There can only be one candidate for driver of the day. He is the driver who has dominated the on track proceedings since action began on Thursday, topping all three practice sessions, achieving pole position, and then commanding the race today.
It is, of course, Nico Rosberg.
At the risk of being accused of taking the easy option, you have to say that it is very hard to make an argument against Rosberg for not being driver of the day. Whilst many other drivers were crashing (twice in the case of Massa, four times in the case of Grosjean) Rosberg was peerless all weekend.
Even in a chaotic race which featured three safety cars and a red flag, Rosberg never really looked under threat, even after Red Bull managed to split the Mercedes one-two of the opening twenty laps.
Of course, there is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding Rosberg’s victory. As you’ve no doubt already read, Red Bull and Ferrari have lodged a protest against Mercedes after it emerged that they had tested at Barcelona without the knowledge of any other team.
But it would be a travesty if Nico was to be demoted. Not only was it a fantastic drive by the German who is increasing his stock with every race, but it is also a great story for Formula One. Thirty years ago, Nico’s father, Keke, won at Monaco. Today’s result means they are the only driver and son pairing to be successful at F1’s toughest race.
But a notable mention must go to Adrian Sutil for a strong performance in the race as well. Sutil pulled off a couple of the overtakes of the race, including one on Jenson Button and one on Fernando Alonso at the Loews Hairpin. After several disappointing races for him, a points finish was a reward for his performance today.
Despite how it ended, you have to give credit to Sergio Perez for some of the moves he attempted too. Sure, whilst he didn’t get to the flag, he definitely provided a lot of excitement and more than had the measure of Jenson Button for most the race. A fifth place finish looked like it may have been on the cards for Checo, before he was ultimately forced to retire after contact with Kimi Raikkonen.
Of course, you may disagree with all of this. Who was your driver of the day? Leave a response in the comment section below.
