The mudslinging has already begun between Mercedes’ two furious stars and the heat shows no signs of abating.
If you were wondering how everyone was feeling in the aftermath of that second Mercedes crash, wonder no more. Nico Rosberg is taking no responsibility for the way the race catapulted into disaster during the last lap, no matter what the penalty says about his decision to keep driving in a damaged car. He believes the blame for the fiasco lies squarely on Lewis Hamilton’s shoulders.
“I am absolutely gutted, it is unbelievable. The sport sometimes… I was sure to win that race and then I lost it on the last lap. It is pretty intense.
“We were battling and I was struggling a little bit with my brakes because they got a bit hot in the end and my tyres were degrading, so that gave Lewis a chance and nevertheless I was hoping I could defend and bring it home
“I had the inside position, a strong position and I went a bit deep into the corner which is fine because I dictate [the move] and I was very surprised that Lewis turned in and it caused a collision. I am absolutely gutted.”
Nico Rosberg
Just as Rosberg is adamant that Hamilton is purely to blame for his own lack of success, the Brit is neither silent nor contrite about his role in the whole matter.
Lewis Hamilton blames Nico Rosberg for their #AustrianGP collision: https://t.co/vopngQebn4 #SSNHQ #SkyF1 https://t.co/DWNvyr06vi
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 3, 2016
“I don’t feel either way, I don’t feel it was controversial. Nico made a mistake into Turn 1, clipped the kerb and went wide. I got a good run on him, he blocked the inside and I went outside.
“I was on racing line, he was on my blind side, I assumed he was there. I went very wide and as I started to turn, I was on the edge of the track and he collided with me. My guys said he had something up with the brakes, maybe, I’m not sure exactly what happened, I came back onto the track as quick as I could.”
Lewis Hamilton
Opinions on the matter are equally as polarised as these two’s. The fans heartily booed Hamilton on the podium, but the stewards, Niki Lauda and other such informed voices are weighing in that Rosberg was totally in the wrong for refusing to allow Hamilton to get by. Toto Wolff’s going to have quite the pickle on his hands sorting things out between the two. We doubt he’ll be able to get this to blow over by never mentioning again like he did the last time this happened. Can these two operate as team members anymore or will we be hearing about a momentous shift pretty soon.
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