Kubica: The Hamilton/Rosberg relationship is not that bad

Forced to stay away from the Formula 1 paddock since early 2011, when he was involved in an accident during a rally event, Robert Kubica, former driver for BMW and Renault, winner of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, remains a keen observer of the discipline. And this season, his attention has obviously turned to the rivalry between the two Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

For him, the situation of the two men, who are well ahead in the championship, presents a risk: « When you are fighting only against your teammate, it can become very difficult. If there are a few other drivers close by, you have to focus on second place, but in the current situation, Nico and Lewis would have to have a very bad day not to finish in the top two, » he explains to Autosport.

More specifically, being in a title duel can affect their relationship: « But when you have more competition, you must avoid bad days, because if you are sixth, there is a significant loss of points. So, it could help the relationship, but now they know they are only racing against each other as the others are not a concern, with Mercedes’ advantage. »

“It’s not easy, but they know each other very well and I think it’s not as bad as the media want to make it seem,” he assures, before putting into perspective the potential tensions that have arisen or could arise in the future: “But, it can be tense because it’s normal when you’re fighting for victories and the championship.”

Thus, according to him, it is the management that must ensure the situation remains under control: « In the current situation, Toto [Wolff, executive director] and Niki [Lauda, non-executive director] have a big role to play. » He nevertheless believes that the leaders’ position is not simple: « I remember watching the race in Bahrain and there was an image of Toto on the wall… Of course, I would not want to be in his position. It is a delicate situation because you have two excellent drivers with a car that has a great advantage over the others. »

In terms of performance, the Pole admits that there is a natural tendency to give the advantage to Lewis Hamilton in this battle: « If you ask 100 people who know Nico and Lewis, they will all tend to say that Lewis is the faster guy. But speed is not the only important thing in F1. » An advantage that may have been erased: « Overall, Nico has made significant progress over the last two or three seasons, especially in the way he approaches races. »

As a reminder, Nico Rosberg is leading the drivers’ championship with 122 points, against Lewis Hamilton’s 118. The closest competitor to the two men is Fernando Alonso, with 61 points. In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes is in the first position with 240 points, 141 points ahead of Red Bull, its runner-up.