Nico Rosberg says he expected Ferrari to get closer to Mercedes this season after its strong start to the year.
While Mercedes dominated in Australia, Sebastian Vettel won the second race in Malaysia as Ferrari emerged as a real threat. While Kimi Raikkonen came close to winning in Bahrain, Mercedes has pulled away at the front since then and Rosberg admits he expected Ferrari to be more competitive.
"I did think they would be closer, because it’s always easier to chase than lead the way," Rosberg said at an event for technical partner Petronas last week.
While Mercedes' dominance has been seen as boring from some quarters, Rosberg is confident the team gets the acknowledgement it deserves.
"I don’t know if they underestimated; I think everybody does understand what an awesome job our team has done. OK, some focus has been on what needs to be done differently, but I’m sure everybody really respects – even if they maybe don’t say it – the job that we’ve done.
"Because it is an awesome job, from where we were three years ago – we were nowhere! I was finishing 16th; and the year after winning races; and the year after dominating the whole sport in a manner never seen before."
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says he is confident in the team's car development despite the gap to Mercedes.
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