Rosberg got the better of Hamilton

Sundays follow one another but are not alike for Nico Rosberg. Two weeks ago in Canada, the German felt he had lost the race due to his second-place starting position on the grid achieved on Saturday. While he started second again today in Austria, the vice-world champion managed a perfect start to take the lead of the race at the first corner from his teammate.

During the rest of the race, Nico Rosberg perfectly managed his lead and was therefore particularly delighted to have turned the tide: What a day! It’s such a fantastic feeling to win again in Austria. It’s really a special circuit – very tricky, and with a great crowd. I had a good start and entered the first corner in the lead, which was crucial, as I learned in previous races this year, because it is very difficult to overtake the same car on the track. After my overtaking, I was able to control my lead quite comfortably. Towards the end of the race, I felt some vibrations on my front right tire, but I was able to manage that until the checkered flag.

Lewis Hamilton very likely lost the race at the first corner. An unexpected problem cost him the lead in the race: « It was a race that unfolded in the simplest manner. I did not get the best start. I had an issue with the engine revs: when I pressed the pedal, the engine revs stayed too high. So, when I released the clutch, I had too much wheel spin and lost ground. It’s something we’ll need to look at more closely after the race. Then, I stayed close to Nico during the first stint – but in the second, he simply had a better pace. In the end [after the 5-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit], it was just about bringing the car home – but Nico deserved the win, so congratulations to him ».

With another perfect result, Mercedes achieves its fifth one-two finish in eight races this season. Team principal Toto Wolff couldn’t be happier: “I’m very pleased with today’s result. It’s even more remarkable knowing that we have three Mercedes engines [with Massa’s podium] on the podium for the second consecutive year; it couldn’t be better.”

Paddy Lowe, the Executive Director for the technical side of Mercedes, was pleasantly surprised by the pace of his cars: « After the first safety car, it became clear that Nico had a slight advantage in terms of pace over Lewis – but, more importantly, our car showed a greater than expected advantage over Ferrari. It thus became a battle between our two drivers until the end of the first stint ».

In the drivers’ standings, Nico Rosberg is now only ten points behind his teammate. In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes dominates all competition with already 328 points scored, an average of 41 per race.