Nico Rosberg believes the start of the Italian Grand Prix always represented his ‘best opportunity’ to overhaul teammate Lewis Hamilton, adding he was able to control the race once he had charged off into the lead.
Rosberg was nearly half a second adrift of Hamilton in qualifying, but after his title rival suffered a disastrous launch, falling to sixth, it paved the way for a comfortable victory for the German driver.
Hamilton did manage to climb back up to second through a combination of strategy and overtaking, but Rosberg was able to maintain a ten-second buffer and cruised home for a second consecutive win.
Afterwards, Rosberg expressed his delight at a ‘very special’ triumph, his first at the iconic Monza venue.
It was a victory that the 30-year-old perhaps had not totally expected, after seeing Hamilton dominate for much of the weekend.
“It’s absolutely amazing – a very special day for me,” he said on the iconic Monza podium. “I’m very happy to finally win here in Italy.
“The start was the big opportunity and that worked out fantastically. Ferrari had supersofts so they had more grip, but it worked out great and gave me the win in the end, from then on I could control the pace as we had great speed.”
Following back-to-back victories, Rosberg has slashed Hamilton’s championship lead to just two points, setting up a sensational battle for glory over the remaining seven races.
