Rosberg: I underestimated Vettel’s speed
Nico Rosberg suffered another setback in qualifying. Outpaced by Lewis Hamilton and beaten by Sebastian Vettel, the vice-world champion admits to underestimating the pace of the Ferrari.
“I was wrong in my strategy,” admitted Nico Rosberg. “I was thinking too much about the race, and I underestimated Vettel’s speed. I took the trouble to pay attention to my tires in Q2, so I lacked pace in Q3. That’s where I went wrong today. Being third is not ideal.”
The current world vice-champion was surprised to be fitted with worn tires for his first run in Q3: « I thought we would go on two new sets of tires, and I thought the worn tires would be as slow. The fault lies with me. We are a team, but I am responsible. »
Relegated to five tenths behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, and even outpaced by Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari, Nico Rosberg did not reassure observers. However, at lights out, he will have the advantage of starting from the good side of the track and can rely on tires in better condition: « My tires are better than anyone else’s in the race. It’s a slight advantage, not a huge difference. [The Ferrari drivers] were faster than us on Friday [on long runs], but we have worked a lot, and, moreover, the cooler temperatures will probably benefit us. We are hopeful to be the fastest tomorrow. »
