Hamilton said: “You are always trying to find the next thing to get yourself
ahead but every time you do, it is shared with the other person. It is very,
very hard.
“It is the same on both sides but I will have to keep pushing. There is
nothing you can keep back unless you don’t drive fast in practice. Then you
are only harming yourself. I just have to keep going faster.”
Little moments such as qualifying can and are having a big impact. If Hamilton
had been on pole, and ahead of Rosberg, would it have been the German’s
brakes and not his which critically overheated leading to a non-finish?
“I was following him and when you’re following someone you’re gaining more
heat,” added Hamilton. “He was in clean air all the time in front. There was
not much I could do. When I came out in front, everything was cooked
already.”
One track where Hamilton might be able to glean an advantage from Rosberg’s
data is at the next race in Austria. While the German has driven there
before, the Briton’s only experience is on a computer game.
“I don’t know which way turn one goes, if I am honest, but I will find out
before I get there. Nico has driven it before in Formula BMW, I would have
thought. But I will be on it for the next one, doing my best.”
One of the few men to have driven at the now Red Bull Ring when it was last on
the Formula
One calendar in 2003 was Jenson
Button. But the McLaren driver has admitted it will take
“exceptional circumstances” for him to win a race all year, let alone in
Austria.
Before the season had begun, the returning Ron Dennis was emphatic: “We will
win. We will win races this year. I really believe that.” Perhaps even he
underestimated the scale of the mountain they have to climb.
His lead driver, who looks increasingly likely to stay with McLaren next year,
said: “It will be exceptional circumstances [for us to win]. We’re doing a
good job but we’re still 1.2 seconds behind in qualifying.
“It’s tough. We need to get closer by the end of the year to be strong for
next year.”
One piece of cheer for McLaren is the end of the legal dispute over the highly
rated aerodynamicist Dan Fallows who stayed at Red Bull after agreeing to
join McLaren. It is thought as part of the arrangement Red Bull will allow
Peter Prodromou, another sought after designer, to leave the team to move
across to Woking earlier than planned.
Button largely inherited fourth in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix after the
spectacular final lap crash between Felipe Massa and Sergio Pérez.
The latter was given a five-place grid penalty at the next race for moving
across in the braking zone at turn one, but Massa feels the punishment
should have been harsher. “It’s dangerous – for me five places is not
enough,” the Brazilian said after being discharged from hospital.