Formula 1 | Rosberg still does not believe in a fault of Leclerc and lights Ferrari

If Charles Leclerc took on himself, and how much, his fault of the Grand Prix of France, the evils of Ferrari are of course broader and concern, more than the pilots, the team itself.

Failed strategy with Carlos Sainz, communication that could be improved, another problem of unity of power with the Alfa Romeo of Guanyu Zhou… the Scuderia experienced glitch after glitch, at least on Sunday in France.

Nico Rosberg also has more Ferrari in his sights than Charles Leclerc, as he expressed for the Sky after the race.

“I really think it was premature for Leclerc to take responsibility for the accident. »

“Because it’s really very unusual for it to happen like this, because you’re not even pushing as hard as you can, you’re saving your tyres. »

« For the rear to start moving like that…that’s exactly when the wind is coming from the rear, and if you have an unlucky gust or something, it can suddenly take 20% of your downforce at that time. »

Rosberg suspects that the Ferrari driver is not in question: why not the engine or even the pedal, even if Mattia Binotto has firmly denied it?

“And also, what happened with the motor or even the pedal? All it takes is a little cut or something that can pop the back out. »

“I really think they need to take the time to look into this as I still can’t believe it was driver error. »

« I also found it a little strange, and that’s where Charles was complaining about not being able to put the gas on because of the pedal? I’m not sure what happened. »

The other miss of Sunday’s race for Ferrari was the strategy of Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard stopped 5 or 10 laps too late on medium (but did he really have to stop when he was 3rd?). In addition, his team discussed strategy with him in the midst of an intense battle with Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull.

Rosberg therefore knocks out Ferrari.

“I was shaking my head seeing Ferrari’s strategy for Sainz. What the hell are they doing there? First of all, he was in the middle of a huge battle on the track and his whole team wasn’t looking at it anymore, they were doing their calculations on pit stop timing. They spoke to him as if in the middle of the action. I thought, guys, what are you doing? »

“Then the tires would have been good until the end. He even had a chance to still have Lewis for 2nd place. »

 » What is happening here ? »

“Really, I think it’s time they made some changes there, some serious changes. »

“A terrible judgment there, terrible. I can not explain it. Mattia [Binotto, le patron de l’équipe] really need to deal with this and make some serious changes, now is the time. »

Nico Rosberg believes, however, that Charles Leclerc, thanks to the intrinsic top speed of his single-seater, still has a small chance of catching up on Max Verstappen, even if this delay amounts to 63 points….

“The only thing is, let’s not forget, Ferrari seems to have the best car at the moment. »

“So that can give us hope that Leclerc can still make a comeback in the championship in the remaining races. It’s still to be played. »

Mercedes is pumped up according to Nico Rosberg

Even if it’s not quite there yet, Mercedes has again taken a step forward at Paul Ricard (at least in the race), with the first double podium of the season for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

The former of the house, Nico Rosberg, appreciated seeing his team return after in particular qualifying which had been, on the contrary, a frank disappointment in pure performance.

“What an incredible comeback for Mercedes after the slap in qualifying, nobody could have predicted a double podium and also with the pace they showed. »

“They were close to the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull. It was really a big positive for Mercedes. »

For Nico Rosberg, Mercedes’ priority must now be to work on qualifying.

« It looks like maybe it’s that qualifying pace, which is the big, big problem that they have to deal with. In the race they confirmed that they have made progress, so it’s a big positive today for them. »

“If they continue to have such bad Saturdays, it’s going to be difficult for them to make enough progress to really fight for the win. So it all boils down to that. »

“A Formula 1 team like Mercedes always works very, very hard. Sometimes I find it hard to imagine how they are going to be able to work even harder, because there is a limit to everything. »

For Nico Rosberg, no doubt, he who knows his former teammate Lewis Hamilton: the Briton is still over-motivated to face this second half of the season, even if the victories will not be there.

“They stay super, super motivated and a race like Sunday also gives them energy because it gives them hope after a darker day like Saturday. »

“It gives them hope that maybe they can still win this year and fight for some late season wins, hopefully too, you know. »

« That hope is spurring you on again and that’s where Mercedes is at the moment. »