Merc to Rosberg, Hamilton: race away, just don’t crash
LONDON: Mercedes will reportedly allow their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to race freely for the rest of the F1 season following a thrilling battle at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe said that there is no reason to not allow the two racers to race as they pleased without any team orders.
“Imagine if we had imposed team orders from lap two, what a terrible thing that would be for F1 and the philosophy of Mercedes motorsport,” Lowe was quoted as saying. “It’s something that we base ourselves on and the sport is about, but it’s also about the drivers. They are great drivers and professionals and you want to give them the opportunity to race.”
Hamilton reportedly held off Rosberg at Sakhir on Sunday, while the team’s only demand was that the drivers did not crash.
The two teammates were side by side many times during the race, with each pushing the other to the limits of the track and beyond while fighting for victory, the BBC reported.
ROSBERG FASTEST
MANAMA: Mercedes’ domination continued as Nico Rosberg posted the fastest time on the first day of in-season testing at Sakhir on Tuesday. All 11 teams have stayed back for the first of eight days of in-season testing. Each of the four pairs of test days are being held immediately after race weekends. The signs have been ominous for the Renault and Ferraripowered cars from the first pre-season test at Jerez itself; Day One of in-season testing at Sakhir on Tuesday proved no different. But for changeovers during pit stops, a Mercedes driver has led every lap of each of the three Grands Prix so far. It’s the most dominant start since 1992, when Williams led all of the first five races, plus the first 70 laps at Monaco.
Nothing beats watching teammates having a go at each other for on-track position. At Sakhir, we had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battling it out for the lead. The only instruction from Mercedes: Don’t take each other out. Two weeks earlier, it was deja vu for Felipe Massa at Sepang. The Brazilian, however, defied Williams’ team orders, refusing to let younger teammate Valtteri Bottas through.
Stepping into compatriot Mark Webber’s shoes proved rather tricky for Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver was stripped of his runner-up finish at his home GP in Australia, and was the victim of a botched pit stop in Malaysia. Starting from 13th in Bahrain as a result, Ricciardo charged up the field to finish fourth. His moment in the desert sun, though, was when Red Bull instructed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel to let his younger, “faster” teammate through.