Nico Rosberg is gunning for his third consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory this weekend, with the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver also eager to continue his five-race podium finishing run this season.
Monaco resident Rosberg admits it feels strange to be able to walk to the track during the race weekend, but arrives there this weekend on a high after his first victory of the season in Spain two weeks ago.
“We had a perfect weekend in Spain and, for me personally, it was good to close the gap a little in the points,” said Rosberg. “There’s still a long way to go this season so it’s all there to fight for, I’m just taking it race by race.
“Next we have Monaco – the most legendary, exciting and challenging event in the calendar. Throughout the whole weekend, the atmosphere is very, very special.
“It’s a home race for me, and it’s strange to just walk or take a scooter to the racetrack – but also very cool to sleep in your own bed each night!”
Rosberg revealed the team had tested some Monaco-style set-ups in the post-Spanish Grand Prix test at the Circuit de Catalunya, with the final sector of the track in particular more representative of what they will find this weekend.
“The circuit itself has very unique set-up characteristics and we evaluated a few of those during the test in Barcelona, as the last sector there has a lot of tight corners which are quite representative,” revealed Rosberg.
“The car felt very good so I’m feeling optimistic and ready for this next race. If we can have everything running smoothly from the start it should be a good weekend, so I’m really looking forward to it.”