It has been a tough few races for Nico Rosberg, after five wins in succession at the start of the season saw him take the upper hand in the drivers’ world championship. The German’s lead is now down to just nine points from Mercedes AMG PETRONAS team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and he will have to dig deep to hold off the inevitable further onslaught from the Brit.
“Canada unfortunately didn’t work out as planned. But that’s how things go when you’re pushing the limits and I’m not going to change my approach or start backing down. I’m in this Championship battle to win it – not to settle for second best.”
With an all new street circuit to get to grips with this weekend, a tricky course that runs through the centre of Baku – capital city of Azerbaijan, Rosberg is looking forward to experiencing the new track, learning the layout and finding whatever little bit of performance gain he can, to keep him ahead of his advancing rivals.
“Now we head to Baku, which is going to be a massive challenge. It’s a completely new track and a street circuit too, which makes it even more difficult. I’ve done some work in the simulator, of course, to get a feel for what to expect and to learn the layout.
“Ferrari and Red Bull are very close to our pace now, so any tiny difference we can find this weekend could make the difference. I’m excited to get out there, get to know the track and a new city and hopefully get myself back to the top after a tough few races.”
