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Team-Mate Wars: Japan
- Updated: October 5, 2016
In F1, the first person you have to beat is your team-mate. Andrew Davies’ Team-Mate Wars returns.
Star of the Race: Lewis HamiltonOvertaking Move of the Race: Lap 39: Max Verstappen on Daniel Ricciardo
MercedesRace: HamiltonSeason: Lewis Hamilton 9 – Nico Rosberg 7
It was the most emphatic of responses by Lewis Hamilton to Nico Rosberg’s recent run of victories and it ended in great embarrassment, as Mercedes failed to clinch the Constructors’ Championship in front of their title sponsor. Lewis dominated the Malaysian GP with an untouchable pole position and a highly calibrated drive up until the point of detonation. During one of the breaks in the C4 coverage BP ran their advert on how their clean fuel helps engines run longer, and later, during the race, BANG the Petronas-powered Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton decided that was it for the day. Lewis wasn’t pointing any fingers, but he was in statistically engaged mode when he pointed out that none of the other Mercedes engine units run by Manor, Force India and Williams seemed to encounter the kind of engine problems that have afflicted him throughout the season. Lewis has simply got that Barrichello feeling*.
FerrariRace: RaikkonenSeason: Vettel 9 – Raikkonen 7
Sebastian got the edge on Kimi in qualifying and he also got the edge in tapping up a Mercedes into Turn 1. It looked like Max Verstappen also momentarily lost control in his bid to be last of the late brakers, but he had nothing to hit, whereas Vettel’s speed was such that the hefty clunk he gave Nico’s right rear was enough to derange his front left suspension. That left Kimi Raikkonen the sole Ferrari on which Rosberg could exact some kind of retribution later in the race. Their contact on Lap 38 provided one of the most mystifying moments of the 2016 season. Nico Rosberg made a clumsy overtaking move and almost took Raikkonen’s front wing off and it mesmerised normally sane men.
In an overtaking move, the overtaking driver has to know that it might come off without contact. Sometimes there is a little wheel bumping, sometimes the driver about to be overtaken turns in on his pursuers, mostly they realise they have been outmanoeuvred and give way. But in an overtake there should be some chance that it comes off without contact. When Rosberg dived for the apex there had to be contact. And this is F1 not Talladega Nights.
Re-run the video on the Rosberg incident and there is no possible way that Raikkonen could have guessed he was coming, moved out of the way, or taken last minute avoiding action. (Let’s not confuse this with Bottas being overtaken by a brilliant late-braking move by Daniel Ricciardo into Turn 1 at Monza. Bottas just about had the time to spot him coming and give him room).
Rosberg’s move could be replicated at almost every apex of every turn by a driver simply cutting the corner and heading straight for the apex and then slamming into the car that has gone wide to get the correct racing line through the corner. Even in the short run down to the Loew’s/Station hairpin at Monaco there is some time to spot someone cutting to the apex. Not in Sepang. This was overtaking for seven-year-olds on their first karting …
