One race at a time for championship leader Rosberg

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg insists he's taking the 2016 world championship one race at a time and is taking nothing for granted despite his stunning run of four consecutive wins to open the season.

"It wouldn’t be good for me to be thinking seven months down the road," Rosberg told journalists in Barcelona ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. "I’m just in the now. It’s not hard to keep your feet on the ground, you just need to look at reality.

"A race weekend requires 200 percent focus. I can’t allow such thoughts to start to build or whatever, it would be the wrong approach. Fortunately I don’t anyway," he said. "I enjoy winning the races and I have the chance to win here and that’s what my focus is on.

"The best way for me to win Barcelona is to think about Barcelona, so I’ve been focusing on that. It’s come quite naturally because that’s the way I like to approach it, it’s the best approach for me and that’s what I’m doing."

The last two years have seen Mercedes dominating Formula One, but it's been Rosberg's team mate Lewis Hamilton who has consistently held the upper hand. Now, though, with a big lead in the championship it's Rosberg who is finally poised for success.

"The last two years have been very valuable experiences, battling for race wins all the time, battling for the championship - I think I’ve made further progress this year," he agreed. "Experience is very, very valuable in the sport, that’s the key thing. That’s for doing one fast lap, or for doing a race well, or doing a whole season well."

But Rosberg is the first to admit that his commanding points lead has also been the result of circumstances that have been particularly beneficial to him.

"The first four races - in particular circumstances - have gone very cleanly for me and for my rivals they haven’t," he said, with Hamilton especially prone to technical and in-race setbacks in 2016.

"He’s as focused and as determined as ever so he will of course bounce back as he’s always done," Rosberg warned of what he regarded as the inevitable Hamilton fightback to come in the remaining 17 races of the season.

"Lewis is still the same Lewis as last two years, so just as quick and just as difficult to beat. There’s still a long, long way to go and it’s 41 points or whatever it is.

"I’m in a great situation which I’m enjoying. I have an opportunity to win the races, winning is a massive thrill that I race for. And up against some awesome drivers; up against Lewis, up against the red guys Kimi and Vettel. It makes it all the more fun when I win races, especially in a straight battle."

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