“That made me happier than anything,” Lowe said. “It was one of the best races
in a decade.”
Mercedes, whose dominance over the rest of the field was abundantly apparent
in 57 laps under the lights, should be applauded for allowing their drivers
to race when the stakes could not be higher.
The Rosberg-Hamilton rivalry has often been likened to that of Alain Prost and
Ayrton Senna, and while at present it lacks the bitterness, the racing on
Sunday was some of the finest seen in years. The lead changed hands on
countless occasions, with Hamilton defending firmly but magnificently on
worse rubber in the closing stages.
Since it became obvious that Mercedes were the dominant outfit, we have been
waiting for a ferocious battle between the two, and they duly delivered.
Throughout the race they were in a class of their own, with the German
repeatedly finding his way through for a corner or so, only to see the
Briton sweep back past.
“I thought I got him about nine times,” Rosberg said later. Like the boys who
raced through the ranks in karting, the German nearly rugby tackled Hamilton
as they celebrated with the team, so great was his frustration at missing
out on victory.
The Briton said that he had not enjoyed a race so close and thrilling since
his karting days. “It was one of the toughest situations I’ve been in for a
long time,” he said.
However, it was not just the Mercedes dicing for position. The Red Bulls,
Ferraris, Williams, and Force India were all locked in spectacular tussles.
Sergio Perez eventually emerged victorious in the battle for third,
delivering his first podium since 2012 and Force India’s first for five
years. He held off Daniel Ricciardo, who has surely exceeded expectations in
his first three races for Red Bull, beating his world champion team-mate
fairly and squarely, showing superb race craft all evening.
The race began in frenetic fashion, and that is how it stayed through 57
pulsating laps. Hamilton made an excellent start, edging ahead of Rosberg
into the first corner. The German would not easily yield, however. Fairly
but decisively, Hamilton squeezed him outside the confines of the track and
turn four, and maintained a lead of around a second through the opening
laps. It was ding-dong stuff; the kind of racing which has been so absent
from the opening two races.
The Mercedes were in a class of their own, but the racing was equally exciting
behind. The Williams and the Force India were battling away, Ricciardo
closed on his team-mate further down the field.
“Seb, let Daniel go through please,” was the instruction the world champion
received on lap 16, and he duly complied. But then a few laps later a duel
of epic proportions broke out between the Mercedes drivers at the front. The
lead changed hands four times within the space of a few, electrifying
minutes. This was not tyre saving, fuel saving, or anything of the sort. It
was two drivers giving everything to desperately cling on to the lead of the
grand prix.
The pace of the action did not relent. After Hamilton tried to establish a
gap, on a different strategy to his team-mate, the safety car was called
into action on lap 42 after Pastor Maldonado completely wiped out Esteban
Gutiérrez. It was a terrifying moment for the Mexican, who was sent flipping
through the air at one.
The lull favoured Rosberg, who was now on softer rubber after pitting under
the safety car. Lowe came over the radio to tell his Mercedes drivers: “With
10 laps left to race, let’s just make sure we bring both cars home.”
They did just that, but not without the lead changing on another four or five
occasions. Hamilton held on to move within 11 points of Rosberg, and deliver
his first back-to-back wins since 2010.
On the evidence of Sunday, this year’s world championship will be an
enthralling battle between the pair all year long. It is one that after all
the doubts, the sport badly needs.