Rosberg And Hamilton Bring To Mind Classic Formula 1 Rivalries
As Johnny Herbert hot-foots it around the planet, covering this tense Formula 1 season as part of Sky Sports’ commentary team, the Drivers’ Championship race continues to twist and turn. Johnny was in Singapore last Sunday night to witness Nico Rosberg fail to finish and Lewis Hamilton take the victory. In one fell swoop the Briton had overturned the 22 point lead of his Mercedes-Benz teammate and rival and established a slender 3 point lead for himself going into the final 5 races of 2014.
This year’s contest has seen the relationship between Hamilton and his German counterpart hit the skids, most spectacularly in Belgium when Rosberg was blamed for causing a contact the ended Lewis’ race. A fortnight later at Monza, the pressure seemed to tell on Nico as he erred under braking and handed Hamilton the win and tensions at Mercedes-Benz HQ at Brackley have remained high despite the team looking a shoo-in for the Constructors’ Championship.
With the rivalry building between the pair and a close finish to the season looking almost inevitable, now is a fine time to remind ourselves of some earlier driver rivalries to have captivated the world’s most glamorous motorsport.
Hamilton - Alonso
This is not the first time Lewis Hamilton has had a fractious relationship with a teammate. In his 2008 debut F1 season, in which he amazed the paddock with his consistent podium finishes, he was paired with Fernando Alonso at McLaren. Although catching Alonso at Monaco, to his aggravation Lewis was told to hold his position and not challenge for the win.
Then at Hungary Lewis reneged on a pre-session agreement to let the Spaniard through in Q3 so Alonso retaliated by blocking Hamilton in the pits and team were not awarded points as a result of the spat. That the Spygate affair soured Alonso’s relationship with McLaren didn’t stop him and Hamilton squabbling and Hamilton’s predecessor at the team, the Finn Kimi Raikkonen, went on to narrowly take the title ahead of the two tied on 109 points.
Schumacher – Hill
Damon Hill was Williams’ number 1 driver following Senna’s death in 1994, yet he faced huge opposition from World Champion Michael Schumacher. Despite Schumacher’s talent, Hill beat him in a very wet race in Japan in 1994. Schumacher was shocked by Hill’s victory as it meant he was going into the Adelaide finale only one point behind him. At the much-anticipated final race, Schumacher deliberately crashed into Hill, sending them both out of the running and conveniently securing him the title.
This outcome set off a rivalry that played out between them in the media the following year. In 1995, Hill continued to race aggressively and ran into Schumacher during races at Silverstone and Monza, but it was Schumacher who eventually came out on top to take the title. After this, both drivers moved to different teams, with Hill moving on to the less competitive Arrows set-up and Schumacher joining a resurgent Ferrari. For now their rivalry had become redundant but the Canadian Grand Prix in 1998 saw a brief resurrection of hostilities when Hill defended a podium spot from the German. Schumacher declared Hill’s technique has ‘purely dangerous driving.’
Prost – Senna
It comes as no surprise that as two of the top Formula One drivers in the world in 1988, such a competitive relationship developed between McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The pair dominated the season with Senna winning the Championship. Prost disliked Senna’s aggressive style of driving and when the Brazilian ran him into a wall at the Portuguese Grand Prix no love was lost. After this conflict, McLaren stated that neither driver would interfere with each other in the future, but Senna quickly dismissed the agreement, leaving Prost even angrier.
Following this, Prost decided to move from McLaren to Ferrari which only seemed to increase their rivalry. During the 1989 Championship, Senna collided with Prost, arguably with the intention of usurping his crown. Prost was the only driver standing in the way of Senna’s title ambitions. Despite their infamous competition, the pair had great respect for one another and Prost was actually a pallbearer at Senna’s funeral after his tragic death in 1994. Prost claimed that part of him died with Senna due to the great rivalry they had shared.
Lauda – Hunt
The rivalry between the Austrian Niki Lauda and Britain’s James Hunt was characterised by the difference in their personalities. Hunt was seen as a playboy, courageous and devastatingly quick on the track but not one to take things seriously. Lauda on the other hand was technical and methodical and he was the model of consistency. Their rivalry first developed in Formula Three in 1970 and remained strong as they vied for the 1976 F1 title.
At the notoriously dangerous Nurburgring, Lauda wanted the race cancelled due to heavy rain. Hunt convinced the other drivers a cancellation would hand an advantage to the Austrian, who held a strong lead good lead in the title race, and the race went ahead. As the rain stopped and the track dried, Lauda had a near-fatal crash, sustaining terrible burns to his head. While he recuperated in hospital, Hunt dominated and recouped much of the points difference.
Lauda disobeyed the doctors to make a swift return at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing fourth, and Hunt failed to finish, setting up a decider at the last, rain-soaked race of the year in Japan. During the second lap, Lauda pulled out of the race with understandable safety fears, leaving Hunt only needing to finish third to take the title. Hunt got through the gruelling race to pick up the points he required and was crowned 1976 Formula 1 Champion by a margin of just one point. The rivalry between Lauda and Hunt was beautifully covered in the 2013 film, Rush.
The rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton is not the first seen in Formula 1 and it most certainly won’t be the last. That said, it is lighting up the second half of this season and adding to the drama of what will be a close finish. There are 5 races to go and Johnny will bring you all the action and opinion between now and the season-ending Grand Prix at the Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi on 23rd November.