On a day of intrigue and machinations, one had to sympathise with Rosberg,
whose front-running display in a grand prix fragmented by one red flag and
two safety car deployments was overshadowed by a saga not of his own making.
But from the moment that news of Mercedes’ activity in Spain was leaked to
the rest of the paddock, a sense of disgruntlement hardened into an
accusation that the team had gained a clear competitive edge by underhand
means.
Remarkably in a sport with the reach and sophistication of Formula One,
Mercedes’ midseason test, which took place over three full days at the
Circuit de Catalunya following the Spanish Grand Prix, is understood not to
have been public knowledge until it was revealed at a meeting of the
drivers’ association on Saturday evening. The team had struggled to convert
their qualifying speed into race pace, and were permitted by manufacturers
Pirelli to conduct a test.
Christian Horner, the normally restrained Red Bull team principal, was quick
to describe the episode as “not on” and “lacking transparency”, while Marko
was outraged that the triple world champions had not been invited by Pirelli
to do the same test. “There are sporting regulations, which cannot be
overridden by a civil agreement between Pirelli and the FIA,” the Austrian
said. “They state clearly when and how you can test.”
Besides the rage at Red Bull, Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali was similarly
aggrieved, arguing: “If in-season testing is possible we will be the first
to do the same.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes motorsport director, vigorously insisted that the team
had not been guilty of covert tactics. “What we did was exactly within the
rules,” he said, clearly irked that a day of joy for his driver and his
colleagues had been tarnished by political mud-slinging. “We get a complaint
like this, and now we’re digging ourselves out of s—.”
It was a shambolic second act to a wonderful achievement by Rosberg, who
secured only his second win after China last year by carving a path through
a catalogue of crashes and incidents on the Côte d’Azur. The 27-year-old
surged clear of the Red Bull pair of Vettel and Mark Webber, while his
team-mate Lewis Hamilton dropped from second to fourth when the safety car
was deployed.
Rosberg was dismissive of the tyres imbroglio in the afterglow of the
chequered flag, saying: “You will have to ask Pirelli. I’m not going to
comment.” In fairness, his main challenge in Monaco had been less about
managing his tyres than avoiding getting caught up in the chaos taking
place in the rest of the field. The safety car was twice scrambled and the
red flag had to be waved when an unwise move by Marussia’s Max Chilton
catapulted Pastor Maldonado of Williams into the crash barriers.
Rosberg produced a fine start from pole position but the real race drama was
detonated when Felipe Massa ploughed his Ferrari into the wall at Sainte
Devote for the second time in one weekend, forcing the first appearance of
the safety car. Even this failed to have a calming effect, though, as
Chilton sent Maldonado careering into the steel at the entrance to Tabac. A
red flag and 25-minute delay ensued, but Rosberg stayed composed, extending
his lead over Vettel in the closing stages, while Hamilton failed to
overtake Webber in third.