Nico not viewing Belgium as 'must win' despite Hamilton's grid drop
Monday 29 August 2016 10:42, UK
Nico Rosberg says he not will not crank up the pressure on himself to capitalise on Lewis Hamilton's Belgian GP grid penalty, insisting race victory is far from guaranteed.
Mercedes confirmed Hamilton's long-expected penalty for exceeding engine elements will be triggered at Spa this weekend, with the team expecting the world champion to start among the backmarkers once his full grid drop is calculated.
Rosberg has qualified on the front row for all-but one race this season and, should Mercedes' dominance of qualifying continue in Belgium, the German is likely to start around 20 places ahead of his title-leading team-mate on Sunday's grid.
Hamilton to take Spa grid penalty
Rosberg acknowledged Hamilton's penalty makes life easier for him in his attempts to close the Briton's 19-point title advantage over him, but argued: "It doesn't change the pressure that I would put myself under this weekend because I would love to have a great weekend, get the best out of it and win the race.
"Of course, I'm aware of Lewis's misfortune of having to get the grid penalty, and that's going to make the weekend less difficult for me because he is my biggest rival.
"Nevertheless, it's still going to be a challenge because if we remember just four weeks ago I finished behind two Red Bulls in the race. So I still need to beat all the opposition - and even Lewis."
Speaking before the summer break, Hamilton suggested his impending penalty amounted to a "free race" for Rosberg. No driver has even won from the back of the grid in F1's 66-year history, while Hamilton's lowest winning starting position was sixth at the 2014 British GP.
Asked if he viewed Sunday as a 'must win', Rosberg replied: "That would not be the right approach. But, of course, I would love to win the race."
Rosberg took a holiday with his family in Ibiza after the disappointment of finishing fourth at his home German GP before F1 broke for summer, but the German admitted he "took a few days to digest Hockenheim because that was a big disappointment".
He says he did not think about racing thereafter and now feels refreshed to tackle 2016's concluding nine races as he attempts to become world champion for the first time.
"I don't look at points, I would just like to win the race," added Rosberg, who has yet to win at Spa. "The Red Bulls being stronger is going to be a bigger challenge to try and win the race."
