Motorsport on Monday: 7/4/14
Excitement in F1 shock as Merc mops up in Bahrain and battles hard
To be a familiar sight this year?
That was immaterial for the field as yet again it seems Mercedes turned up to a different race to the rest of the grid. Rosberg took pole on Saturday while Hamilton filed in behind just under three tenths behind. Both Mercs were in the low 1 min 33s in final quali, the closest third place man Ricciardo could get was a low 1 min 34.
Sunday was the same. Lewis leapt off the line and by the first corner had closed out his teammate for the lead. From there the Silver Arrows romped away, both cars recording fastest laps a minimum of nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
After a 10-lap sprint to the finish following a safety car due to a pit-exit moment of madness from Maldonado in the Lotus, who punted Gutierrez's Sauber, flipping it off the track, Hamilton held out for the win. Not before a thrilling set to though - excitement in F1 shocker.
Unprecedented Merc 1-2-3 on the cards...
Cruising around behind the grumbling SLS, Merc F1 boss Paddy Lowe mentioned to his drivers over the radio that they should get both cars to the finish. More of a gentle reminder with serious ramifications if not followed than a definite finishing order diktat from the pit wall.
On restarting the race both drivers went at it hammer and tongs. This is what we want to see and is what we'd hoped the new regs would bring. Rosberg chucked a few moves on Hamilton down into turn one with the aid of DRS (the activation zone seemed to be well judged last weekend), with the Brit getting the cut back every time. The real heart-in-mouth moments came at turn four, however.
Rosberg again launched an attack on Hamilton, lap after lap, and with plenty of room on the exit looked to go round the outside. Credit to the Merc drivers here - this is some of the closest wheel-to-wheel action at the top level for years, but both kept it clean knowing there's a whole season of sharing a pit garage - and more importantly, data - ahead.
Gutierrez/Maldonado incident cause of safety car
It takes bottle to battle for position on the fastest, most challenging section of track, especially when first and second places are all but secured and your boss is giving you thinly veiled directives to bring both cars home or you'll be hauled over the coals. However, racers race.
This is what F1 needs: drivers who want to win and are prepared to make a move no matter what's on the line, and team management who will support them; Mercedes saying it was crucial to let their rivers compete rather than 'Multi 21-ing' their way across the line.
A little bit of needle on the team radio from Rosberg was the only sign of pressure. Both were all smiles on the podium. Expect a silver wash this year, but if the battles are as good as they were last weekend, rather than a boring lone Red Bull at the front for 50-odd laps, we won't mind all that much.
Ricciardo the best Red Bull in Bahrain
...are five words four-time world champion Vettel hoped and probably thought he'd never here this year. But the German's race engineer Rocky did indeed tell him on the radio, actually asking him to let Ricciardo by. That's got to smart, especially when he didn't even make Q3 and his Australian teammate was given a 10-place grid penalty.
How the tables turn. There was a bit more of that in Bahrain, as Force India's Sergio Perez finished third after qualifying fourth. By comparison, both McLarens DNF'd.
One constant was Ferrari's torrid form. After Ferrari top man Luca di Montezemolo likened the new efficiency-focused rules to taxi driving, his squad could only manage ninth and 10th, with Alonso and Raikkonen respectively. Another decent showing from Williams and a result for Ricciardo in fourth after starting 13th - he beat his teammate, and sometimes, as Hamilton knows, that's all that counts.
Some great racing from the dominant Mercs
Bahrain was about Mercedes, though. Not only are their two cars the fastest, their fuel consumption is superb and the new chassis doesn't seem to eat its tyres like the W04 used to.
Last time out in Malaysia, Hamilton managed to lap over a second quicker than Rosberg but by 19 laps had used 0.53 per cent less fuel. In a sport ruled by tiny margins, this matters. Fast-forward to Sunday and the fact that neither Merc had to lift and coast all that much (granted, the safety car helped) and it proves how dominant the team is. The W05 and its two drivers seem to be the perfect package - fast and frugal. Prepare for silverware to go the way of the silver arrows on a regular basis this year.
[Images: LAT]
Looking at the bigger picture, yes, the race yesterday was quite exciting (if you aren't a Ferrari fan!) but at the end of the day, only one of two drivers was ever going to win. And that is the case for the foreseeable future. Not only that, if Merc really go for it, they are leagues ahead performance-wise. After about 4/5 laps after the restart, they were 14 secs ahead of the field (and by the end of the 11 lap dash to the line, they were 24 secs ahead). I just really hope that the others can catch up and fast, as, for me, knowing which car will win before a wheel turns on a Friday is not really sport.
But seriously, Hamilton forced his team mate off the track not once, but twice. Where is the general agreed rule that you have to leave a competing driver at least a car's width to the white lines? Yes, Rosberg put all four wheels outside the racetrack, but he wasn't running wide, he wash pushed. Surely that isn't how it should be if the two cars are alongside each other?
The best of the rest was such an interesting battle too, i hope they catch up to the mercs tbh but i think on tighter circuits the red bulls will be pretty close even now.
Bring on more Hamilton/Rosberg clashes till they catch up as those boys can certainly race!
But seriously, Hamilton forced his team mate off the track not once, but twice. Where is the general agreed rule that you have to leave a competing driver at least a car's width to the white lines? Yes, Rosberg put all four wheels outside the racetrack, but he wasn't running wide, he wash pushed. Surely that isn't how it should be if the two cars are alongside each other?
But seriously, Hamilton forced his team mate off the track not once, but twice. Where is the general agreed rule that you have to leave a competing driver at least a car's width to the white lines? Yes, Rosberg put all four wheels outside the racetrack, but he wasn't running wide, he wash pushed. Surely that isn't how it should be if the two cars are alongside each other?
Personally, I thought the Merc race was brilliant and was just what we needed to see - If Rosberg was going to make it stick, he'd make it stick regardless of Lewis.
I say "This is what F1 doesn't need: DRS.
I say "This is what F1 doesn't need: DRS.
Although very frustrating not being able to see the final laps by the leaders, plonker of a director concentrated on the also rans.
Cutting back right at the end just as Hamilton and Rosberg crossed the line was ridiculous, more like an afterthought.
I would imagine the Mercedes sponsors are not too chuffed, as very little of their multi-million adverts were seen
But seriously, Hamilton forced his team mate off the track not once, but twice. Where is the general agreed rule that you have to leave a competing driver at least a car's width to the white lines? Yes, Rosberg put all four wheels outside the racetrack, but he wasn't running wide, he wash pushed. Surely that isn't how it should be if the two cars are alongside each other?
I think it would be great if they all had to use the Mercedes engine and mechanical parts, but were only allowed to do their own cosmetic work, and aero stuff, that way they can still be different but it would make better and more entertaining racing. This would probably make most of the cars competitive as apposed to just two cars, that we have at the moment.
I know it wont happen, but you can always dream.
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