso and Webber in Germany 2011.

  6. This race again shows exactly what is wrong with F1. The drivers have their hands full with nursing the tyres and the fuel. No room left for some one-on-one racing on the limit.

    1. That, makes no sense. If they had less fuel, they’d go faster. And they were all on relatively fresh tyres.

  7. HighinDutchman
    12th June 2016, 22:42

    still i have to mention the race mentalitity of VES, yes i am a fan from the first very hour, but in spain it was RAI. now he pushed ROS into a fault…. just dont give the man a merc haha

    1. MG421982 (@)
      13th June 2016, 16:53

      But don’t say THAT to Senna fans!! I’m sure they might recommend you another sport. I guess you’ve heard about the “GAP/RACING DRIVER” saying.

  8. Had Nico just backed off he would have been on the podium.
    If he wants to stay ahead of Lewis in the standings he just has to knock Lewis out if he makes contact like that.
    Have to set your boundaries.

    1. “knock Lewis out” If you are challenging a driver into a corner who is on the racing line you either complete the pass or back out. If you don’t and a collision ensues you will 90% of the time depending on circumstances get a penalty for causing a collision with the car on the racing line. If Nico did that to a car on the same team too often bearing in mind Spain I highly doubt he’d have his contract renewed.

  9. Hamilton learned from Nico’s move at the same corner in 2014. Nico should have known better.

  10. I’m sure LH was focused on SV and not on making sure “I’ll never learn” has enough room. It’s another case of NR sticking his nose where it does not belong.

    1. This comment made me chuckle……

  11. i would have continued onto T2 with two wheels on the grass and made lewis give me room at the apex… IMO nico just don’t think fighting mentality we see in hamilton, vettel, riccardo etc.

  12. This race has made me decide to stop wasting my time with F1.
    What a pathetic state the sport is in.

    1. One bad race? How have you found the rest of the season?

    2. Great! Go away!

    3. Yet you still manage to find time to post on here to people whom the vast majority are “fanatics” so to speak…?

  13. Verstappen put Rosberg firmly in his place (No.2 Driver at best)

    1. Are you kidding? You think ROS is better than ALO or VET? VES may be better than him.

      1. I think @dongorgan means that Ros is the second driver of Mercedes.

        1. That’s exactly what I mean @Macleod, Rosberg’s hopeless…..lol

  14. From a lead of what was 43 points some 3 races ago, now down to 9. What took Rosberg four races to build has virtually gone in a span of 2 races, which again highlights the fact that until the season is over anything can happen in Formula 1.

    I hope after this race, Rosberg learns his lesson of never giving anything away to your rivals and to never ever take a single championship point for granted. By putting the team’s (and his team-mate’s) interests ahead of his in Monaco, he not only allowed Lewis Hamilton to claw back the deficit, but also allowed the Englishman to gain the momentum in this championship fight.

    I would really like for Nico to win this year’s world championship — he deserves it. But he needs to realise Lewis will never cede ground on his behalf (even when it doesn’t matter anymore in the context of the championship) and that he cannot rely on the team to keep things balanced. He needs to be more consistent in being ruthless and aggressive, just as he was in Australia and Spain: his antics during those races may have cost the team (and his team-mate) a lot of points, but they were stone cold moves and 100% the correct things to do in the context of his own title campaign.

    1. Why exactly do you think Nico deserves the championship?

      1. Great point. The only way one deserves to win the championship is if they are capable of finishing the season with the most point.

    2. Rafael: I submit to you that it is more a question of essential character that is clearly uncovered during tense moments in the race. Rosberg may already have “learned” that the basic competencies of Hamilton do not extend to ethical behaviour any more than Hamilton can spell E-T-H-I-C-S. Hence, it’s an engaged process for a goody-two-shoes like Rosberg (witness his serene personal life compared with fractured-psyche-Hamiltoon) to translate that learning into reflexive, on-track maneuvers. Furthermore, Hamilton’s antics on and off track are figuratively and literally bankable in today’s world of misfits and ne-er-do-wells come to F1 fandom. Don’t expect too many changes until perhaps Hamilton crashes into another parked car at highway speed.

