PETE’S Duelling Piano Bar on Austin’s 6th Street is always a popular nightspot during the United States Grand Prix.
Last year proved no exception as the Mercedes F1 team booked out the upstairs of the music venue for a private party having just seen Lewis Hamilton win the drivers’ championship.
Hamilton waved to the crowd below, who chanted his name, before sheepishly leaving after a drink while the rest of his team partied into the night.
Rewind 12 months and you will recall the Brit pouncing on a mistake from team-mate Nico Rosberg to storm into the lead and take the win necessary to deservedly clinch his third world crown. He’d finally done it and matched his idol Ayrton Senna’s haul of three world titles.
But while Hamilton might have won the race, and the championship, there was only one winner from duelling piano bar that night, and that was his beaten team-mate Rosberg.
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Unlike Hamilton, Rosberg did respond to calls for him to get up on stage. Not only that, but he took the mic and belted out every word to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer.
I remember someone in the bar that night suggesting his song choice was ironic given that he never had a prayer of ever beating his team-mate to a title.
It would have been easier – and understandable given the circumstances – for him to follow Hamilton out of the door and allow the team to enjoy their own celebration, but credit to him for being a good sport and joining in.
Yet as he finished the final note, to a fantastic reception from the crowd, things appear to have changed for the better for the German.
Throughout his racing career he has been forced to play the bridesmaid to his brilliant rival. Looking back now and the frustration must have been huge to see Hamilton, his nemesis from his karting days, come to join his Mercedes team where they would go head-to-head.
There were moments when their frustrations boiled over, most notably Spa in 2014, yet for the best part, despite being beaten to the main prize, Rosberg always maintained a level of respect.
I cannot recall him lashing out at the media or on social media – sure, there were heated exchanges over the team’s radio but that’s about it.
It is somewhat ironic then, that we will return to the scene where Hamilton was so triumphant last season with Rosberg enjoying a commanding lead at the top of the championship and with one eye on his first world title.
Since the moment he handed back the microphone from his time on the stage at Pete’s, Rosberg’s fortunes have changed.
He won the following race in Mexico. He won in Brazil too. And in Abu Dhabi, yes, sure the title race was over, but Rosberg’s resurrection had already begun.
He took that form into this season winning four in a row and, with conspiracy theories firmly chucked in the bin, has enjoyed the best season of his career.
Yes it has helped seeing Hamilton suffer mechanical woes, but his path has not been entire smooth. In Baku, you might recall Hamilton being hampered by the crazy radio ban and his words “I might not finish this race as I’m going to try and change everything” as he battled to change the setting of his car’s engine. Rosberg too had a similar problem, yet he managed to rectify the problem in half a lap.
Then there were the crashes. Spain was 50:50, Austria was wrong, yet in Malaysia – banging wheels with Kimi Rikkonen, you saw a committed Rosberg getting his elbows out (for once).
He has won an incredibly nine races this season, so it would be bonkers for anyone to say he would not deserve his maiden F1 world title, if indeed he were to win it.
A win for Rosberg in Austin would move him closer to emulation his own father Keke, who won the title in 1982, and if he is on the top step of the podium in the Circuit of the Americas, then also expect a prompt booking at Pete’s, only this time I suggest that instead of picking Livin’ on a Prayer, Rosberg should go for Keep the Faith.
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