Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMercedes

Mercedes ready for 'a big battle' with Ferrari

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Nico Rosberg says Mercedes is primed for "a big battle" with Ferrari this season following a close race in Australia.

Sebastian Vettel led for the majority of the opening race in Melbourne but a strategic error from Ferrari ensured he had to pit once more than Rosberg, handing the German a relatively comfortable win. While Rosberg is full of praise for the work Mercedes has done with its 2016 car he is wary of how close the fight will be with Ferrari this season.

"We've stepped up our game once again with a fantastic car," Rosberg said. "But Ferrari were a real threat all weekend in Melbourne and it's clear that we've got a big battle on our hands, so we have to keep pushing very hard.

"The new radio rules make things quite a big challenge. It's tough out there - and for me it's a good direction we've taken, giving the drivers more responsibility. The important thing is whether it's what the fans want to see, so we need to listen to them."

Heading in to this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, Rosberg is expecting another dramatic race after two close finishes at Sakhir over the past two years.

"It's Bahrain next - a track which always seems to provide entertainment for me! I've had some great battles there in the last two years with Lewis and also the Ferraris, so I'm expecting more of the same this time and very much looking forward to that.

"It was great to win the first race - but the aim is to come out on top at every step of the way this season, starting this weekend. There's a long way to go..."

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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.