Nico Rosberg regrets

In China, where he had secured his first Formula 1 victory three years earlier, Nico Rosberg was unable to slow down his teammate Lewis Hamilton's progress, and he even appeared to lose his composure as he reluctantly accepted the uncomfortable role of second driver to a designated title contender.

At the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton won his second world title, while his teammate Nico Rosberg, ever the gentleman, congratulated him with elegance.

At the dawn of the 2015 season, Mercedes looked set to dominate once again, and many expected an even closer duel between the two drivers, both on the track and in the psychological games. But the resurgence of Ferrari, now sporting a new “Prince Red” livery and led by Sebastian Vettel, added another variable. Did this deal a blow to Rosberg's confidence? Perhaps, but the German, who had been a genuine title contender in 2014, was already lagging behind at the start of the new season. Hamilton dominated the first race in Australia, while Rosberg struggled in Malaysia, failing to find his rhythm, losing pole position to Vettel in qualifying and slipping to third place on the podium. In China, he needed a strong performance to stay in contention with the two-time world champion.

Instead, Hamilton continued to dominate and the gap between Vettel and Rosberg narrowed. After the Chinese Grand Prix, Rosberg criticized Hamilton for not maintaining a fast enough pace during part of the race, which he said allowed the Ferrari driver to close the gap. Hamilton responded calmly, pointing out that he was focused on his own race and did not have to worry about his teammate's performance. What could have been an attempt at psychological pressure, similar to the tactic used by Rosberg in 2014, was instead perceived as an admission of weakness, especially since Rosberg had lost a few hundredths of a second to Hamilton in qualifying. If Rosberg had been the best performer in Shanghai, he could have closed the gap on Hamilton, overtaken him on the track, and set his own pace, thereby easing the pressure exerted by Vettel's Ferrari. Instead, he chose to criticize his teammate on a point that seemed unfavorable at the start of the season. Last year, Hamilton got off to a flying start before Rosberg's clever maneuver in Monaco turned the tables, making the German a real challenger. This year, Rosberg needs to improve his performance quickly, or he risks losing his cool, as his performance in Shanghai showed. Meanwhile, Vettel is waiting in the wings, ready to pounce.