The big question out of the Russian Grand Prix

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On tap this week:

• Rosberg's distracted driving
• Hinch gets new team
• Will Hamilton/Rosberg fight go to the wire?
• Fake race director has a point
• Quote of the week: Hamlin slams Keselowski
• IndyCar to go up against Formula One

The big question coming out of the weekend's inaugural Russian Grand Prix: What was Nico Rosberg fiddling with on the run down to turn two, right before he missed his braking point and took himself out of contention for a win?

The replays of the incident clearly show a case of distracted driving as the Mercedes racer took his left hand off the steering wheel and brought it to his visor, just as he pulled alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton at the start of Sunday's race, and then did the same thing with his right hand an instant later.

Rosberg got his right hand back on the wheel just in time to lock up his brakes in a cloud of blue smoke and flat-spot his front tires so badly that a vibration meant he had to pit for new rubber.

Whatever he was doing just before his mistake didn't matter in the end because Rosberg didn't really suffer much from the brain fade after he was able to complete 52 laps on his second set of tires – medium compound Pirellis – and finish second to Hamilton.

Rosberg's recovery is testament to the critics who panned Pirelli's built-in degradation that had races usually featuring at least three pit stops and essentially forced the rubber supplier to make its compounds more predictable. And Pirelli critics may hate to admit it, but the change was not for the better. That point was hammered home by Red Bull boss Christian Horner in a late-race interview on BBC's F1 broadcast.

"The tires are absolutely bulletproof it seems in terms of degradation and pace as you can see from Rosberg – he's done the entire Grand Prix on them and he's still going quicker than the leader at this point," he said.

"A high deg tire moves the strategy around – you shouldn't be able to stop on lap one and get to the end."

Random thoughts

James Hinchcliffe's move to Schmidt Peterson Motorsport (SPM) is a good one on several levels.

Most importantly, the multi-year deal gives the 27-year-old from Oakville, Ont., stability in a sport where many drivers worry about their rides from race-to-race. That reality also gives SPM a known name that it can use to attract sponsors and give the team longer-term stability.

Hinchcliffe is not only the most popular driver in the paddock, he's also a sponsor's dream. The articulate, funny, and down-to-earth Canadian is widely acknowledged as a valuable and genuine spokesperson by sponsors. His quirky approach doesn't work with everyone, but when it clicks, it's incredibly effective.

The deal also keeps the three-time race winner in one of the top Honda-powered teams, which may prove valuable when the Indianapolis 500 rolls around next May. On top of that, Hinchcliffe is joining a proven winner, with the Penske-bound Simon Pagenaud taking two victories in each of the past two seasons.

Finally, as Hinchcliffe stressed in his press conference last Tuesday, it makes him the go-to guy and gives him the opportunity to show that he has what it takes to lead an IndyCar team to success. Being the No. 1 driver also ensures that he has the support and equipment he needs to get the job done, something that was not always clear in his three seasons at Andretti Autosport.

By the numbers

With three races left in the Formula One season, Lewis Hamilton leads teammate Nico Rosberg by 17 points. The double points season finale means that there are still 100 markers up for grabs in the last three races, so Hamilton's second world championship is nowhere near the bag.

So far this year, Rosberg has only finished ahead of Hamilton three times in the 11 races where they both crossed the line. When Hamilton's three non-finishes and Rosberg's two in 16 starts are factored in, the tally goes to 13-6. In all, Hamilton has nine wins to Rosberg's four.

On the other hand, Rosberg has outqualified his teammate 9-7, although Hamilton has had some failures in sessions that slowed his pace. In races, Hamilton has six fastest laps to Rosberg's five.

The real wild cards going into the final trio of grands prix are mechanical failures and engine penalties, which may have a huge impact on the championship. Although both Mercedes drivers are safe at the moment and within the five-engine allotment, mechanical troubles could put one of them over the edge. With drivers getting a 10-place grid penalty for going over the limit, failures now would be unwelcome at best.

At the same time, a non-finish by either driver in the last three races, especially in the double points final where the winner gets 50, could go a long way to deciding the title.

Technically speaking

Twitter's Fake Charlie Whiting may be an irreverent version of the real Formula One race director, but the guy behind the account, Waterloo-based high-tech entrepreneur Mark McArdle, also takes his fake role seriously and always shows a keen understanding of the sport's rules and regulations.

A case in point is the podium ceremony for Sunday's Russian Grand Prix where at least four bodyguards could be seen standing menacingly on each end of the podium as president Vladimir Putin gave out the trophies to the winning driver Lewis Hamilton and to Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe, who represented the winning constructor.

McArdle pointed out on Twitter that Appendix 3 Section 5 (b) of the Sporting Regulations clearly says: "No police, bodyguards or persons not authorized by the master of ceremonies are allowed on the podium."

Now it could be argued that it's simply a poorly constructed sentence and bodyguards authorized by the master of ceremonies would be allowed. Then again, should that be the case, why would the regulations specifically single out police and bodyguards if the sport's governing Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) didn't want to keep them off the podium?

Violating the podium ceremony procedures is no small matter. In 2006, the organizers of the Turkish Grand Prix were fined $5-million (U.S.) by the FIA for allowing a Turkish Cypriot leader to present the winner's trophy to Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

On that occasion, Mehmet Ali Talat was introduced as the president of the Northern Turkish Republic of Cyprus, which was only recognized by Turkey. The FIA levied the fine because it felt political neutrality had been compromised.

Quote of the week

"Matt [Kenseth] was nearly out of his car and he just plowed into Matt and then ran into Tony [Stewart] and then he went into the garage and cleared out the transmissions and did burnouts in the garage – just acting like a dumb (expletive) instead of a champion."

Denny Hamlin on the post-race antics of fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski following Sunday's Bank of America 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The last word

It's looking more and more likely that the 2015 Honda Indy will happen in Toronto in June and go up against Formula One for exposure and fans.

With the coming Pan-American Games using the race's Exhibition Place site on its usual mid-July date, the race must move to before or after the athletics. The games finishing date of Aug. 15 make a post Pan-Am race highly unlikely since IndyCar continues to indicate it will continue with the strategy of ending the season around Labour Day.

And as the 2015 IndyCar schedule comes more into focus with races dates slowly being added, it seems the only date available for the Toronto race is June 14. It's "race" next year and not "races" because IndyCar has confirmed that the rejigged Toronto event will not be a double-header weekend.

So, Toronto's green flag will fall a week after the Canadian Grand Prix, which will easily grab all the headlines and drain many race fans' wallets days before IndyCar arrives to set up for its race. And having Formula One overshadow an event that struggles to attract fans is not good news for IndyCar's future in Toronto.

The race's new date will also make it tough on the teams that run the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 and then do a four-race road trip in four or five weeks that will bounce them up and down the continent. The string starts with a doubleheader in Detroit (May 30-31) before a trip to Texas (June 6), Toronto (June 14), and Fontana (June 20 or 27).

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