It’s been quite a week in Formula 1. Not only have we been in Monaco, which – in case you missed it – is quite a big race weekend for us, but the most explosive driver rivalry in years has sparked into life.
And one man has been at the heart of it: Lewis Hamilton.
Over the past few weeks, the mind games at Mercedes have certainly been brewing. Hamilton might have won the last four races, but he continually said: “Nico was quicker.” Essentially, it was a back-handed way of saying “I was slower, and yet I still won!”
All the while, Rosberg remained tight-lipped and said very little on the matter. He was quoted in one interview as saying that there would always be something in his fridge for Lewis. These two have been friends since their karting days, but now the cracks are appearing.
In qualifying, Nico went off when on provisional pole and brought out the yellow flags, denying his rivals of a better lap time. Frankly, it appeared to be an innocent error, and the stewards thought so too after investigating the matter.
Hamilton was less than convinced, though. He didn’t smile at all after qualifying despite securing a front-row start, and he said very little on the matter. Rosberg apologized, but in the press conference Lewis just muttered: “Yeah… I was up a couple of tenths… yeah.”
Then, in the FIA media pen after the race, Hamilton spoke to the media and made his true feelings clear. He was asked whether he thought the move was deliberate, à la Michael Schumacher at La Rascasse in 2006.
“Who knows?” Lewis replied. “I’m not saying anything.”
Mercedes soon began to dissect the matter, cancelling its usual press briefing in order to deal with the FIA. When the stewards decided that Rosberg had done nothing wrong, it was confirmed that he would start from pole position tomorrow.
Hamilton might have had the momentum coming into the race weekend, but if Nico can indeed win tomorrow, the scales will tip back in his favor. Not only will he regain the lead of the drivers’ championship, but he would also have beaten Hamilton in spite of his mind games. In the wake of everything, the questions about his hunger to win, the questions about his morality, he will have beaten him.
And of all the races, Monaco is the one that Lewis so dearly wants. He won here in 2008, but has not appeared on the podium since. Never before has a driver won five straight races and not won the title; Lewis currently stands on four. If Nico can spoil his party, it would be a sweet victory for the German.
Let’s just hope they keep it clean. Whoever has the lead heading up the hill from Sainte Devote tomorrow should take a huge step towards winning the race, and – who knows – maybe the championship.
Make sure you’re watching the Monaco Grand Prix live on NBC from 7:30am ET tomorrow. It has the makings of a classic.