Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
in hindsight and given what we know now, is it still fair to call Nico a team player?
if F1 is a team sport and we know what the mechanics sacrifice each year to aid their driver, then how admirable is it that Nico left one year early and only after he accomplished his dream of individual victory?
he left his team and his side of the garage in a massive hole...for sure fair play to Nico for retiring but im not sure he still qualifies as a team player.
this is of course not to say that LH is a better team player or anything, rather, just saying that both these guys have been playing at the same game.
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Yes it is a team sport, and some are more of a member than others.
Rosberg was on a hiding to nothing, knowing that his opposite number would never lend him support, and that if he thought that this year was highly pressurised, then next year was likely to be even more so.
Please don't forget that at Monaco, Rosberg was unintentionally backing Hamilton up because he could get no further pace from his car. The pitwall team requested that Rosberg let Hamilton through, and within just one corner, he let him pass. Rosberg didn't have to do that as I don't believe that that is in his contract (unlike, let's say the second driver's contracts at Ferrari during the Schumacher years), but Rosberg did it for the team without regard to his own points standing.
And this is one of the things that initially annoyed Paddy Lowe and Toto Wolff at Abu Dhabi. Hamilton, likely, would not have been in a position to challenge for the WDC at Abu Dhabi without that generous move by Rosberg in Monaco.
And now that Rosberg has the WDC, he doesn't need to have to put up with Hamilton's behaviour anymore. While Rosberg fulfilled his commitments for the team and sponsors after the last race, Hamilton backed out of his, claiming for the third time this year, that he wasn't well enough to test for the team.