Title leader only fifth in Montreal after another troubled race
Monday 20 June 2016 13:31, UK
Nico Rosberg has described Lewis Hamilton's first-corner defence in the Canadian GP as a "really hard racing manoeuvre" that left the German swearing in his Mercedes cockpit.
After banging wheels with Hamilton into the first corner as the fast-starting Sebastian Vettel claimed the lead, Rosberg was forced on to the grass and returned to the track in a distant 10th.
"Sebastian had a great start, I had a decent one and Lewis had a really bad one," Rosberg told Sky Sports F1. "In Barcelona, I went round the outside of Lewis and it worked out really well, I went for the same one again today and he did a really hard racing manoeuvre.
"We touched and I was off and that's it. It didn't work out, I was very p***** off in that moment but that's racing in the end and it's my job to make sure I'm in front after a battle like that next time."
But after the difficult start, Rosberg's troubled afternoon was to continue as it had begun.
After struggling to make substantial headway through the field, Rosberg then suffered a puncture that required an emergency pit-stop, was repeatedly warned that he needed to save fuel, and, in a final indignity, spun as he attempted to overtake Max Verstappen on the penultimate lap.
"It was an uphill battle trying to fight back," rued Rosberg. "We also nearly run out of fuel which is why I couldn't attack Max, though he did a very good job at the end.
"Then I had to drop back, try again, drop back, try again. In the end it went completely pear-shaped. A frustrating race, of course."
As a result, Rosberg's lead of the championship - which stood at 43 points just a month ago - has now been trimmed to a mere nine points by Hamilton.
