German ready to challenge again after relaxing winter break
Monday 26 January 2015 13:35, UK
Nico Rosberg says it only took him "a few days" to get over the heartache of missing out on the world championship and that he is ready to fight again in 2015.
The German was embroiled in a season-long battle with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, but ultimately came up short as his Mercedes was struck by unreliability in Abu Dhabi while Hamilton went on to win the race.
“Thankfully it goes pretty quickly, when there is success or not success, it takes a few days and I get over it,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1’s David Croft when asked how long the disappointment had lasted.
“In this case that was great, when it is successful it is not so great as you want to enjoy the moment longer, but it is quite short lived always.
“I am ready to go again definitely, it’s been a long break.”
As the drivers prepare for the opening pre-season test in Jerez on February 1, Rosberg is feeling refreshed, having been able to forget about F1 during the break.
“For me it was a new experience and I didn’t know how it would be, but it has been easy to switch off because it is not all about racing in the end,” he added.
“I noticed that again this winter when I spent time with my family and just enjoyed those moments. Success, and when it doesn’t work out, were completely forgotten.”
Mercedes start the season as favourites once again, but Rosberg is waiting to see how their rivals perform on track before making any predictions.
“The biggest challenge first of all is to be my best – that is the first and most important challenge for me – and to be better than ever,” he said.
“Then the second challenge is going to be first of all trying to beat Lewis and then further more trying to beat all the other teams – we have no idea where we stand so we need to wait and see where we are. Of course we had very strong base last year so the chances are good, but we don’t know.”
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary of all three winter tests, starting in Jerez on Sunday February 1, with live updates from trackside also on Sky Sports News HQ.
