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F1 Mexican GP: Rosberg ‘coping well under pressure’ – Wolff

Toto Wolff says it is remarkable how well Nico Rosberg has driven under the pressure of aiming to seal a maiden F1 world championship as he moves on to the Brazilian GP with the knowledge if he secures victory he will take the title with a round to spare.

Rosberg came under a late race attack from Max Verstappen in Mexico, with the Red Bull driver attempting a bold pass up the inside at turn four but Rosberg held his nerve to see the Dutch teenager outbrake himself and run wide.

The move allowed Rosberg to escape up the road with Verstappen's tyres degrading and secure second place behind title rival Lewis Hamilton to see him lead trimmed in the F1 world championship to 19 points.

As a result, if Rosberg wins in Brazil he will be crowned F1 world champion regardless of Hamilton's results.

Wolff has remarked how well Rosberg's mindset has improved and handled pressure in 2016 after struggling over the past two years against Hamilton, when in previous seasons he made key mistakes at vital moments to lose ground to the British driver.

"He was quite under pressure from Max when he was catching up and he still manages it well and we have seen in many races Nico coping well under pressure," Wolff said. "I think this is one of his very strong points. As I said, I don't know how difficult it is, I can't just guess, to manage a situation where you know all you need to do is finish second and you shouldn't risk a DNF.

"For Nico I think it is beneficial now because all this talking you need to finish second in order to make it to the end is finished now. He has it in his hands. If he wins the race in Brazil, he wins the championship earlier.

"I think this is maybe a bit easier in terms of tackling the situation with a little bit less pressure, because he is still has another go in Abu Dhabi." 

Zdroj: crash.net