World Championship leader Nico Rosberg felt that his collision with Max Verstappen at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix could have ended his race.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the German said the impact when the Red Bull Racing driver hit the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team racer into the first turn on the opening lap was a large one, and he was lucky that it did not end his afternoon.
“It was a pretty big impact,” said Rosberg. “It didn’t look like it on the television, but feeling-wise it was a massive impact. I thought my car was done, and in fact I had a little steering offset after that.
“A penalty? That’s not for me judge. They decided no penalty and I accept that.”
The German was concerned that the collision could have damaged his steering but he managed to carry on and finish second. Verstappen has been accused of dangerous driving recently and Rosberg believed that his first lap driving was over the limit.
Speaking about the incident with the Dutchman afterwards, Rosberg said that “he [Verstappen] went over the limit. He locked up the front tyre and shunted me off the track.”
Rosberg leads the Championship by nineteen points over Lewis Hamilton with two races remaining, and a retirement could leave the title race wide open but with Mercedes recording their seventeenth win of the season as part of another 1-2 finish, Rosberg still remains in control of his own destiny in 2016.
