Rosberg and Lewis still poles apart

NICO ROSBERG was speaking to the Formula One audiences of Europe in several tongues yesterday, but there is a man for whom he is struggling to find a word: Lewis Hamilton.

It was the British driver who took a thoroughly dominant pole position for this morning’s Japanese Grand Prix – his first at Suzuka, and one of the 71 that registered most highly because this figure-of-eight track is one of the sport’s cathedrals. Rosberg, the reigning world champion, was instead working for Sky TV a year on from his last ever race win. He is a rare caller to the paddock these days, having only been on parade at Monaco and Silverstone before showing up here.

One might have expected two old karting buddies at least to have said hello. After all, as he made his way through the throng yesterday, Rosberg stopped and shook hands with most people or did the voguish driver-to-driver greeting of a double-slap bear hug. ‘I haven’t spoken to Lewis for a while,’ said Rosberg, before adding: ‘He’s all over the place.’

It goes to show how seriously relations between the pair were damaged by their bitter fight for the title last year. Rosberg could have been right in the mix again 12 months on, but instead he is as happy as a retired Larry, and a father of two little girls.

Still, the cars looked tremendously bestial around here in qualifying, a sensation borne out by the times. Hamilton’s qualifying lap was the quickest ever at Suzuka, obliterating by more than a second the mark set by Michael Schumacher 11 years ago.

‘I am very excited about this because the two best drivers I saw in my 20 years in motor racing were Robert [Kubica] and Lewis,’ said Rosberg.

So, Rosberg can at least pay his former team-mate compliments, and he makes this semi-prediction: ‘Lewis is the strong favourite. He is driving very well, the momentum is with him, the car is good.’