Budapest - The unstable relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg threatened to boil over in the drivers' press conference room on Sunday afternoon following the Hungarian Grand Prix as the pair clashed over Saturday's controversial qualifying session.
Rosberg was able to take pole position despite driving through a section of the track that was under double yellow flag conditions, with the rule book requiring drivers to “slow down and be prepared to stop”. Video footage revealed that Rosberg had lifted going into turn eight and again for turn nine, where Fernando Alonso's McLaren had been parked on the exit of the corner.
By the time Rosberg arrived though, Alonso had recovered and the yellow flags were retracted, allowing the German to continue on his way to set a faster lap time than Hamilton after the three-time world champion aborted his final lap. The incident didn't have a decisive influence on the race though as Hamilton made the faster start - on the dirt side of the track - and led all the way to the chequered flag, with Rosberg unable to challenge his Mercedes team-mate.
Hamilton wasn't entirely happy about Saturday's situation though, and called on the ruling to be clarified to determine whether a driver reducing their speed by 20km/h - as Rosberg did - was adequate enough to fulfil the rule.
The whole 23 years of racing, if it's a double-yellow flag, you be prepared to stop and Nico was doing the same speed at the apex as I was doing on the previous timed lap,” Hamilton said when sat alongside Rosberg and Daniel Riccardo in the drivers' press conference.
It's a concern. Going into the next race, we could be going for pole position through double-yellow flags and now we know we only have to do a small lift and lose one tenth of a second, go purple through the sector, and we'll be fine.
Rosberg retort
Nico Rosberg, clearly unimpressed with Hamilton's remarks, patted Hamilton on the back and said sarcastically: “Thank you for that statement.”
Rosberg added: “What you have to do under double-yellows is significantly reduce your speed. I went 20km/h slower, 20km/h is a different world in a Formula 1 car. I lifted off 30 metres before my braking point.
“Definitely I significantly reduced my speed and for the stewards that was completely acceptable, it was very, very clear what I did.”
Rosberg is also choosing to be optimistic in his feud with Hamilton, despite witnessing a 43-point lead disappear through Hamilton's five race wins since the Spanish Grand Prix Where to two took each other off on the opening lap. Hamilton has labelled the incident a turning point in his season, but Rosberg does not believe that a single moment can be identified as a momentum shift.
He’s not counting points?
I've always said I'm not counting points, Rosberg added. It ebbs and flows and it's always going to be a tough battle against him because he's the world champion. It's still close and it just takes a small thing to switch it the other way and I want to do that at Hockenheim on Sunday.
Hamilton disagreed: “I think Spain was definitely a turning point. It didn't feel like it was, but it was rock bottom. The only way was up. I just managed to get my head together, and get my s*** together and get on with it.”
Things are about to get harder for Hamilton though. The Formula 1 circus heads to Germany for the first time since 2014 where Rosberg will be on home soil, and Hamilton can expect the same hostile reception he faced in Austria as well as the one that greeted Rosberg at Silverstone.
More worryingly, Hamilton's early season reliability troubles mean he is certain to face a grid penalty during the remainder of the year, with Hamilton admitting that he is likely to take it in either Belgium or Italy.
“I have less engines, my mechanics had been changed, and all these different things didn't seem to be working,” Hamilton added.
“But since Spain we've pulled together, and I'd love to come out of the next race with a result like this so when I do go to Spa or Monza and have a penalty and start from the pit lane or last place, that is a minimum damage.
“It doesn't mean I'm 25 points behind. I don't really want to go back to there.”
With Hockenheim returning to the calendar this weekend after the German Grand Prix was cancelled last season, Rosberg returns to his home track knowing he triumphed there in 2014. His boss, Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff, is also refusing to rule him out of the running, and supports his belief that there has not been a turning point along the way this year.
Asked if Spain changed the balance of the title battle, Wolff said: “No, because at the beginning of the season he won so many points against Lewis you can see it swings both directions.
“We'll see that swing through the season, and my feeling is that the championship will go to the end.”
The Independent