Nico Rosberg not getting carried away despite setting pace in Monaco – Formula 1 news
Despite topping the Thursday practice sessions in Monaco, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg believes that a pole position in qualifying is not guaranteed yet.
The veteran driver stated, “I felt comfortable in the car, and we know we're more or less in the hunt for a good result in qualifying - somewhere towards the front – but we have to wait and see. We really don't know what other teams are doing, what they
are running. I don't know if [Mercedes' pace] is going to be enough or not.”
Rosberg has been on pole for the past two races of the 2013 Formula 1 season, which shows that he is in great form at the moment. Moreover, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was the pacesetter in one of the qualifying sessions too, which makes everyone believe
that the two of them will be hard to match in Monte Carlo.
However, qualifying form has not helped any of the Mercedes drivers to secure a victory in the first five races of the season. Hamilton has been on the podium on a couple of occasions, but he never looked threatening to rival teams in terms of race pace.
The reason behind this is that the German giants have been unable to get rid of their tyre wear problem, which has affected their chances since their comeback to the sport in 2010.
Rosberg is fully aware of this issue and said, “The other thing is long-run pace: it's better, but there are still some issues there, it still could be a problem. So there are a couple of question marks.”
Despite all their problems, Mercedes would be aware of the fact that winning a race in Monaco is their best chance, as tyre wear will not be an issue. Moreover, the streets of Monte Carlo don’t allow the drivers to overtake easily, so one can hold one’s
position regardless of all the issues.
Earlier, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull had shared similar thoughts about Mercedes, saying that the Silver Arrows could possibly steal the show in the upcoming race. However, the real picture will be clear after the final practice
session, which will be held on Saturday before qualifying.
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