Nico Rosberg Needs Williams to Help Him Topple Lewis Hamilton in Brazilian GP
It took 24 laps for Lewis Hamilton to find his way past Nico Rosberg in last weekend's United States Grand Prix, but the move was, psychologically, completed much earlier than that.
As the world focused on the crash between Sergio Perez, the Force India driver, and Adrian Sutil, his Sauber counterpart, at Turn 15 on the opening lap at the Circuit of the Americas last Sunday, the FOM television feed cut to a shot of one of the leading Mercedes cars rejoining the track just four corners up the road.
Rosberg, the pole-sitter and race leader, had run wide at Turn 19, the tricky left-hander, in his efforts to escape the clutches of Hamilton, who was pursuing his fifth consecutive victory and, more significantly, eager to take a giant step toward his second world championship.
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With the safety car deployed and the race neutralised to allow Sutil's stricken Sauber to be removed from the accident site, Rosberg was not sufficiently punished for his error, made little more than a minute into a 56-lap race.
Yet that brief off-track excursion set the tone for the remainder of the grand prix and there was a great sense of inevitability that Hamilton, at some point, would overtake his team-mate and ultimately win the race with ease, tightening his grip on the 2014 title.
Less than seven days after his surrender in the Austin, Texas event, Rosberg will face a similar situation when he lines up on the grid at the Interlagos grid for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Again, he will start from the very front of the field having secured his 10th pole position of the campaign, a result that ensures that he will become the inaugural winner of Formula One's Pole Position Trophy.
And again, Hamilton will begin the race just a few metres behind his Mercedes colleague.
Unlike last weekend, however—and, indeed, much of this season—the Silver Arrows should have some close company over the course of the grand prix, which could prove to be a significant lifeline for Rosberg as his title challenge loses momentum.
Despite having the edge over Hamilton in the one-lap arena this year, the German has struggled to contain his team-mate in a straight fight in racing conditions, with the Briton's expertise, bravery and aggression shining through whenever the Mercedes cars have run wheel-to-wheel.
The potential presence of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, the Williams drivers, in the fight at the front at Interlagos, though, could complicate matters and work in Rosberg's favour.
Williams, the only team other than Mercedes to secure a pole position this season, were unfortunate to miss out on beating the Silver Arrows in qualifying, with Massa, the home favourite, and Bottas—as per the official Formula One website—finishing Q3 just .224 seconds adrift of Rosberg's pole time respectively.
And should the Grove-based outfit carry that form into the race, Williams—Rosberg's employers between 2006 and 2009—could allow the German to make significant inroads into Hamilton's 24-point lead in the drivers' standings ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will see double points awarded to the top 10 finishers.
Rosberg performs at his best when he races at the slowest possible speed and exuding complete control.
Such a policy in the Brazilian Grand Prix—should the No. 6 car make it through the opening lap in the lead—could pay dividends if it has the effect of backing Hamilton into the paths of Massa, who will doubtlessly be punchy in front of his adoring fans, and Bottas, who has spent much of this season clinging on to Mercedes' coattails.
Should Hamilton face as big a threat from behind as he would hope to mount against Rosberg, the German would merely need to concentrate on perfecting his exits from Turn 12, the last slow corner of the lap, as well as the opening complex of corners to guard against the threat of DRS.
In a dry race, backing his team-mate into the pack would also serve to open up possibilities in terms of strategy—Pirelli's official website predicts that cars will make either two or three pit stops—and with Hamilton's stops generally slower than Rosberg's over the course of this season, it is plausible that the 2008 world champion could be jumped by at least one Williams driver in his visits to the slow lane.
Hamilton's substantial points lead means that finishing second behind Rosberg in the remaining two rounds would be enough for the British driver to claim title in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Winning is now not enough for Rosberg, who must shake his childhood friend out of that comfort zone by affecting Hamilton's finishing positions.
The direct option of clouting his team-mate at Turn 1 in a repeat of his antics in the Belgian Grand Prix is, for now at least, out of the question, but manipulating a race to ensure that Hamilton drops a place or two by the chequered flag is well within the capabilities of one of the most intelligent, cunning drivers on the grid.
Rosberg has been guilty of trying and failing to beat Hamilton at the British driver's own game in recent races, but in finishing at the top of the time sheets in every session of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend thus far the German has shown signs of going back to basics and playing to his own strengths.
His race management skills will be put to the ultimate test at Interlagos, where, with a little help from his friends, Rosberg could set up the most spectacular season finale.
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