Rosberg hesitates to focus on 2013 or 2014
Nico Rosberg appreciates having a competitive car with the F1 W04 this season, but he also knows that next season will see significant changes and that Mercedes must prepare for them. The German is therefore unsure of the best solution between continuing to develop the 2013 car or fully focusing on the design of the 2014 car.
Nico Rosberg has signed three pole positions since the beginning of the season and has won two Grand Prix. The German driver is quite pleased with his start to the season, even though the inconsistency of his car has been a major flaw of his Mercedes F1 W04.
« We have been able to celebrate several important successes. Unfortunately, mainly due to the tires, we haven’t been consistent enough. However, the progress made is significant. But our goal is to be where Sebastian [Vettel] is, » Rosberg told Auto Motor und Sport.
Keke’s son seems quite far from the title race – he is only in 6th place in the drivers’ championship with 84 points, already 88 behind leader Sebastian Vettel. But Rosberg would like to have an even more competitive car in the second half of the season, even though he also knows he has to think about 2014, when regulatory changes will be significant: « [Should we focus on 2013 or 2014?] It’s a difficult question. I’m torn. On one hand, I find it really cool to arrive at a race weekend with the best car, thinking ‘I can take pole and win’. It’s a very nice feeling. On the other hand, part of me thinks that next year is a huge opportunity, with all the changes. If we simply continue to race what we have today, we can still achieve some success with this car. »
The Mercedes team seems rather indecisive at the moment about whether to focus on the remainder of the 2013 season to try to aim for a title or to fully concentrate on 2014 to try to gain an advantage with the new regulations.
Ross Brawn, the director of the star brand team, is waiting to see what the upcoming innovations will bring before making a decision: « For Spa and Monza, we have some interesting innovations coming up. Depending on how things go, we will then decide what we will do for the rest of the season. »
Even though Lewis Hamilton, currently third in the drivers’ championship, is only 48 points behind Vettel, and Mercedes is only 69 points behind Red Bull Racing in the constructors’ championship, a gap that can still be significantly reduced with nine Grand Prix remaining, Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ head of competition, prefers to think about the long term.
« If six months ago we had talked about opportunities for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, it would have been completely crazy. If you look at our rivals, they have been able to be at the forefront in a sustainable manner. That’s what we need to achieve – consolidation should be our goal for the second half of the season, not the pursuit of championships, » Wolff said as quoted by Autosport.
