Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMercedes

Car not a factor in Hamilton deficit - Rosberg

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Nico Rosberg says he has to find more from himself to close the gap to team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the remaining races of the season.

Hamilton opened up a 28-point advantage at the top of the standings with victory in Belgium, with Rosberg finishing second having been outqualified by his team-mate for the tenth time in 11 races this year. Rosberg concedes the car is not a factor in his record this season and says he has to find more from his personal performance.

"The race in Spa was definitely disappointing," Rosberg said. "My start was not good so I need to work on that and also on finding those extra tenths in qualifying to get back on top there. I know I have the car underneath me to get pole and the win every time with this incredible machine the team have built, so nothing less will do.

"Monza is next and I can't wait to try out this season's Silver Arrow there. I'm sure it will suit our car and it's a circuit I really enjoy, so all the ingredients are there for a strong weekend."

And Rosberg says he is aiming to spoil Ferrari's party at its home race in front of a vocal crowd at Monza.

"I'm sure the Tifosi will want a red car to be on the top step but, whatever the result, you know they will create an unbelievable atmosphere. Standing on the podium last year was a great experience and the target is to be one step higher this time around."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.