After a contentious 2014 campaign, Nico Rosberg was keen to hit the reset hit button as quickly as possible and get about his business this year.
By contrast, reigning champion Lewis Hamilton surfed the wave of euphoria for as long as he could and after a dominant performance in the fly-away races, it looked like he was carrying the momentum of last season into the current one.
After qualifying in Austria this weekend, Lewis took part in a rapid fire Q and A for f1.com, providing a snapshot of his current state of mind.
Following the mishap in Monaco he was asked if winning in Canada was important for his momentum and his answer was honest if not a little alarming.
“I don’t really want to talk about momentum. I don’t believe too much in the concept. You have two weeks between the races and I don’t think that you can carry momentum over weeks. It simply dies,” he said.
It’s a revealing comment from a driver who has recently been criticised for his excursions between races to live the playboy lifestyle, including shooting cameos for… well, not blockbusters exactly, but whatever the sequel to Zoolander can be considered.
He may prefer to trip the light fantastic between races, but having finished second to Rosberg in Austria for the second year in a row, it’s hard not resist drawing parallels between this season and the last.
Austria is one of only three races on the current calendar that Hamilton hasn’t conquered (the others being Brazil and Mexico, which returned to the grid this year), so if you were a Formula One driver with a good chance of claiming back-to-back in the championship, wouldn’t you put your head down and get some practise ahead of the race?
“I have not driven the simulator this year,” he told f1.com. “The other day I just did a couple of laps, but that was just to try a new pedal concept. I generally don’t drive the simulator these days – I like the real experience!”
I can’t say with any certainty whether Mercedes give their drivers hall passes when it comes to spending time in the simulator, nor do I know that Rosberg spends his days studiously preparing doing lap and lap.
What I do know is that Rosberg had Hamilton’s measure around the Red Bull Ring so much so that he could have tailored a suit for him. Rosberg led in almost every session throughout the weekend, and were it not for a bizarre conclusion to qualifying he might have taken pole position.
In search for answers to Rosberg’s favourable form I also look to the comments by Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda who said of Rosberg, “He knows what to do to win, it’s very simple.”
When pressed by the BBC’s Jennie Gow regarding any difference in driving style that may give Rosberg an edge at the track he responded, “No because he’s always good, and here he’s particularly good.”
Hamilton may not believe in momentum, but Rosberg certainly does. Without getting too optimistic after only one victory, the middle stint largely favoured Rosberg last season, and despite his dominance thus far Hamilton leads his teammate by only a handful of points.
The championship is Hamilton’s to lose, and I’m sorry Lewis, but if you don’t keep up your momentum that just may happen.
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