Home advantage: Regaining championship lead drives on Rosberg

31-year-old can reclaim top spot from Hamilton if he wins at German Grand Prix

HOCKENHEIM: Nico Rosberg hopes history will repeat itself as he seeks a much-needed win on home soil at the German Grand Prix to put him back on top of the drivers’ world championship.

The 31-year-old German fell six points behind his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the championship following the defending champion’s victory at last Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

It was the first time this season that Rosberg had left a race weekend in any position other than that of world championship leader and he is determined to turn the tables on his rival in front of Mercedes’ home crowd.



"It's simple for me now," he said. "Lewis has done the best job so far this season — by six points. That's it. It's the only change, but it doesn't change much for me. It's so close. I'm out there at every race with the opportunity to win and it is always very close between us. It takes just one small thing to switch it around.”

There was no German race last year due to financial difficulties, meaning that Rosberg was the event's last winner when he triumphed there in 2014.

And the German is happy that he can regain top spot at a track he clearly holds dear. “I'm happy to have the chance to get back in the car again so soon and especially happy that it's at my second home race,” he said. “I had a fantastic day at Hockenheim a few weeks ago driving Mika Hakkinen's championship-winning car. It really gave me a massive buzz to be back racing in Germany.”



Rosberg signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes in Hungary and was then engulfed in a controversy about his pole position lap, delivered under waved double yellow flags, during an extended rain-hit qualifying session.

He is adamant that he can put that behind him and take the fight back to Hamilton whose recent streak of five wins in six races has taken him from holding a deficit of 43 points in the title race to a six-point lead.

Like Rosberg, Hamilton has won before at the famous former high-speed track in the forests of Baden-Wurttembeg, somewhat reduced in speed and grandeur in 2002 when it was cut from more than four to around 2.3 miles in length.



The defending three-time champion was victorious in 2008 and also won the German race when it was held at the Nurburgring in 2011, during a spell when it was alternating between the two venues.

“Getting that win in Hungary after a less than straightforward weekend was a great feeling,” he said. “If I can come out on top when things aren't quite perfect, that can only be a good thing.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2016.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.