Pertinent Or Petulant?

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, F1, AGP. (C)

    Confidence is paramount to a racing driver's psyche. To race in Formula One, a driver's ego must also aspire to a reasonably high level. However, they can also be a fickle bunch with emotions bordering on fragile if they feel someone's conspiring against them or support waning. As fans we love it when intra-team rivalries begin to simmer over and the heat between Mercedes team mates Nico Rosberg and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton is steadily increasing. 
    During the recent Chinese GP, over the team radio for all the world to hear, Rosberg felt he was being slowed up enough by leader Hamilton to push him back into the clutches of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. This prompted the team to urge Hamilton to speed up or risk the undercut of Rosberg by pitting him first. Was Rosberg making a valid point? Shouldn't he simply attack and try to overtake? Rosberg claimed he'd tried this earlier in the race but destroyed his tyres as he couldn't punch through Hamilton's dirty air, therefore was biding his time for an attack in the latter stages of the race.
    However, it was the post race press conference that made for compulsive viewing for the punters. A still clearly frustrated Rosberg strayed outside the standard corporate moniker and vented his spleen and questioned Hamilton's racecraft. With Hamilton stating it was not his brief to assist anybody else, this clearly did not appease Rosberg. Should the race leader control the pace of the race as they see fit? Isn't the optimum strategy to win the race at the slowest possible pace? Is Rosberg's argument justifiable, or is he just throwing his toys out of the pram? More to the point, should Rosberg have voiced his frustrations so publicly via the post race press conference? He had already stated his concerns over the radio to his team during the race. Is it a case of if Rosberg wants to control the race, he needs to out-qualify Hamilton, make the better start and get to the front? We thought the most telling factor was Hamilton's wry smirk, knowing he's got the measure of Rosberg and already at this early stage of the season, seems well on his way to a third driver's crown.
    Let the season unfold. Ciao....
     
    

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