Lewis v Nico: 2014 Summary to date

Hello good people, my good friend BTCCWTCCF1MOTOGPSBK and I were having a discussion on controlling a race and he gave me an idea for an article. It is a long read, so please humour me. I am a Hamilton fan and have done my best to be unbiased. Please see below a summary of their respective seasons so far;

2014 F1 driver comparison: Hamilton versus Rosberg
Qualifying Comparison Race Results Points Balance
Race Hamilton Rosberg Hamilton Rosberg Hamilton Rosberg
Australia 1 3 DNF 1 0 25
Malaysia 1 3 1 2 25 43
Bahrain 2 1 1 2 50 61
China 1 4 1 2 75 79
Spain 1 2 1 2 100 97
Monaco 2 1 2 1 118 122
Canada 2 1 DNF 2 118 140
Austria 9 3 2 1 136 165
Great Britain 6 1 1 DNF 161 165
Germany 20 1 3 1 176 190
Hungary 22 1 3 4 191 202
Belgium 2 1 DNF 2 191 220
Italy 1 2 1 2 216 238
Singapore 1 2 1 DNF 241 238
Japan 2 1 1 2 266 256
Russia 1 2 1 2 291 274
United States 2 1 1 2 316 292
Brazil 2 1 2 1 334 317
Total Best 7 11 9 4 334 317

Best Qualifier: Rosberg (Has won the Pole Trophy)
Best Race Results: Hamilton
Most points: Hamilton

Now, let us look at those results in greater detail. Looking only at races with reliability or incidents that affected quali or the race itself;
Australia: Hamilton on pole, reliability ended his race, Rosberg wins race
Monaco: Rosberg ended quali to ensure he had pole by not only pretending to lose control of the car but reversing back to the track to ensure yellow flags prevented anyone from going quicker.

Canada: Rosberg cuts chicane escapes punishment. Both suffer ERS failures, Rosberg nurses’ car home, Hamilton DNF. One could argue that if Hamilton has been more cautious in the turbulent air, he could have nursed his car home too. Also if the stewards had punished Nico for his track excursion the roles may have been reversed.

Austria: Hamilton bottled it in qualifying. Nico led from flag to finish. Some have complained about botched pit stops but Nico won that race fair and square

Great Britain: Brain fade moment from Hamilton in quali, Nico suffered unreliability and did not finish the race. Hamilton was clearly quicker in race trim though.

Germany: Brake failure made Hamilton start from further down the grid. Rosberg won race. There was an incident with Sutil’s car which should have brought out a safety car but that did not happen. Do not believe it would have affected the outcome. Rosberg win

Hungary: Hamilton’s car catches fire and he starts from pit lane. Rosberg in cruise control until accidents which forced pit stops and brought Hamilton back into play. Hamilton had a similar NGUK problem he had in Canada which is why he was unable to get past Alonso as he lost close to 120BHP. Rosberg in spite of the issues was unable to get past Vergne which destroyed his own race and Hamilton did not slow down to let him through which in hindsight was a smart move. He did say he would not make it difficult for Nico if he came close but he never did.

Belgium: Rosberg takes out Hamilton, DNF for Hamilton, Rosberg finishes in second place.

Italy: Rosberg bottled it twice in the lead and Hamilton won the race
Singapore: Foreign substance in Nico’s steering column, DNF

Japan: Bad weather caused problems; Hamilton overtook Nico with ease and won the race

Russia: Nico bottled it in the first corner

Brazil: Hamilton spinning handed the advantage to Rosberg. Hamilton did look to have the faster package on the day

Over the course of the season it has been refreshing to see Mercedes let their drivers’ race, something we never saw with RedBull and Ferrari. It is also clear to see who the superior driver is with Lewis winning double the races Nico has won.

Nico did win the pole position trophy which is amazing considering how quick Hamilton is but when you critically assess it, the pole trophy may have not been awarded yet as I think Hamilton in Germany and Hungary would have been there are thereabouts without reliability issues.
It has been an enjoyable season, one of the best in a very long time with racing all over the field. I just hope it is not decided by reliability.

Cheers