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F1 Hungarian GP: Rosberg on Hamilton challenge: Bring it on

Nico Rosberg says despite the disappointment of losing second place due to a post-race time penalty which cut his lead in the F1 world drivers' championship to one point he is relishing the chance of battling back in Hungary.

The German driver has led the F1 drivers' standings for every race this year but has seen his advantage dwindle from a dominant 43 points after the Russian Grand Prix to just a single point heading to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Rosberg says he has accepted the penalty handed to him at Silverstone which dropped him to third place after race stewards judged the Mercedes team of breaking the new radio rules by advising the German driver on how to manage a gearbox problem.

With Hamilton claiming back-to-back wins, and the memory of their last-corner clash for the lead in Austria still fresh in the memory, Rosberg is solely focusing on a fightback in Hungary - a circuit neither Mercedes driver has won at in the V6 Hybrid era.

"I am leading the World Championship coming up to the halfway point of the season and there's still a long way to go," Rosberg said. "The battle is on with Lewis and I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car, so bring it on.

"Silverstone was a good weekend except for the loss of position following the Stewards' decision after the race. It was disappointing to lose a hard-fought and deserved second position in such a way - but we have accepted the decision and now I have to look forward with positivity."

Rosberg has never finish on the podium at the Hungaroring and naturally is aiming make amends this weekend to end his difficult stretch of results since his first-lap collision with Hamilton which took the pair out of the race in Spain.

In the past six races Rosberg has stood on the podium on two occasions - a victory in Baku and his penalised third place at Silverstone - which contrasts his blazing start to 2016 with four consecutive wins.

"I can't wait for the next battle between us in Budapest," Rosberg said. "It's a tough circuit that really tests you as a driver and a challenge I really enjoy, so I'm looking forward to an exciting and hopefully successful weekend."

Zdroj: crash.net