Nico Rosberg says Mercedes is "feeling the heat" from Red Bull following its strong performance in Monaco.
Red Bull won the Spanish Grand Prix but was helped by the two Mercedes drivers colliding on the opening lap. In Monaco, however, Daniel Ricciardo took pole position and was quickest in the race but lost out to Lewis Hamilton after a pit stop error.
With Monaco also seeing Renault introduce a power unit upgrade which Ricciardo was running, Rosberg admits Mercedes is wary of Red Bull's improvements.
"We’re feeling the heat from them for sure," Rosberg said. "They were very strong in Monaco and have been coming at us very quickly. There were some very specific tracks, like Monaco, while the gap in Barcelona was a bit bigger, but it is good for the sport and good to have some battles against other cars. I’m confident we still have the best package out there."
Such was his lack of pace, Rosberg let team-mate Hamilton through during the Monaco Grand Prix but the championship leader insists his confidence has not taken a hit.
"It was a difficult race, for sure, but that doesn’t make me lose more morale. Some days are like that, it wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last I’m pushing now and trying to make the most out of it. Letting Lewis through was tough but it was an easy decision because it was the only thing to do at the time.
"It was the right thing to do and not something I’ll think about in the sure, that’s part of the championship battle and it could have also been the other way around. This is the nature of the sport, because as a team if there’s another car ahead you need to do whatever it takes to try and beat that car, which we did. It was worth it and I was able to make a large contribution to the team’s final result in Monaco.
"I’m feeling great and not dwelling on one race, because you’re always going to have races like that. For me it’s a thing of the past, I’m here feeling great and looking forward to the weekend."
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