Before you get your daggers out, let me tell you that I am a Nico Rosberg fan. And I know that there are few of us compared to the millions who support and cheer for Lewis Hamilton. Maybe this is why there’s a gap of millions when it comes to their pay as well, but that post is for another day.
I have been a Rosberg fan since before he jumped into the cockpit of a Mercedes racing car. And when he did, he showed the world that he was more than Michael Schumacher 2.0. He clinched Mercedes’s first pole position and race win after their return to Formula 1, but that historic feat is now history too.
When Rosberg and Hamilton were battling it out for the 2014 Formula 1 world title, my support was skewed towards the former. Nevertheless, there are still clear reasons to understand why Mercedes would replace him next season, or even why Rosberg himself should move away.
As painful as it is to say, it is best to treat Formula 1 as a business first and sport later. In Rosberg’s context, something seems to have changed since the radio ban on driver coaching last year and his collision with Hamilton at Spa.
In the world of Motorsport, there are two kinds of drivers. Firstly, those who know what to do to go fast and who do so. Secondly, those who needed to be told what to do to go fast and then do so. On the basis of radio exchanges and reports, it increasingly seems that Rosberg is the one who relied on coaching via radio messages than Hamilton. The third type of driver, if I may add, would be Pastor Maldonado.
As for the clash in Spa, did that alter team dynamics in the Mercedes garage? Your guess is as good as mine. But Rosberg’s inability to challenge Hamilton on a consistent basis for the latter half of 2014 and for six out of the first seven races of 2015 has fans worried. Should it worry Mercedes too?
The Mercedes driver pair of Hamilton and Rosberg has scored a podium at each of the races contested this year and many of these have been 1-2 finishes, the goal that every constructor races for. But Rosberg has looked a shadow of his 2014 self and has been unable to challenge Hamilton’s authority with as much ease as he could last season. Strangely enough, he seems content with finishing second and prefers to apply pressure on rather than attacking Hamilton.
From Mercedes’s point of view, it would be important to have a driver pair that can challenge each other to better results (yes, I too wonder what would be better than a 1-2 result every race). With Rosberg unable to rise to the Hamilton challenge in 2015, maybe it is time to look elsewhere. This is important to keep Hamilton honest and grounded especially in a season where he’s dominating.
And then of course, Mercedes should plan their succession. Who next do they see to be most able to lead a team after Hamilton? Ferrari are still reportedly feeling the vacuum of Schumacher’s departure in 2006 (2007 was a lucky win for them) and this is also where the driver market could open up if a Bottas or Hulkenberg are considered to be Rosberg’s replacement. For those who would like to point out that he already has a valid contract, Formula 1 has time and again proved that when necessary, a contract is only a piece of paper.
Rosberg’s strength has been his consistency, but maybe his overly-consistent self is unable to visualize finishing higher than second, who knows. And after all, Formula 1 is a ruthless business. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Alguersuari or Buemi.
