Hamilton vs Rosberg: three years at the top

Linked since their karting days, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg shared so many moments in common. 11 years later, fate and a signature brought them together once more. At the end of 2012, Lewis Hamilton left his McLaren nest and took the seat at Mercedes, replacing Michael Schumacher. Rivals but above all friends, their rivalry quickly degraded the relationship.

2013: Ross Brawn Sows Doubt

The introduction of a rivalry – inevitable? – was set as early as the second Grand Prix of the 2013 season, in Malaysia. In the wake of the clash between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull (the infamous ‘multi 21’), Lewis Hamilton claimed third place. But this first podium for the Brackley team was secured by the forced slowing down of Nico Rosberg. As the director of the German team at the time, Ross Brawn froze the positions and refused any offensive. Favored, Lewis Hamilton remained very corporate towards his new partner:

« If I’m honest, I really feel that Nico should be in my place (third). I said I wanted to let him pass. Will I do it in the future? Probably. » Ultimately, very surprising remarks considering the following seasons…

2014: A Brief Bahraini Bright Spell

A year and a few modest results later (two victories for Rosberg, one for Hamilton), the cards were completely reshuffled. Clearly benefiting from the strength of Mercedes, the opportunity was too good to miss to make a strong impact. Let down by his engine during the inaugural race, Hamilton already had to win in Sakhir to not let Rosberg, the winner in Melbourne, pull away.

Spectacular, the second race of the 2014 vintage is still to this day the most beautiful confrontation (without contact!) between the two men. Five times in the first corner, three in the T4-T5 sequence, Hamilton and Rosberg were neck and neck. Helped admittedly by artificial runoff areas, the battle was fierce but fair. In the end, the Englishman, despite being on medium tires, held off the German on soft tires. Hamilton won: the post-race was a moment of genuine camaraderie. The two Mercedes stars warmly congratulated each other, with Hamilton respectfully stating he had faced one of the most difficult situations in a long time, adding:

« Nico and I haven’t had a race like that since karting! »

That being said, this friendship gradually shattered over the course of the spring. The first trigger was the Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton pushed his engine settings beyond limits to fend off Rosberg’s threat. But the real crack appeared in Monaco: the former Williams driver secured a highly controversial pole position by causing a yellow flag in the final seconds of Q3, preventing an improvement from the Woking product. Upset, Hamilton abruptly ended his supposed friendship with Rosberg the next day, after the race. The images of the ceremonial event were unmistakable, as the two drivers did not shake hands as is customary.

« Nico and I are not friends, we are teammates. »

The Breakup at Spa-Francorchamps: Rosberg on the Ropes

As the season progressed, the outcome was clear: the title would be contested between the two men. Did this prospect worsen things? The mid-season had passed and after Hamilton refused to obey a team order in Hungary, Nico Rosberg went too far. In attempting to regain the lead in the second lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, number 6 inadvertently punctured the left rear tire of number 44 at the end of the Kemmel straight. This scenario was terrible for Mercedes. For the first time that season, both drivers collided on track! In his misfortune, Nico Rosberg still secured second place (handing the victory to Ricciardo) but primarily caused Lewis Hamilton to retire from the race.

This time, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda stepped out of their reserves. Worse, the former Austrian driver even defended Lewis Hamilton!

« It was an unacceptable risk. This race is absolutely unacceptable. Our two drivers collided in the second lap… incredible. » (Toto Wolff)

« I apologized (to Lewis) on behalf of the team. Lewis was well ahead, no question about it, Nico was behind and why did they crash as early as the second lap? Someone has to explain to me! » (Niki Lauda)

For the first time this season, Nico Rosberg was clearly pointed out. His teammate even took the opportunity to say that he did it on purpose!

This incident was a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Hamilton-Rosberg power struggle. The first hybrid season was tipped. With a 29-point lead after Spa, Rosberg only won at Interlagos in the seven remaining races. Hamilton, meanwhile, won the other six! Leading at that time, Rosberg cracked at Monza by running into the run-off area at the first corner. He faltered during an overtake in Austin and conceded in Abu Dhabi during the finale, with honors: his car gradually gave out even before the checkered flag.

The end of the first act was declared: the rooted Monegasque was to let the Briton seize the world crown.

2015: Hamilton excels, Rosberg falls short

The following year, any attempt at revenge was quickly nipped in the bud. Hamilton made a strong start, securing five victories by the mid-season mark in Hungary, compared to Rosberg’s three. Moreover, the now thirty-something fared quite well due to a strategic error by the Mercedes team in Monaco, which mistakenly called in a solid-leading Hamilton. However, in his demeanor, Rosberg quickly played the defeated against a verbally skilled Hamilton. In China, during the third race, Rosberg appeared to be a sore loser. He asked his engineer to have Hamilton speed up to prevent Vettel from catching up, even accusing the race winner of driving excessively slowly! The reaction of the main party involved was scathing:

« It’s not my job to manage Nico’s race! »

Just as effective was his response on the track during the second half of the championship.

Even though Rosberg showed an ounce of resistance in Hungary by vigorously closing the door on Hamilton, he was left with no more chances until Austin at the end of October.

After returning the favor at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix two weeks earlier, the same type of authoritarian maneuver was executed at the start in Austin. Nico Rosberg then had to veer onto the Texan asphalt runoff to avoid a collision. As the track gradually dried, he was by no means ridiculous as he even recovered the lead. However, due to a mistake when accelerating, he relinquished it nine laps from the finish, handing victory to a driver becoming the equal of Ayrton Senna: a triple world champion!

