Given the dominance by Mercedes this year, fine margins are likely to define
Hamilton’s and Rosberg’s private duel for the championship. The Briton will
need to eradicate costly errors such as those in qualifying here at his home
race in two weeks’ time as he endeavours to bridge a 29-point gap.
Red Bull’s Horner was equally frustrated but far more forthright after a
dismal afternoon at what is the drinks company’s showpiece event.
“Reliability is unacceptable, performance is unacceptable, and there needs
to be change at Renault,” he said.
“It can’t continue like this. It’s not good for Renault and it’s not good for
Red Bull. We need to work together as partners. There will not be another
engine in the back of the car next year, but we want to be competitive, we
want to run at the front. These kind of issues can’t and shouldn’t happen.”
All the talk this weekend had been of Red Bull building their own engine for
2016: yesterday afternoon seemed to push them further in that direction.
Despite F1’s return to Spielberg being a roaring success, the race did not
seem to leave many men – barring the victor Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas, who
won his first podium for Williams – in a particularly bright mood.
Jenson Button, who could only manage 11th, was one of many downbeat figures.
McLaren are now a woeful sixth in the constructors’ championship, with
almost no hope of a podium at Silverstone. Felipe Massa, the pole sitter,
fell to fourth, while both Ferraris had to contend with a car way off the
pace. They finished fifth and 10th.
For a time the race looked like it could be the Hamilton’s greatest triumph.
Before the race the Flying Bulls had been providing some astonishing
displays of aerial acrobatics, but even they were outdone by Hamilton off
the line. The Briton was more like a Silver Bullet than a Silver Arrow.
Starting ninth he scythed between two cars, putting himself in prime position
for the long climb up to turn two. Kevin Magnussen was quickly dispatched,
before a brave move on Fernando Alonso into the Jochen Rindt curve. By the
end of lap one he had made five places and was on the tail of his team-mate
and principal foe. For someone who had only raced this circuit on a
PlayStation, it was a remarkable opening.
Hamilton’s storming opening set in motion a relentless fight between the two
Williams followed by the Mercedes. A seemingly conservative strategy meant
by race’s end the Williams were happy to settle for third and fourth.
With the final round of stops done it was for Rosberg and Hamilton. The chaser
wanted updates about where time could be found, but it was no use. A big
lock-up for Rosberg on the final lap left Hamilton agonisingly close. The
victory of his career was not to be.