Rosberg: Small Hamilton gap vindicates race-by-race approach

Nico Rosberg believes the small points deficit he has to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the title fight shows his race-by-race approach is the right one.

The German is coming off a pair of consecutive wins in Belgium and Italy, which has allowed him to close the gap to just two points after trailing the Briton by 19 before the summer break.

Rosberg’s back-to-back victories has also enabled him to recapture the sort of momentum that saw him launch his 2016 campaign with a perfect run of four successes on the trot to enjoy a 43-point cushion over Hamilton.

“Standing on top of that Monza podium was an awesome experience: I’ll definitely remember that one for a long time!” he said.

“I approach each weekend aiming to win the race. The points gap has gone up and down but I've taken it one race at a time - and that's the best way for me, as you can see by how the gap is now.”

After adding Spa and Monza to his list of wins, Rosberg is keen to also break his duck at Singapore this weekend, a race where he has not had much success in recent editions and where Mercedes struggled 12 months ago.

“It’s a race that's been up and down for me,” the 31-year-old added. “I got my second ever podium there way back in 2008 [with Williams] but haven't been up there again since, so the target is to change that on Sunday.

“Of course, it won't be easy. This is a Red Bull track and we weren't so strong there last year. But I have faith in the team and my belief in myself is as high as ever.”

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