We all know that on his day Nico Rosberg can be a very fast and hard driver to catch, but it seems more often than not he cannot match Lewis Hamilton in the same car for whatever reason it may be. Nico has proved many a time he can fight with the best and be fast enough to win, but when push comes to shove, he seems to lack the final conviction; that grand blow to his rivals that says “I’m getting through regardless of what happens.”
Will Nico Rosberg Ever Be A World Champion?
In 2006 Nico Rosberg announced himself to the Formula One world when he set the fastest lap at the opening race in Bahrain. He became the youngest driver to set a fastest lap — a record he still holds to this day.
For many years he toiled at Williams in hope that their competitive edge would return. In 2009 the aerodynamic rules changed dramatically. Williams, along with Brawn and Toyota, exploited a loophole in the rules creating the ‘double diffuser’ enabling the cars to utilise extra downforce.
2009 proved a better year for Williams, scoring regular points, and Nico came close to his first win at the Singapore Grand Prix, but his running over the pit exit line and incurring a drive through penalty dashed any hopes of a maiden win.
2012 finally saw Nico get his first win at the Chinese Grand Prix. It was Mercedes’ only win of the season but it was a signal of intent that he and Mercedes were pushing towards the front of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton became Nico Rosberg’s new team-mate in 2013 and it was thought it would be a great relationship for the team and driver pairing, considering they grew up racing against each other. Nico won two races in that year to Lewis’ one, but the story was yet to truly get off the mark.
The story of 2014 was a crucial one for Nico, and winning the opener in Australia was a great way to start the season.
2014 Bahrain Grand Prix
I want to highlight the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix. A race-long battle culminated in a twelve lap showdown after the safety car went in. Lewis was on the harder tyre and Nico on the soft. The two were in a side by side shoot-out towards the end of the race. While Nico showed conviction in his efforts to get by, he was always second best and it was hard to see how he let it happen.
Hungary and Belgium
Two further events in Nico’s career which must be remembered with regards to the main question is the 2014 Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix.
After Hamilton’s engine fire in qualifying he was to start from the pitlane, Rosberg on Pole. If there was a time to capitalise on a points advantage it was now.
http://youtu.be/b_4qkL32aXM
A call to his team asking Lewis to move over called to question his mentality over the championship fight. Why did he think Lewis would let him by? His one championship rival that was ahead of him on the race track. It was a very peculiar call because it came across that he thought it was his title to take without realising there were still nine races left.
After the summer break it was clear that Nico was still frustrated over the events of Hungary and it certainly showed. After getting a poor getaway off the grid he lost positions to Hamilton and Vettel. The latter tried to go round the outside of Lewis into Les Combes and could not pull the move off so he went through the run off area to rejoin.
Lap two: Nico got the run on Lewis up the Kemmel straight and as Lewis defended against Vettel. He went to make the same move as his compatriot, kept his nose in and collided with Hamilton. While it was a racing incident, why did Nico think it was a good idea to keep his nose in a gap that was always going to close?
Aftermath
As Nico stepped out onto the podium he was massively booed by the fans below and any confidence he had left was shattered from within. Mercedes reprimanded him also after the accident which was a further blow to his mental state.
Since that Belgian Grand Prix a different Nico Rosberg has come to the fore. This is quite simply because despite what he says to the media, he has had to change his driving approach to ensure that the events of Belgium don’t happen again.
Losing the championship to Lewis can’t have been easy to swallow, but 2015 could have been a fresh start for Nico; yet he hasn’t taken the chance to make it so. Despite driving the best car on the grid he cannot seem to overhaul Lewis despite the same machinery.
Does Nico Rosberg need to re-find himself? Even leave Mercedes to refresh his career? One thing for sure is that he hasn’t got long to decide his future.
