Publicly at least as they prepare for the Austrian Grand Prix, a civilised air has returned to Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel’s relationship after it reached boiling in point in Baku.
Both drivers made all the right noises when they were face to face at the FIA press conference on Thursday. But perhaps it also revealed that the bonhomie characterising their interaction over the early part of this season was simply another greasepaint mask both have been sporting over the rictus grins of their steely determination to win.
Intriguingly in this scenario, the first to break from the jovial tone would have been perceived to have handed a margin of advantage to the opponent. For these two drivers, this was a psychological battle characterised by smiles sheathing the blades. In truth any interaction they share has been and will be, a distraction as David Coulthard pointed out in Austria: “I don’t think either driver actually particularly cares about building strong relationships with any other driver in the paddock.”
On track certainly it was back to business as if nothing had happened. Hamilton topped both the practice runs on Friday, putting in the fastest lap recorded at the Red Bull Ring. “The car feels fantastically fast here. There’s already a nice balance and it feels good out on track,” he said. He trails Vettel by 14 points in the championship and the German was just over a tenth behind him in the second session. The margins as they have been all season look again to be tiny in Spielberg.
Grudge match
Thursday’s press conference might have carried all the trappings of a grudge match weigh-in but ultimately to the fighters involved, it is those margins that matter. Coulthard, who took 13 wins during his 14 years in F1 and is now a commentator for Channel Four has been at the heart of a similar maelstrom.
In 1998 at the Belgian Grand Prix during heavy rain, he attempted to let Michael Schumacher lap him by slowing down the hill toward Pouhon, but remained on the racing line and Schumacher, unsighted by the spray, hit him. The German was furious and confronted Coulthard in the pits and accused him of trying to kill him. The pair met privately a week later and cleared the air.
“With Michael I said: ‘I don’t accept I was responsible for you running into the back of me in that you are in control of your own car but I accept that it was a mistake to lift off on the straight,” says Coulthard. “Michael was not prepared to accept any responsibility or blame. I asked him: ‘Have you ever been wrong’ and he said not that he remembered, so I said: ‘We have to agree to disagree,’ and we did.”
Almost 20 years on and there is a sense of familiarity to the scenario. “The only time Michael ever publicly apologised was whenever the FIA required him to,” says Coulthard. “People like that, serial-winners, high-achievers have an ability to never, ever, ever admit until such time as they are seeing the cell door close and then they apologise. It is part of how they tick.
“Seb has been through this before when he ran up the back of Mark Webber in Fuji and then when they touched in Turkey and he partly apologised then turned round at the next race and said I don’t see why I should apologise.”
Refusal
Which assessment fits remarkably well with Vettel’s initial uncompromising refusal to accept culpability through to his FIA hearing, public apology and Thursday’s contrition and there are still after affects. Hamilton is clearly unhappy the FIA did not penalise Vettel further and the German is doubtless equally relieved at their decision but with a world championship at stake neither can afford to dwell on it any further.
“I was the baddie at Spa and at testing in Monza afterwards there were banners saying ‘killer Coulthard’. It was quite an uncomfortable situation,” says Coulthard. “But we moved on, I suspect they are quite happily moved on in their own minds and won’t do anything different on the race track.”
The timing sheets say it is behind them and qualifying on Saturday ought to be as tight as it has been in the previous eight meetings. But for all the talk of moving forwards here, the body language was defensive, with neither driver making eye contact and perhaps this is far closer to reflecting the reality of the situation than we have seen all season. “They don’t have to like each other,” he says. “But the respect is still going to be there.”
– (Guardian service)
