Nico Rosberg insists he was going ‘flat out all the way to the end’ in a bid to catch Mercedes teammate and US GP race winner Lewis Hamilton in spite of his healthy championship lead.
Rosberg was passed by Daniel Ricciardo on the exit of Turn 1, but dived into the pits in the virtual safety car period following Max Verstappen’s retirement and emerged in front of the Australian, coming home second.
The German was 4.5 seconds adrift of Hamilton at the chequered flag, and though he leads his teammate by a comfortable 26 points with just three races remaining, he admitted his disappointed at missing out on victory.
“I lost it at the start,” he conceded. “In the end I came back. Second place is OK – damage limitation.
“I wanted to win here in America, it would have been awesome, but it wasn’t to be. I was going for it, flat out all the way to the end.”
In the three remaining races, Rosberg can afford to finish second twice and third once and still clinch his maiden F1 crown, though his post-race comments suggest he will be battling hard for victory nonetheless.
In fact, the 31-year old could wrap up the title at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend if he wins and Hamilton retires.
