After the 1-2 In Canada, Mercedes headed, with the F1 circus, back to Europe. Even though the circuit is owned by Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz, as there isn’t a German Grand Prix this season, then this was seen as Mercedes home race, and they hoped to put on a good show for their backers and fans. FP1 went to plan, as Rosberg and Hamilton came first and second in the time-sheets. In the next two practise sessions, however, they were beaten by Sebastian Vettel. It seemed that Mercedes would have a challenge from the Ferrari pair on both qualifying and race day, as the Maranello outfit’s package looked strong.
2015 Mercedes Austrian Grand Prix Review
No. 6 Nico Rosberg (DEU)
Grid: P2
Having topped his team-mate in two of the three practise sessions, and getting pole last year, Rosberg was coming into qualifying confident. Q1 started damp, due to rainfall in FP3, but quickly dried up as the session continued. With three minutes to go, Rosberg found himself in the drop zone, but put in the fastest time at the end to put him into Q2. The German posted the fastest time in Q2, and saw him favourite to take pole position. In his first stint in Q3, Rosberg was three tenths fastest, but then found himself in second-place after the next round of hot laps. Hamilton made a mistake on his last run, and Rosberg was looking to take advantage, before he lost it at turns eight and nine, and beached it on the gravel.
Race: P1
Rosberg, starting on options, got the better start, and led into the first corner. After a nasty crash between Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, Rosberg comfortably pulled away when the safety car came in. Hamilton began to close the two-second gap, but then Rosberg responded by setting the quick laps, and eventually built a four-second gap over the Brit. Rosberg’s pit-stop was 2.7 seconds, and then he set about doing the fastest lap of the race to pull out a lead to his team-mate, who was about to pit. A slower pit stop, and a time penalty for Hamilton, meant that Rosberg had a comfortable cushion to lead the race with. An issue with vibration on his front tyres, near the end of the race, did give the German some anxiety, but he was able to manage it. Rosberg went on to win the Austrian Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, and take his 11th F1 career win.
No. 44 Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
Grid: P1
Hamilton had struggled in practise to find the right balance in the car, especially in the final sector. A moment on his final run in Q1, nearly dropped him out of the running, as he only finished the session in 13th place. He had come up to the slower McLaren of Jenson Button, and nearly went off at Remus. Order was restored in Q2, but he still found himself shy of Rosberg’s time by four tenths. The Brit had a lot to do to get pole position here. Out of nowhere, Hamilton posted a 1:08.455 to get provisional pole. On the final run, Hamilton lost it at Castrol, but due to Rosberg’s error he gained his 45th pole of his career, and became the first British driver, since James Hunt in 1976, to get pole position at Austrian Grand Prix.
Race: P2
Hamilton, starting on options, lost the lead to his team-mate on the first corner after the German had a better getaway. Before the round of pit-stops, Hamilton closed the gap from four seconds to under two seconds. Hamilton’s stop was 0.4 seconds slower than Rosberg’s, and then found himself with a five-second time penalty for crossing the pit exit line. With a mountain to climb, Hamilton eased off a little, and brought the car home in second, to record the team’s 16th 1-2 since the beginning of the V6 turbo era.
Drivers’ Standings
1 Hamilton 169 points
2 Rosberg 159
3 Vettel 120
4 Raikkonen 72
5 Bottas 67
Constructors’ Standings
1 Mercedes 328 points
2 Ferrari 192
3 Williams 129
4 Red Bull 55
5 Force India 31
Another dominant showing from the Silver Arrows, which will leave the rest of the field wondering what they have to do to even compete with these pair. Silverstone is next, and Hamilton would be looking at home support to help me gain back the upper-hand, but with Rosberg’s third win in four races, then the championship battle is very much on.
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