An exhilarating moment for one, cruel for the other; notably marked by a famous cap exchange. Frustrated, Rosberg casually tossed away the podium cap thrown by Hamilton. A kind of metaphor for the season, highlighting the helplessness of Keke’s son against his garage neighbor.

October 2015, #USGP: Why did Nico Rosberg throw his cap at Lewis Hamilton? https://t.co/7O8nEFsmrt #SkyF1 pic.twitter.com/B1btfGxIe4

— Sky Sports F1 🏎 (@SkySportsF1) 18 octobre 2016

To finish, Rosberg settled for the end-of-season crumbs and won the last three races for honor. Despite his joy, he was quickly brought back to earth by Hamilton, who said at the end of the last race in Abu Dhabi:

« The title is more beautiful than a victory! »

2016: Two major clashes but a dream opportunity for Rosberg

More than ever, the German driver’s goal was very clear: to make his long-standing rival eat dust from the very start of the season. In this regard, Rosberg’s start was strong: four consecutive victories, unfortunately marred by various issues faced by Hamilton. Delayed by a crash at the start in Sakhir (3rd) with Bottas, engine problems in Shanghai (7th) as well as in Sochi (2nd)… After Russia, it was indeed Rosberg who held a record lead of 43 points.

Clearly running late, Hamilton also had the benefit of his pole in Barcelona during the fifth round taken from him. Eager to regain it, he went for the outside of the third turn. However, Rosberg defended his position while addressing a wrong engine mode on his steering wheel.

Deprived of ideal speed, the difference was therefore huge (a gap of 17 km/h was recorded!): Rosberg’s minimal room for maneuver combined with Hamilton’s aggressiveness led both Mercedes into the gravel trap at the next corner. This second direct clash is still the most spectacular in their shared history. It is also the only one that led both drivers to retire.

WATCH: Hamilton & Rosberg’s #SpanishGP Turn 4 clash analysed in detail> https://t.co/6vTlbxNcbx #F1 pic.twitter.com/zwmIPRARD0

— Formula 1 (@F1) 17 mai 2016

Paradoxically, the most extraordinary accident did not lead to a war of words. The blame was shared.

Polite, Toto Wolff didn’t accuse either of his two drivers. « We let our drivers race each other, sometimes this kind of situation can happen! So I won’t blame anyone directly. »

Hamilton also insisted on this fact. Better yet, he even confided that she had softened since the dark days of 2014!

This accident still had the merit of changing the dynamic. Hamilton bounced back immediately in Monaco in the rain (Rosberg finishing… seventh) and then in Canada, not missing the chance to squeeze out his teammate at the start. But the third and latest clash to date came two Grand Prix later in Austria.

At the Red Bull Ring, the two men collided once more, this time on the last lap. With a conquering Lewis Hamilton and a defensive Nico Rosberg, the end of the race was bound to be eventful.

Author of an attack in turn number 2, Lewis Hamilton saw his teammate close the door on the outside and prevent him from taking the corner. The two Mercedes touched for the first time. Off track, the Briton came back sharply onto the outer trajectory of the next straight, but as the German was already there, the two men touched once again. Rosberg fell off the podium and was deemed mainly responsible for the incident, resulting in a 10-second penalty.

HAM: “I was on the outside. It wasn’t me that crashed” 📻#AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/xB6qI3YlAX

— Formula 1 (@F1) 3 juillet 2016

This second accident in 2016 this time sparked the anger of Toto Wolff, who issued a final warning to his drivers while threatening with team orders.

Aggressive on the track, Rosberg initially absolved himself of any responsibility: “I’m on the inside of the trajectory, I have the right to defend myself. I don’t need to take the ideal line.”

Then, he mentioned a collective fault in an interview given to the English newspaper The Guardian, published in mid-July.

« This is a serious issue that needs to be discussed. We are teammates, and we must avoid contact and collisions that cost the team points. »

As after Spa in 2014, it was once again Hamilton who emerged stronger. His Silverstone-Budapest-Hockenheim triple put under wraps. Fortunately for Rosberg, the summer break revitalized him. Three consecutive victories on his part. Helped by Hamilton’s engine penalty at Spa, he won Monza and Singapore, on his own. Especially in the city-state, for what almost seems like HIS standout race of the season, after resisting with an offset tire strategy.

Returned from an initial skirmish in Sepang, a twist of fate even played in his favor: the triple world champion forfeited the 25 points of a victory achieved, along with his engine!

My message here 👉🏾 https://t.co/m0KmiiMfqx pic.twitter.com/QK0NRi3NMk

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 2 octobre 2016

This engine failure was clearly a turning point in the Grail. Even though Hamilton is still favored due to his ongoing series of three victories, these lost points weigh heavily in the current situation.

Thus, even though Rosberg has gained some ground in this fierce battle, he is still challenged by Hamilton in close combat. Even this year, Hamilton disregards circumstances to fight until the end. This is evidenced by the average starting position in races this season: 4.30 for Hamilton, 1.80 for Rosberg. And the average finishing position: 2.17 for the former, 2.26 for the latter.

But for the first time in three years, Nico Rosberg is the man leading at the start of the last race of the season. With a 12-point gap, a simple podium finish will be enough for him to secure his first world championship, regardless of his challenger’s performance. His advantage is as follows: he doesn’t have to risk everything to win. However, Hamilton will have nothing to lose in overturning a situation he himself considers “impossible.”

Whatever happens this Sunday, a new episode will be added to this saga of the current Formula 1 star wars.