Nico Rosberg bids for home win hat-trick

Mercedes driver hoping to continue momentum at German GP.

NüRBURGRING: Just days after claiming his second win of the season in last weekend’s tumultuous British Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg is aiming this weekend to complete a perfect set of three ‘home’ wins when he leads the Mercedes team into the German Grand Prix.

After Monaco, where he grew up and lives, and Silverstone, a circuit that is barely 15 kilometres from his outfit’s Brackley base, the Nurburgring, a traditional Formula One venue steeped in history and located in the Eifel mountains, represents the track of his motherland — and he believes that with the momentum he has generated, he has a great chance of claiming another win.

“We’re fast and we’re setting the pace,” said Rosberg. “We’re growing into the role of being favourites for the races now.

“That is a fantastic feeling and for me, it would be so good if I can win again to complete a hat-trick of three wins on my home circuits.”

Mercedes have managed to build momentum based on the speed that has brought them pole in five of the eight events so far this year and two wins, just one fewer than Red Bull.

“Slowly, but surely, we are dropping into the role of being favourites — which, I think, is fantastic,” added Rosberg. “We’ve had three years where it’s been difficult, and we learned a lot.”

Alonso trusts Grand Prix will be safe

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso put his faith in Formula One’s governing body and Pirelli ensuring safety at the German Grand Prix after multiple tyre blowouts at last weekend’s British race.

The Spaniard, second in the standings behind Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel, was almost hit on the head by a strip of tread flying off a car in front of him at Silverstone.

“After what we saw in Silverstone, we now go to the Nurburgring, confident we can see an improvement,” he said. “I know that various modifications have been applied and let’s hope that means all of us drivers can race in safe conditions.

“At the moment, we can’t make any predictions, because no one has tried them and we don’t know what and how many benefits they can bring, apart from trusting in the fact that it won’t be dangerous to race.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2013.

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