Rosberg: “The penalty will be very costly”

Nico Rosberg pays dearly for his suspension failure which occurred during the last practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix. The damage caused to his W07 Hybrid having forced his team to change gearbox following his accident, the Championship leader will have to start from sixth position on the grid (taking advantage of the sanction imposed on Sebastian Vettel) after setting the second time in Q3 half a second behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

“The whole team did an incredible job. Even the Lewis mechanics came to fix my car so that it comes out on time, first wanted to highlight the leader of the Championship at a press conference. It was tense because there were 11 minutes left in Q1, but the moment was intense. »

“We then had an exciting qualifying session, with the track getting wet and then drying and I was amazed at how quickly it dried, continued the pilot Mercedes. Lewis did a really good job at the end. I finished second, but the result is correct. The penalty will be very costly. I will do my best to have a good race starting from this position. »

Nico Rosberg can rely on the racing circumstances, with numerous suspension failures occurring during testing and different conditions to catch up. The Mercedes drivers should nevertheless be at a disadvantage by starting with ultra-soft tires, obligatory in the first stint after having set the best time in Q2 with these compounds, unlike their direct opponents. Ferrari et Red Bull who opted for super soft tires.

“I’m going to have to avoid the vibrators, that’s for sure. I even avoided them most of the time during qualifying, except when I really had to attack., admitted Nico Rosberg. Tire management will be a difficult parameter to manage tomorrow, but the fact is that we are moving into the unknown because temperatures can drop and change their behavior. It will be tough if it's hot, but it might be better if the weather is cooler.

Austrian Grand Prix qualifying results