Nico Rosberg felt he was in prime position to take the victory at Silverstone when Lewis Hamilton pitted from the lead for the second time in the race, only to see the rain fall heavier on track and his own race compromised by a slow lap on a wet track with dry tyres.
The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver had been closing down on his team-mate for a number of laps, and ultimately was forced to settle for second, but felt it was a good result of the team as they secured their sixth 1-2 finish in nine races.
“That was an exciting race for me,” revealed Rosberg. “I had a really bad start – losing two positions and therefore being stuck behind the two Williams cars for a while because overtaking was impossible.
“Lewis managed to clear them in the pits but unfortunately that didn’t quite work out for me – although it was close! Then, when the rain came, I was able to ramp up the pace, overtake them and close the gap to Lewis.
“At that point I really thought I could win the race. But then he made the pit stop – which I thought was a wrong decision at that moment until suddenly it started to rain heavier. It turned out to be the right decision from Lewis, as I had stay out one more lap and lost too much time in the wet with my slicks. That was the decision that made the race and I had no chance anymore.
“But, all in all, it was well deserved by Lewis as he did the best job over the whole weekend. Another 1-2 is great for the team and for all of our colleagues in the factories. Thanks for this great car!”
