Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMercedes

Rosberg 'up for a battle' in Abu Dhabi

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Nico Rosberg says he is "up for a battle" with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Rosberg's relationship appeared to become more strained by contact between the two at the start of the United States Grand Prix - where Hamilton won the title - with Rosberg claiming his team-mate had been "extremely aggressive".

While the two have avoided on-track incident since then, they disagreed over who was quicker in Brazil after Hamilton was unable to pass Rosberg on track. After back-to-back wins, Rosberg says he is ready for another close fight with his team-mate to close out the season.

"I've had two really great weekends now in Mexico and Brazil, so I'm heading into the final race on a massive high," Rosberg said. "Abu Dhabi hasn't always been an easy one for me. Of course, last year was probably my biggest disappointment - losing the title at the last moment with a mechanical problem. But I showed my speed there with pole position and I have good momentum behind me right now, so I'm aiming to end the season on a big positive this time around.

"Of course, it's also the last race for this incredible Silver Arrow - and it deserves a spectacular send off. Everyone at the factories has done such a fantastic job one again this year. A car like this is something every driver dreams of having in their hands, so I'll be pushing hard to make the most of it for one last time as a tribute to all their hard work.

"Of course, it will be close as always with Lewis and we saw a big push from Ferrari in São Paulo, so it won't be straightforward. But I'm up for a battle and hopefully we can put on a great show for the fans to end the year."

Technical feature: Exclusive pictures of the Ferrari power unit

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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.