PlatinumZealot wrote:
Rosberg, has never and never will accept No. 2 status! After the race he tweeted that he felt he was faster in the first stint so he attacked Lewis to try an overtake and it didn't work so tried to attack in last stint.
This is not the intentions of a Number 2 driver, contracted or otherwise, so it is clear that is no Number 2 clause in Nico's contract.
He will have to accept no.2 status or he'll have to find himself another employer. The team comes first. Nico was attacking the team in Q3 and he isn't really showing teamplayer work by being this 'hostile' at the start of the season.
Rosberg's after-race tweets mean squad, he was a angry mad little "insert word here", and he'll claim anything.
he was not faster than lewis in either of the stints. He only closed in on Lewis because Lewis was managing his tires, as tactically intended [ especially taking into account last race where tactics and tires cost them their win ]. It was clear as day how much power Lewis had left in his right foot when he pulled a 'hammer-time' moment when nico pitted. And then there was the life left in the rubber at the race end; plenty: which means he could have driven way more faster.
that means Nico never was a threat to him in the first place, and Lewis was simply managing his race, which is his darn right to do so, especially as being the race leader.
Nico complaining about how hot dirty air would put him in peril to the Ferrari's was absolute nonsense. First of all, regarding the comment above, he never even got close to lewis so 'attacking' never happened so that's not a fact at all.
Neither did he 'attack' in the last stint. To attack, you need to come close enough to be able to engage in battle, and Nico never ever got within attacking range, and if he ever would, Lewis had enough tire life left to simply vanish into the distance.
Nico never had a chance, and he was getting more and more frustrated with it. Especially because the Ferrari at the back came closer through tactics. Meanwhile, after a couple of laps, Vettel got too far back to be even concidered to be a 'challenge'. So really, there never was a real challenge of Ferrari.
Nico's biggest mistake was complaining; Mercedes had great results: a 1-2 finish that essentially never was under danger.
If they ever really get under pressure, it would have been as easy as to need Hamilton to improve his race pace with the clear message that they don't want to get under pressure from Ferrari. IF Nico ever was that close that it hampered his race [ which i genuinly don't believe at all ], then Lewis running faster meant he had more free air so Ferrari would never get within sniffing distance. They really did not either way, so , where's the fire?
If you ask me, the only thing to complain about was Mercedes' statements against Lewis on the radio. That was really uncalled for and seemed misplaced unnecesary and frankly, not at all fitting nor logical.
If you ask me, there's a different story to this; Maurizio Arrivabene talking to Bernie. Bernie wants the best for Ferrari and the best for Mercedes. I would not have been surprised if Bernie staged the scene where the public were to think Ferrari was close enough to engage Mercedes, just for viewer rating and fan pleasure. Meanwhile, Mercedes was in on it so played the game with Lewis having to run less fast so they could come closer. I think Lewis, Toto, Bernie and Maurizio were the ones in on this and neither Rosberg, Vettel or Kimi was aware of this. Perhaps now he is.
