Formula One points leader Nico Rosberg has revealed that he spoke with Bernie Ecclestone after the series supremo reportedly said it would not be good for the sport if the German driver were to win this year’s championship.
Ecclestone was quoted as saying that “there is nothing to write about” Rosberg because he does not have the same aura and appeal as Mercedes team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Attending Thursday’s FIA press conference ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, Rosberg was asked to comment on Ecclestone’s remarks.
“I spoke to him personally and he said that’s not exactly the way he said it,” he replied. “Anyways, that’s not something that’s important to me. I just focus on my thing, and that’s it.”
Rosberg’s achievements this year - nine race wins and eight pole positions out of 18 grands prix weekends so far - have been belittled in some quarters in light of Hamilton’s engine reliability issues.
The 31-year-old, who holds a 26-point lead over Hamilton with three events to go, says he does not care whether or not people give him enough credit for his successes.
“I’m here to win races and not please everyone who is out there. There’s always going to be people who have opinions that will going against me in some way or another […] and that’s the nature of the business, it’s always going to be like that, so I like to focus on the people who support me, and that’s it.”
Chris Medland's 2016 Mexican Grand Prix preview
Scene at the United States Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Formula 1 returns to Imola this weekend after a two-year absence following last year’s cancellation.…
Charles Leclerc says he was not aware of any plan to replace his long-standing race…
The Formula 1 community and its drivers came together on the grid on Thursday afternoon…
Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey is poised for a new chapter, but all signs…
With Alex Albon now locked in for the foreseeable future, Williams has shifted its focus…
Nico Hulkenberg has called into question Kevin Magnussen’s claim that he deliberately transgressed track limits…