      1. Wow. So easy being an armchair psychologist on the internet. What a pitiful diatribe.

  15. @rafael-o There is quite a bit of your post that I don’t agree with, however I have only one question.

    On what basis does Nico Rosberg deserve to win this years WDC?

    Cheers.

    1. Good question

    2. @stubbornswiss
      +1
      I tought the same.

  16. Hamilton should have been penalized to pushing Rosberg out. Rosberg was ahead of Hamilton before turn 1, so Hamilton should have to let him space, but instead caused collision, ruining Rosberg second race this season. Team should send him to Manor, so he would reconsider his approach.

    1. @regs I don’t believe that Rosberg could have saved the win for Mercedes, he was not able to pass Max let alone Vettel in a superior car (compared to the RB), I think the same of Monaco, Mercedes best bet is with Lewis.

      1. You don’t have to pass to win. LH didn’t pass anyone.

        1. The funniest point of the whole GP was Rosberg shooting himself on the leg against Max, that made my day to be honest more than Lewis’s win.

    2. What’s your opinion on this, out of interest? https://vid.me/eHOS/rosberg-hamilton-canada-2014

      1. I am not a hamilton fan, but I have to say, people love to hate that guy regardless.

    3. Sorry – I don’t agree – both LH and NR are racing drivers and are there to win. LH came out better that’s it move on.

    4. Another person. The give space rule is only on the straights! How could so many people with clearly strong interest in the sport not know this? The only time corner skirmishes are investigated is when a collision that results in damage takes place. In these scenarios it is almost always the driver who was not on the racing line who was at fault.

  17. Rick Lopez (@viscountviktor)
    13th June 2016, 9:26

    Lewis can’t keep doing what he did at the start and then complain about Spain. Yes, you can defend your position, but he’s taking it too far. Very unlikeable characteristic. Partly why I want Rosberg to win the championship.

    1. Did Lewis come complaining to you “about Spain”? Nico did exactly the same thing to Lewis in Canada in 2014, same corner. He can dish it, so he can take it.

  18. Lewis push Rosberg it’s racing. Rosberg close the door he needs too leave space. ROFL

    1. Theres a distinct difference between leaving room on a straight, and taking the racing line in a corner, thats why there is a specific rules regarding this.

    2. Amazing how many people do not understand the concept of racing line.

      1. And racing line im spain Is left not right. Faster way and right way taking that corner. Like i say evry time Lewis Is 100% correct never ever is his fault.
        But once again he was on PP making poor start and in corner he just oversteer in who Rosberg. Every time is the same but that’s Lewis the best driver on field…

        1. “And racing line im spain Is left not right”

          Exactly, I am not entirely sure what you are even arguing now.

  19. I think more than anything else the first corner at Canada yesterday sums up Rosberg as a racing driver. For reference:

    “It’s motor racing. We got to Interlagos and he pushed me wide, and that’s what I expect. I would have done exactly the same thing; I was like ‘Good on you man!'” – Lewis Hamilton, Sky F1’s 2015 review, December 2015.

    We’ve seen time and again just how well the likes of Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo, Button etcetera can place their car, Rosberg seems to repeatedly place his wrong.

    Contrast Rosberg’s driving with how Hamilton reacted in the exact same situation 2 years ago:

    https://vid.me/eHOS/rosberg-hamilton-canada-2014

    Hamilton tried the overtake but placed himself well enough so that he only dropped from 2nd to 3rd. Rosberg makes a complete hash of it (again) and drops from 2nd to 10th.

    1. Good point. Nico is no top overtaker. Verstapen showed how easy he could defend.

  20. Agreed. At least with the “We’ve seen time and again just how well the likes of Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo, Button etcetera can place their car, Rosberg seems to repeatedly place his wrong.” – part.
    Just shows you how much of a
    skill it is.

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