Abu Dhabi GP: Mercedes man mega value for third straight pole
Published:
No matter whether he is crowned world champion or not, Nico Rosberg will earn the unofficial honour of having sat on pole more times than any other driver this season and this makes the German a fine bet to claim the final one of 2014.
In our penultimate preview of the 2014 F1 season, we feel one man is a plump price to attain the best position on the grid in Abu Dhabi.
If the German Silver Arrow driver winds up second to teammate Lewis Hamilton in the standings after the race, he cannot cite a lack of pole positions as a reason, rather the failure to convert enough of them into victories.
Rosberg has already claimed more than half (10) of the fastest Q3 laps, compared to Hamilton’s tally of seven and Valtteri Bottas’ solitary start from the front of the grid.
The son of former world champion Keke has also nailed down three of the last four, including in America and Brazil before heading to the UAE.
What Rosberg appears to lack when battling Hamilton nose-to-bumper in a race scenario he makes up for in the pressurised environment of qualifying, where his coolness is his greatest asset.
Meanwhile, Hamilton is more prone to an error when pushing his Mercedes to the limits, which has been witnessed on several occasions this season, most notably at Silverstone.
Rosberg also pipped Hamilton in Q3 at this race last season to occupy third position for F1’s seasonal curtain call.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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