Lauda: The Constructors’ title doesn’t change anything in the Hamilton/Rosberg duel

Mercedes dominated the season and claimed the Constructors’ World Championship title thanks to its ninth one-two finish of the year at the Russian Grand Prix.

In the drivers’ standings, however, the situation is not as clear: Lewis Hamilton has a 17-point lead over Nico Rosberg and a 92-point lead over Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver can only hope to earn a maximum of 100 points in the last three races, suggesting that the title race will indeed be between the two Silver Arrows.

Niki Lauda, the non-executive director of Mercedes, took the opportunity to remind the drivers of the rules before the final battle for the world crown: I expect them to race with their brains and their heads and not to try to collide. Especially now, it makes no sense because there are three races left. In these three races, there are a lot of points at stake, and if they touch and one retires and the other does not, the decision will already be made. So I expect them to race normally until Abu Dhabi, and in Abu Dhabi, due to this stupid double points system – which I personally don’t like, there will be an exciting race between the two drivers because that will be the title race.

During the Belgian Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg collided with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes very early in the race, leading to an internal crisis. The German driver had to publicly apologize afterwards. Since this incident, Niki Lauda stated that everything is working perfectly between the two drivers and that they can compete on the track: “In Sochi, they were very close going into the first corner, so those who say they’re not fighting each other are wrong,” he explained to Sky Sports. “Look at the start on Sunday, it could have been tight if Lewis had turned and Nico had gone straight, it would have been interesting. They are fighting each other for the World Drivers’ Championship, and it will continue like that.”

Leading at the time of braking, the driver of car no. 6 braked too late and too hard, in his own words, and locked his wheels. The race, planned to be run on a one-stop strategy, forced the German to pit by the end of the first lap, then follow with a 52-lap stint on medium tires, managing to climb back to second place.

When Sky Sports asks him if this mistake is due to the pressure of the title race, Lauda replies: « No. This lock-up can happen. It’s an error any driver can make. He was on the inside, maybe on a dirty part of the track and he underestimated the grip at that point, which is an explanation I can understand. But in the end, he produced an even better race than Lewis because he climbed through the entire pack and managed to make those tires last a long time and was fast, it was exceptional. »