In 2013 F1 fans had the pleasure of watching Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton together at Mercedes for the first time. As we knew it, they were great friends who had come through the ranks together both in Karting and junior formula. Now, finally they could share a Formula One team together to find out which of the two was fastest for certain.
The W04 was a good car, but it never had the race pace to be consistently fighting for wins compared to Red Bull’s RB9. Nevertheless, Nico and Lewis racked up three wins and eight pole positions between them in the 2013 season. All seemed to be going well for Mercedes, and the 2014 season was looked forward to with great excitement.
Come 2014, come new aero rules and power unit regulations that changed the face of the sport. The Mercedes W05 Hybrid was a piece of engineering genius. It totally changed the face of Formula One. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton would go toe to toe for the World Championship in the same car, something they always wanted to do as kids. The result was a close-run and fiery battle for supremacy which culminated in Lewis Hamilton being crowned world champion for the second time.
But now, with a third of the 2015 season up and with Hamilton gradually building a gap ahead of his team-mate, a permeating question must be asked: should Nico Rosberg be looking over his shoulder?
Throughout 2014 the tide swapped between the pair all season. Entering the Hungarian Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg was on pole position while Lewis would start from the pitlane due to his engine fire in Q1. Everything seemed to be in Nico’s favour, but a dramatic turn of events in the race found Nico stuck behind Lewis towards the end. Rosberg was very annoyed that he could not get past Hamilton, and he vented his frustrations afterwards.
Heading into the Belgian Grand Prix after the summer break it was clear both were set to do battle once more for that final push to the title. Lewis led away from pole and on lap two they touched with both sustaining damage but Lewis’ was terminal and he eventually retired from the race.
Nico finished second behind Daniel Ricciardo and was subsequently booed on the podium. This very moment swung Nico Rosberg from being on an absolute high to his lowest low. Ever since this incident he hasn’t seemed the same man. Something is missing from him now and I wonder if he can ever recover.
Every time they are racing on track together it always feels as if Lewis has Nico covered from every angle and knows exactly how do to deal with whatever is thrown at him. Nico has not won a direct fight with Lewis throughout their time as team-mates.
Nico is a good driver; there is no mistaking that. However, on track he has never overtaken Lewis on circuit for a race win, and he only won five races to Lewis’ eleven in 2014. He is a consistent finisher, which is always ideal for a team, and he speaks many languages, which will endear him to the team further for PR purposes. What’s more, he is a German in a German team: he is part of a national heritage.
Despite this, with the likes Valtteri Bottas and Pascal Wherlein waiting in the wings, could Nico be out of a drive with Mercedes if he does not pick up his pace to challenge Lewis once more? He is a popular figure at Mercedes, but as their ambitions increase his consistency and PR skills will not be enough: he must start challenging Hamilton more directly and, more importantly, winning more races.
