Hamilton: Rosberg “drove really well today, no mistakes, no gust of wind”

By Nov 1, 2015, 6:18 PM EST
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Lewis Hamilton praised Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg following his victory in Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix that saw the German driver end a four-month win drought and become the first victor at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 23 years.

Formula 1 returned to Mexico for the first time since 1992 this weekend, and it was Rosberg who executed a near-perfect display en route to his fourth victory of the season.

One week on from his defeat in Austin, the German driver led all but four laps in Mexico City as he reclaimed second place in the drivers’ championship with two races to go.

Hamilton praised Rosberg for his performance, but could not resist mentioning the gust of wind that Rosberg blamed his late error in the United States Grand Prix on that cost him the race win seven days ago.

“Nico drove really well today, no mistakes, no gust of wind,” Hamilton said. “It was very difficult to follow here but what a crowd we had today, it was just incredible.

“I gave it my all, it was quite fun actually just to be able to push and not really have to be worrying about points or anything like that. Just go out and just race. That was one of the fun races for me.”

Hamilton was confirmed as the 2015 F1 world champion last time out in Austin, but denied that the lack of pressure had caused him to ease off in Mexico.

“Not at all. I was pushing the whole way it’s just that you can’t follow,” Hamilton said. “Soon as I’d get four, five, a few car lengths behind, just to lose the aero, and he had perfect aero so it was impossible to get close enough.

“I had good pace – but as soon as you get closer and closer and closer you lose all your downforce.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay hired as replacement for Conor Daly at Ed Carpenter Racing

By Jun 8, 2023, 9:05 AM EDT
Ryan Hunter-Reay Carpenter
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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”