Definitely deliberate with no subtlety. The top drivers will deliver deliberate moves to disrupt other drivers but will be subtle. Hamilton would have made the apex if the shoe was on the other foot, however he would have gradually pushed him out on the exit of the corner. People are saying it was similar to the move Hamilton played on Rosberg at Canada. Nothing of the like, Hamilton pushed him out but his wheels were ahead so he had every right. Hamilton is aggressive but fair.
It seems to me that Rosberg can only win from the front without pressure. When he's under pressure, he cracks, just like Austin last year and this race. Hamilton always seems to have to work harder for a win and I think he has the psychological edge over Rosberg.
It was an intentional block. A clumsy effort, but intentional. Rosberg ballsed it up and he paid the price for it. Not much more to it than that for me.
Lewis has done this many, many times to Nico, so I'm glad Nico finally has the guts not to back out. I know it cost him today, but I hope it pays dividends in the future. For me the real issue is why did they pit Lewis first. Normally I thought the driver in front on the track had first pit stop, but they seems to favour Lewis yet again but giving him the undercut. If they did the pit stops normally then the 2 drivers wouldn't of been anywhere near each other on track.
It's probably been 6 hours now so I can return. There's no denying that Hamilton is an aggressive driver, a driver who will push a driver off to gain an advantage. However, it's what I guess you could call controlled, controlled aggression which means you can often get away with it. You can see it coming so you know you have to be well ahead if you're committing to a move, otherwise Hamilton will punish you. Hard to put into words really, but I'm sure you get the gist. Rosberg on the other hand just seems clumsy when he goes for over the top aggression. It just looks bad, he's a fast and consistent driver, he should play to his talents which given Hamiltons impending PU penalties will win him the WDC this year. If he changes his game to mirror Hamilton more then things like this will happen, and if you do it clumsily then you can't guarantee that the other driver will come off worse. Thats what today was, a clumsy attempt at aggression. As an a side, F1 is a sport, and sports are there for enjoyment, there's no need to get over the top and dramatic about it all. I see someones taken todays events to heart judging by whats happened to their profile/posts.
Really hope EMSC cools off a bit and comes back. It's really not worth getting upset about. Monday in France was worth getting upset about. Maybe there's some residual rage.
The question is now what Mercedes do about this. Both drivers are aggressive and at times overstep the mark, but as seems to be the opinion here, Hamilton tends to be consciously aggressive which is perhaps more predictable, whereas Rosberg gets wild under pressure. For example, this year's Spanish GP wasn't the first time Rosberg has been criticised for chopping across to the inside at the exit of a corner to block an overtake: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/17808396 Team orders would be an outrage. The two of them were running 1-2, if one of them has overheating brakes, which it seems is indicated on the steering wheel and the other can't make a perfectly reasonable attempt an overtake, then God help F1.
I have no idea how the team cope with it. Any sections against either driver will only hurt themselves in the long run, and I doubt they'll respect team orders with a championship up for grabs. I think all they can do is appeal to them not to do any more stupid s*** and hope for the best.
The simple answer for them is to have a number 1 and a number 2 driver. But given their domination recently that is not good for the fans at all. Plus both Lewis and Nico would want to be the number 1 driver so they would have to get rid of one or the other. I don't think either would respect team orders. Can you imagine it, last race of the season the winner wins the title and they are told to stay in their positions? Who ever is 2nd would not accept that and try to challenge and I wouldn't blame them.
If they were to go 1 / 2 then by championship standings it would go to Rosberg and Hamilton wouldn't be having that at all. I think all they can do is let them race.
You could also look at it another way. Lewis had a large advantage over Rosberg at the start and they kept Lewis out for far too long and it put him behind Rosberg after the first round of pit stops. If Mercedes had bought Lewis in just 2 or 3 laps prior, this wouldn't have happened and a 1-2 would have probably been on the cards.
Whilst I have said that I feel that Nico was blatent in what he did today, your comment was sort of my underlying point - but more aimed at the way the stewards switch in how the rules are implemented.
I don't mean after x number of races but a clear 1/2 in the team from start to finish. Like Ferrari, Vettel is clearly the number 1 driver even if Kimi is level on points now. I hope they don't do this as I like the racing but if RBR and Ferrari continue to catch them and McLaren live up to their constant promises of "next season" then it might be best for them to have a clear ranking in the team.
