Just six days after losing his grasp on the championship lead for the first time in 2016, Nico Rosberg fought back in style by grabbing a high-pressure pole on home soil at Hockenheim. The main work is still to come of course - particularly as Rosberg had pole but lost ground last weekend in Hungary - but as the German explains, his confidence is soaring ahead of his home Grand Prix...
Pole sitter Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 and Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 celebrate oin parc ferme at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016.
I will be attacking with everything - it will be a big battle as always!
Nico Rosberg
Q: Thirty years ago it was your father who took pole at Hockenheim, and now you. Have you congratulated each other yet?
Nico Rosberg: Of course - we texted each other, and he tells me that I have done a good job and that he is very excited for the race tomorrow. For sure this is a nice little anecdote and I am happy that it turned out to be the case.
Q: In terms of pure statistics, you are ahead of Keke in all aspects - except a world championship crown. Does that create any weird feelings for you?
NR: It doesn't annoy me or anything like that. I am part of what he has achieved, and I do not think that I have to compare myself to his achievements. I am rather proud that he is a world champion.
Q: Moving on to your day: what was the electronics glitch you suffered?
NR: It was a problem with the throttle - it just would not take any commands anymore. I have never had this problem before. There is always a first time. But it is solved!
Q: What was the theory behind leaving you with excess fuel for your only run in Q3?
NR: It was a choice I made. I could have loaded fuel for just one timed lap, but then if I hadn't got it right I would have run out of time. The other logical choice for me was to load for three laps to minimise the risk of not landing in the top four.
Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 poses for a selfie photograph with the fans at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016.
To see that amount of support from our fans - this is a really good feeling!
Nico Rosberg
Q: Having lost the lead in the drivers' world championship just last race, and now being on pole on home soil, how much pressure do you put on yourself to regain the lead before going into the summer break? Is that an issue for you?
NR: I do not see the summer break as something that is disconnected from the races to come, so it has no real meaning in the overall picture of winning the world championship title. For sure it is very important to me to win tomorrow’s race, and I will be attacking with everything. It will be a big battle as always. I feel that the chances are good, and I am in very good shape myself.
Q: The first corner here can be crucial, and your fellow front-row starter Lewis Hamilton has said only one man will be going into it in the lead. What is your outlook?
NR: For sure Turn 1 is very important, but it goes further, almost to Turn 6. You have a very short run towards Turn 1, and the asphalt is very challenging especially for the car on P2, so it looks a bit in favour of me. Let's see how this will develop.
Q: How motivating was it to feel the German crowd cheering when a German driver was on the track?
NR: It is a great - to know that one has the support of the fans is a really good feeling. As well, when I dropped the car to parc ferme it was a very touching experience to see that amount of support from our fans, and also from the marshals around the track.
Q: Are you relieved that we are going into the summer break after this race, or would you rather like to keep pushing towards the world championship?
NR: Of course I will mentally be thinking about motorsport every single day of the summer break as well - and on the other side I am very happy to be able to spend some time away from the pressure that all of us are put into and to recharge the batteries.
