Nico Rosberg says he is “determined to turn (things) around” during this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix after what has been a rather underwhelming start to his 2015 season.
Last year’s runner-up finished a close second to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne but could not mount a proper challenge to realistically threaten the reigning world champion.
Rosberg’s Malaysian weekend turned out to be even trickier as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel beat both W06 Hybrids in Sepang. Meanwhile, Hamilton once again had the upper hand at Mercedes, edging out Rosberg in qualifying as well as during the Grand Prix.
This prompted ex-F1 racer turned TV pundit David Coulthard to write in his latest column for The Telegraph that the 29-year-old German was showing “worrying signs”. While acknowledging he has not enjoyed the smoothest start to his 2015 campaign, Rosberg is confident he can bounce back in Shanghai.
“The last race weekend was not great for me,” he said. “I didn't get my lap together in qualifying, then losing time in the pits made it a tough race to fight back and try to catch Lewis. We've definitely learned some lessons and it's time to take that to the track in China.
“It's not been a perfect start to my sixth year with the team and I'm determined to turn that around this weekend. Of course, my team-mate will have other ideas - and so will my compatriot in the red car, I'm sure.”
And what a better place for Rosberg to kick start his recovery than China, a venue where he became an F1 grand prix winner three years ago.
“Shanghai is a great circuit for me. It's where I got my first pole and my first win back in 2012 - my third season with the Silver Arrows.
“This is a track that has always suited me well, so I'm aiming to put in a strong weekend.”
Click here for an interesting take on putting new drivers in third cars.
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