Sunday: Nico Rosberg limits the damage for Mercedes
As mid-race approached, a new one-two finish for Mercedes seemed likely, but reliability failed the Silver Arrows. Despite a loss of power, Nico Rosberg managed to hold on to a valuable second place in the championship. As for Lewis Hamilton, he had to retire for the second time this year due to a brake issue.
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – 2nd
The championship leader had to fight throughout the race for various reasons: « It was a great battle throughout the race today! I had a difficult start but managed to hold my ground in the first few corners and fight against Lewis. The race went smoothly for a while, before both cars suddenly lost the MGU-K and a lot of power, which was really tough. »
Things then escalated between his pit stop and his battle with his teammate: « I lost time during my second pit stop, which allowed Lewis to pass me. I was having trouble cooling my rear brakes. Everything was happening at once. »
Once rid of the threat from his teammate, he had to keep watching his back: « Towards the end of the race, I tried to defend against Sergio, which was going well, but Daniel was too fast on the straight with much more power than me, and he was able to overtake me. With everything going on, I had to ask my engineer where I had finished. I thought I was probably 5th or 6th. So I was very happy to hear that I was 2nd. These are important points for me in the championship. So it was a tough day but with a good ending. »
He then had a thought for the winner of the day, Daniel Ricciardo: « Congratulations to Daniel on his first Formula 1 victory. »
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – Retirement
The 2008 world champion was not able to defend his chances to the end, on a circuit that is generally favorable to him: « I did my best today and thought I was having a solid race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day. Montreal has been a good track for me. So it’s disappointing to come here and leave without points. But there are still a lot of races ahead of us this season. So let’s hope for the best in the future. »
Lewis Hamilton then reflected on the issues that led to his retirement: “There was nothing I could do about our problems. We were managing the power loss. But when I finally managed to get past Nico during the second pit stops, my brakes failed in turn 10.”
He can only acknowledge the gap that separates him once again from his teammate: « It’s great for the team that Nico managed to keep second place today, but it’s tough for me. We have had two retirements this year, and now I have to catch up again. But these are learning experiences: we will learn as a team and come back stronger. »
For someone who claimed his first victory on this very track, he knows it will be special for Daniel Ricciardo: « Congratulations to Daniel. It’s great for him to claim his first victory. I know it will be a very special day for him ».
