Mercedes advises Rosberg to up quali game

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff advises Nico Rosberg to up his game in qualifying if he is to challenge team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the title this year.

The championship leader comfortably secured his 10^th pole position of the season at Spa before dominating the Belgian Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Rosberg qualified a distant second and was forced to recover through the field when he dropped a couple of places at the start.

After claiming 11 poles to Hamilton’s seven in 2014, the German has struggled to match his rival’s one-lap pace this year and only beat him in that field during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

When asked where Rosberg should improve in order to prevent Hamilton from running away with the championship trophy, Wolff replied: “Get half the job done in qualifying on Saturday. That is crucial to get off the line in the lead.

“At the moment Lewis just seems on a roll. His pace [in qualifying at Spa] was incredible, his middle sector was half a second clear of everybody else and with the momentum Lewis has, he just scores the big points.”

Hamilton now has 48 career pole positions and 39 grand prix wins, including six in 11 races this year. With 28 points in hand over his team-mate, the defending champion is seemingly cruising towards a third title, but Wolff insists Rosberg remains very much in contention.

“We have seen very, very, good weekends [from Nico]. [He and Lewis] are often split by fractions, thousandths of a second and the gap is not big.

“If you’re in the same car, with the same resources, it is difficult to gain an advantage and probably this is what he finds himself to do.”

Click here for F1i's driver ratings after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. 

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