Sir Jackie Stewart may feel that Lewis Hamilton is the clear number one driver at Mercedes AMG Petronas but that’s not how team boss Ross brawn sees it:
“Of course Lewis wants to race – in the contractual negotiations we had with Lewis, never was the issue of who was number one or number two ever mentioned from his side,” Brawn said on The F1 Show.
“All he wants is parity – he wants the same equipment, the same opportunity and that is great that he has that confidence and that approach that he doesn’t want favouritism – he just wants parity and I think that is what Lewis felt a little bit awkward about the situation.”
Sure, Malaysia’s team order to hold station were obediently followed by Nico Rosberg allowing Hamilton to claim the 3rd step on the podium but that is just smart racing according to Brawn:
“I don’t like having to take those decisions, but from a technical perspective we would have looked very foolish if we had run both cars out of fuel,” he said.
“I think what wasn’t fully appreciated at the time is that we had a situation develop on both cars with fuel. We weren’t comfortable with either car and I could see a scenario with both drivers competing against each other, in a strong way, it is difficult to marry managing the fuel with a full blown fight with your team-mate.
“I didn’t like having to give the orders I gave in Malaysia, it is not in my sporting nature and the team have demonstrated many times in the fast that we are very happy to let our drivers race each other – over the past few years we have often done that.”
Of course he must be referring to a ‘sporting nature’ that has changed since the Ferrari days when every race was orchestrated with team orders and arranged outcomes usually on the losing end for Rubens Barrichello but that’s how the sport is played, it is a team sport and drivers know that all too well.
Let’s not be silly here, Mercedes went after lewis Hamilton and it’s most evidently clear their main push will be behind the British champion but that’s not to say that Rosberg is chopped liver. He’s a tidy driver who was clearly faster than Lewis in Malaysia. The reality is, the position is most likely Hamilton’s but if rosberg doesn’t like it, he’ll have to do to Hamilton what Lewis did to Fernando Alonso when they were teammates. he’ll have to do to hamilton what Senna did to his boss, Nikki Lauda.
In short, he’ll have to de-thrown the king and claim the number one status. Can he do it?
