The Pressure Gauge – Pre German Grand Prix

Gabriel Polychronis is a motorsport enthusiast, taking a particularly strong interest in Formula One. Gabriel shares his opinions via F1 News & Views Podcast along with his brother, Jacob.

July 21st, 2012 (F1plus / Gabriel Polychronis).- The Pressure Gauge is a segment that is run on each preview edition of F1 News & Views. It is designed to analyse how much pressure certain drivers are currently bearing.

The Pressure Gauge Levels: Stone-cold, Low, Medium, High, Extreme.

Nico Rosberg – Medium – Nico Rosberg has certainly been unable to back up his Chinese success with any notable performances, besides placing second in Monaco. Rosberg has outraced his teammate most times this season due to Schumacher’s bad luck; however, Schumacher has appeared more convincing than his teammate in the last two races. He finished third in Valencia and qualified third and finished seventh in Silverstone, whereas Rosberg finished sixth in Valencia and fifteenth in Silverstone. Qualifying at Hockenheim was no different. Schuamcer posted a solid time, worthy of fourth as Rosberg qualified all the way down in seventeenth. Rosberg will need to get back on the radar soon; otherwise he may never find himself below the Medium category of The Pressure Gauge.

Kimi Räikkönen – High – Last time The Ice Man was put under The Pressure Gauge, he was in the High category, and he still is. Lotus still have not gained a race victory this season, which is the opposite of what is expected of them. Clear championship contenders are finally starting to emerge and Kimi Räikkönen is not in that group, nor is Romain Grosjean. Räikkönen has however, gained a few podium finishes, but it is still not enough to fulfill the expectations that Lotus currently bear, which is why he remains in the High category of The Pressure Gauge.

Michael Schumacher – Low – Michael Schumacher acts as the contrary to Nico Rosberg. In the last two races, Schumacher has looked like the superior driver for Mercedes, and he also heavily out qualified Rosberg at Hockenheim. There are also very low expectations placed on the 43 year-old and it would very strange to see him sacked by his team. It is easy to argue that he should be placed in the Stone-cold section of The Pressure Gauge, however, his reputation is still on the line, which is why he is in the Low category.

Kamui Kobayashi – Medium – Kamui Kobayashi has proved that he is a solid driver, by displaying stellar performances in Australia and Spain. He is also a very consistent driver, which is why it would be very hard to see Sauber-Ferrari not want him as one of their drivers. Sergio Perez however, is clearly the number one driver for the team, as he is eighteen points ahead of Kobayashi in the Drivers’ Standings. Kobayashi must be wary of this, as he cannot allow a strong contrast between himself and Sergio Perez in terms of driver performances and points. This is why he is placed in the Medium category of The Pressure Gauge.

Review of The Pressure Gauge pre British Grand Prix:

- Paul di Resta – Low
- Mark Webber – Medium
- Pastor Maldonado – Medium
- Romain Grosjean - High