East Londoner wrote:GROSJEAN YOU HERO.
What the hell has happened to McLaren since Melbourne?
They have been falling back down the grid at a vast rate of knots, such that their podium in Melbourne currently looks more like a fluke result than a true reflection of their performance. So much for Ron Dennis and his boasts that McLaren would be more competitive in Malaysia and would be winning races this year - with Mercedes out front, Red Bull rapidly gaining, Ferrari making a few small gains and even Force India and Williams nipping at the heels of the larger teams, McLaren seem to be falling back to where they were in 2013.
Whilst they looked competitive in pre-season testing, they were unable to build upon that when they had to postpone their Melbourne spec upgrade package and now it seems that the larger upgrades have been postponed until they get back to Europe.
LionZoo wrote:Anyone else think Lewis is in Nico's head just a little? Uncharacteristic mistakes two laps in a row by Rosberg, all while he was trying to push to beat Hamilton.
Whilst I wouldn't have thought of Rosberg as the sort of person who would be easily rattled, he has been a little more error prone than you'd expect today.
I'd agree that, possibly, he is feeling a bit of pressure from Hamilton - given Nico's reputation as a bit of a specialist around this circuit (having picked up a podium in 2010, having been in the frame for victory in 2011 when leading the race and winning in 2012), he might have hoped to put Hamilton under more pressure given that Hamilton has been slightly on the back foot after losing practise time due to his suspension issues.
However, when it has come down to it, once again it looks as if Hamilton's slight edge in single lap pace has paid off - perhaps the gap in Q2 might have unsettled Rosberg a bit, or perhaps it was also the impact of the two Red Bull drivers entering into the picture too, but either way something seems to have slightly upset his rhythm.
eytl wrote:Wasn't this the site of Button's "Ricciardo, wow" radio message last year or the year before?
Dan's done it again. For me this was even more impressive than Australia because he was way off Seb in Q1 and Q2 but he pulled something out of the bag in Q3 when it mattered. Rather like what Vettel himself is used to doing.
And that is what might especially hurt for Vettel - whilst normally he is the one used to upstaging his rivals with a major upset, instead this time around he couldn't improve whilst Ricciardo made major advances. The fact that it came in wet conditions too - conditions where Vettel had made a name for himself as a competitive driver - might make it all the slightly more galling for him. If Vettel struggles for a few more races, I can see him coming under increasing pressure from a press that may start questioning his achievements.
