Rosberg not taking anything 'for granted' in title run-in

Formula One points leader Nico Rosberg says he does not take anything “for granted” ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, despite the Mercedes driver being unbeaten since the end of the summer break.

Rosberg has turned a 19-point deficit into an 8-point edge over team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton, courtesy of three consecutive wins in Belgium, Italy, and Singapore.

“It's an incredible position to be in as a driver, knowing you have a shot at winning every weekend,” the German said. “I won't take it for granted. “I’ve had a good run lately and I'm enjoying the moment. But as far as the next race goes, or the next one after that and so on... it's anyone's game.”

Sepang was one of only three races (with Hungary and Singapore) to slip away from Mercedes’ grasp last year, when Sebastian Vettel stunned Hamilton and Rosberg to claim his maiden Ferrari win.

The current championship leader remains upbeat about his prospects though, based on how his team managed to win in Singapore after enduring a challenging 2015 edition.

“Singapore was a perfect weekend for me,” Rosberg added. “The team did such an impressive job understanding what went wrong last year and turning it around

“Red Bull and Ferrari are both pushing us really hard, so there will be some tough weekends ahead. It's exciting for the fans and pushes us even harder to keep improving, so that's a great thing.

“Malaysia didn't work out perfectly for us last year, so if we can win it this time against such tough opposition that would be really awesome.”

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