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25
SEASON
At first Hamilton hated
sharing data, but soon
learned to profit from it
ETHERINGTON/LAT
PREVIEW
at high g to prevent blood flowing away from
their brain. Technology also exists whereby
oxygen can be recycled into the driver’s/pilot’s
system, allowing them to breathe more efficiently
over the course of a race distance and reduce
muscle fatigue. Though it’s not clear whether
Rosberg is using this kit, focusing on these sorts
of details of human performance is exactly the
kind of approach he will need if he wants to
overcome the challenge facing him on the other
side of the Mercedes garage.
But a meticulous attitude to racing is not
something unique to Rosberg. Hamilton has
also learned – perhaps grudgingly – to look
beyond his own personal box of tricks for a
competitive edge.
Formula 1 teams measure every aspect of their
cars’ performance in extraordinary detail, and this
includes the inputs the drivers make inside the
cockpit. This means different drivers in the same
team are able to see (in graphical form) exactly
what their team-mate is up to. This is not an
aspect of modern motorsport that someone like
Hamilton, who believes his ability is God-given
and unimpeachable, feels particularly comfortable
with. Indeed, he seemed genuinely irked by the
fact that Rosberg could use his data traces to
improve his own driving. But, naturally, two can
play at that game and, once Hamilton began
fighting fire with fire, the team had to interject
to prevent its drivers deliberately sandbagging
during free practice in order to protect any
competitive advantage each felt they had over
the other. This is another example of the sort of
personal dynamic that makes for a captivating
sporting rivalry. However much a team’s PR
machine may like to portray a ‘one-love’ message
to the outside world, if genuine needle exists
between the two protagonists it helps make their
rivalry worth watching. There was plenty of this
between Hamilton and Rosberg in 2014.
It began with their ‘duel in the desert’ in
Bahrain, where Hamilton’s forceful defence of
ETHERINGTON/LAT
Hamilton’s spin in testing
a rare blip in Mercedes’
pre-season preparation
XPB IMAGES
F1 TITLE FIGHT 2015
Toto Wolff and Niki
Lauda have to keep
driver rivalry in check
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MARCH 5 2015 AUTOSPORT.COM 25