As the season finale draws near, Nico Rosberg, who has a 12-point lead heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is still alert to the level of work ahead of him.
As long as the German finishes on the podium at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, the world title will be his for the very first time regardless of whether teammate Lewis Hamilton wins the race. Something that you would consider an easy task in a dominant Mercedes car.
However, Rosberg is under no illusions about the task at hand.
“Doing a good job on a Grand Prix weekend is always a challenge,” he said. “Nothing in this sport is easy, so this won’t be any different and I still have to go all out for a good result.
“I have great memories of winning at this track last year and it’s somewhere I’ve usually been strong in the past, so I have every reason to feel confident. The closer it gets, the more I’m feeling excited.”
Another second place finish behind Hamilton, in the last race at Interlagos, helped Rosberg maintain the title permutations in his favour but he was still disappointed to lose out to his teammate.
“Obviously, the result in Brazil wasn’t the one I was going for but Lewis did a great job and second place wasn’t a disaster in the end.
“After the race, I was joking that I would still be taking things one race at a time. But, the more I think about it, the more that’s actually not as crazy as it sounds. I have to treat this like any other race.
“I’m looking forward now to Abu Dhabi. It feels great to be in the World Championship battle with Lewis for the third year in a row.
“I will give it everything to end the season with a win,” he added.
