Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg sits down with F1i in Sochi to talk about the title race, improving as a driver and a home life which brings him "more joy"
When we compare now to 12 months ago, do you feel different in yourself?
“Of course, it’s one year ago. I have more experience, different experiences, valuable experiences and it’s not really a comparable situation. Now I’m much further behind than last year, the car is just as quick - which is great - the battle is more difficult for me at the moment in qualifying, and that’s one of the crucial elements to explain the deficit this year. I’ve only managed to start ahead two times all season…”
You said you went away and worked on things over the winter, do you think it negated your qualifying advantage?
“No it’s not that. It’s a constant process. Of course you try to improve the racing, which I did and truly managed to improve and then qualifying is something now I need to focus again on for the last few months and try to bring that level up. The thing is the opponent drives his car quickly, you know? So it is a challenge and I need to try and get everything right to win.”
You obviously know Lewis [Hamilton] well as a driver, so do you feel he has upped his game or have you failed to hit the heights of last season?
“I don’t see it in any of those ways, Lewis is still Lewis and I am still me. We still have a similar car and that’s it. It’s just gone round a bit and some things have changed a little bit. The situation has changed, the car slightly does change, so this year I have become stronger in racing but lost out a bit in qualifying compared to Lewis. There are explanations for that but it’s not like one thing which you can clearly change, it’s a process which takes time.”
Lewis says this car suits him more than last year’s, does that mean it’s moved away from your liking a bit?
“Also that is an ongoing process that I need to try from race-to-race to get the car to my liking. Maybe lately I haven’t managed to do that as much as I would have liked, so going forward I need to push. There are also some things that are medium-term to work on some things to make it even more to my liking.”
The team can wrap up the constructors’ championship again this weekend, but you were here from the very start…
“It was a rough start, Jesus yeah, for sure. But I’m proud because I was there before the first day! I was one of the employees there for the first day, I took a chance because I knew it was happening, so my first contract was a Brawn contract I think … It must have been.”
They were the reigning champions so you must have felt confident going there but can’t have foreseen this level of dominance, how hard a journey was it?
“No, of course not. It was a tough journey actually because initially we just weren’t that good and really needed to expand the team and bring in new people. For that they’ve done a fantastic job; it started in the Ross Brawn era and then carried on with Toto [Wolff] and Paddy [Lowe] afterwards. We’ve just further improved the team to higher levels.”
How much input does a driver have in that sort of situation, helping a team become one which can win races and develop in that way?
“Of course the driver is important because I’m the guy driving the car on the track in the end and I have a strong position in the team because everyone is watching the TV and I’m the guy in the car. So I can have an impact on the team with my presence and with my dialogue. I hope that I’ve been a big part of this journey.”
Does it give it added value to you seeing the team being so successful with these constructors’ titles knowing you were there from the start?
“No I don’t think of it that way, I just think of it in the now. It’s just awesome to dominate the sport in such a way.”
You said you moved on quickly from last year’s title disappointment, did it also show you that there’s more to life from F1 if you could get over it quickly? Especially now you have a settled family life and have become a father…
“It’s quite separate for me. In the sport it’s awesome to win, ecstatic, and then it’s very frustrating not to win. But then I don’t take it home with me. Home is a different part of life and there at the moment it’s a very happy situation. Which I do bring in to racing as well … So then just listening to my words it seems that the other way is more powerful. So home is the dominant one in terms of wellbeing in life. That’s what it seems to me now.”
So you hope that feeds in to your racing that you perform better…
“It does. It does because I’m sitting here now with more happiness and more joy in life.”
As you say it’s a big gap you’re facing for the rest of this season but you seem very relaxed about it. Is it experience which has done that?
“No, I’m not relaxed. Maybe I seem relaxed but I’m not relaxed. I’m committed and motivated and pushing to grab the opportunity with both hands.”
Last year made a big statement with your move in to Turn 2 going for the lead, it’s an iconic image from last year of you pushing Lewis hard in to that corner. Is that something you feel you need to be showing more of?
“I don’t know if that was a statement … Of course I always need to push Lewis, for sure. I just need to push for myself to do a great job and then pushing Lewis should come pretty automatically.”
Will it carry over to next year?
“Of course I need to carry over momentum but from one season to the next is quite a big gap and everything, things change. So it’s a plus to finish on a positive note, of course, but it’s not critical.”
Ferrari made a big step ahead of this season and now [Sebastian] Vettel is a threat, is there a rivalry between you two to be top German driver?
“Not really, no, I don’t think about that. To be honest second or third doesn’t make a huge amount of difference, I want to win.”
But on a personal level, do you get on well with him? Because there has been the odd flashpoint…
“Neutral. He likes to crack his jokes which is why you would say that there’s been some flashpoints but I think he does that with everybody. Anyway, it’s very neutral.”
Anyone you get on particularly well with in the paddock?
“Yeah some people. I don’t want to name names but there are some drivers I get on better with than some others, yeah. [On Thursday] you’ll have seen that a few of us travelled together, which was good fun.”
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Do you feel it's important that drivers socialise together? They seemed to do so more in the past.
“Drivers socialising together, I don’t know if it’s much different to nowadays. Maybe they had a bit more time back then and things like that and were more easygoing. Less race as well, how many races was there? Like 12 races a year.”
What do you think of that as a father; someone who is going to have to be away from his family so much next year?
“There is a limit. It’s great to have races but of course there is a limit and we’re near it, I find. But worse than for me - because I have the luxury of being able to travel very quickly and things like that - but for everybody else in the team is tough. For the mechanics for example they are away so much, it’s tough.”
I’m not here to prove something, I’m here to win.
Title race aside, what would be a successful end to the season?
“To win races.”
More than Lewis?
“Just win races.”
Do you feel the foundation of success at Mercedes is set for years to come?
“It’s a great team, I’m happy where I am. It’s a great atmosphere here at the moment, great moments dominating the sport in such a way.”
Do you look at someone like Fernando [Alonso] perhaps who has not always been in the right place and try to learn from that?
“I don’t learn from that, I just do my own thing really. I go with what I feel and I feel that I’m in an awesome position. I’m very happy and proud to be driving a Silver Arrow.”
Do you feel you have anything left to prove in the sport?
“That’s for you to judge. I’m not here to prove something, I’m here to win.”
