I showed Hamilton there was no space - Rosberg

©WRi2

40

Nico Rosberg says he was "very surprised" Lewis Hamilton tried to overtake him on the inside of Turn 4 prior to their crash in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton was closing in quickly on Rosberg exiting Turn 3 due to the leader being in the wrong engine mode on the first lap. Rosberg moved to cover the inside just as Hamilton attempted to pass, leaving the defending champion on the grass where he lost control and took out his team-mate at Turn 4.

With both cars out of the race the stewards decided it was a racing incident, but Rosberg says he had clearly shown Hamilton there would not be space on the inside.

“I had a great start and was really excited about the first corner move and getting the lead and then I was sure it was my race to win," Rosberg said. "Coming out of Turn 3 I noticed I was down on engine power – which now I know it was because I was in an incorrect engine mode – I saw Lewis closing in and as soon as I could, I closed the door, I went to the inside.

"It was a clear, strong move, to make sure he understood there was not going to be any space there and I was very surprised he went for it anyway. That’s it, then we’re in the sand trap. I wasn’t surprised because I didn’t see him, I was surprised he still went for the inside gap.

"I was not surprised he tried a move, it was a normal battle, I was well aware of where he was and making sure that I would close the door in a way that he understands there’s not going to be the space.

"I said what I thought about my move: I tried to move over as quickly as possible, in a very clear, strong manoeuvre, to make it clear to Lewis that I was going to be covering the inside. It’s a normal thing for a racing driver to do, you always block the inside door, to make sure he doesn’t get by."

Unwilling to be drawn in to a war of words with his team-mate, Rosberg's demeanour suggested he was unhappy the clash was dismissed as a racing incident.

"I haven’t heard what Lewis has said to you guys. I think in the end we have to go with what the experts think and the experts decided it was a racing incident. I don’t want to comment on any of that, we just need to stick with what the Stewards decided."

REPORT: Verstappen takes stunning first win as Mercedes collide

Breakfast with ... Claire Williams

Romain Grosjean column: Spain will show the real Haas

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.