Nico Rosberg had his name etched in the history books when he won the 2016 World Title. His Championship win came after an epic battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton, but it had drained him mentally. Soon after the 2016 season ended, he announced that he would retire from the sport.
Since then, Rosberg has been actively involved in discussions related to F1, and is even an employee of Sky Sports as a pundit. The German driver often talks about his former team Mercedes and Hamilton, sharing his opinion on their success and failures.
2022 wasn’t a good year for the Silver Arrows and they were very slow compared to Red Bull and Ferrari for the majority of the season. According to Rosberg, drag was where the Brackley-based outfit lost out on to the top two teams.
Nico Rosberg explains why Mercedes was slow on straights
The Mercedes car for 2022, the W13 was not a favorite among Hamilton, George Russell, or the fans. It was very slow on the straights, which led to them losing out on a lot of time. On Sky’s Any Driven Monday, the 37-year-old explained why his ex-team suffered this problem.
“The car has basically built up more drag than the Red Bull and Ferrari cars,” he said. “As a result, the car shoots less well on the straights, they have been with that all year.”
Rosberg went on to suggest that if Mercedes solve their drug problem over the winter break, it will return to winning ways once again in 2023. The German outfit dominated the sport for eight seasons and one season should not derail the years of hard work they put in. However, Rosberg does not expect Mercedes to make an immediate bounce back.
Mercedes will take time to return to the top, says Rosberg
Rosberg insists that his former team should compete for the Championship in the upcoming season. However, he predicts a slow start to the season for them once again. According to the Wiesbaden born driver, Mercedes spent a lot of time solving their problems, which limited their time in development.
“They have accepted that they are no longer the fastest and the best,” Rosberg added. “They are no longer hunted, they are the hunters now. I feel they are incredibly motivated to strike back next season. Mentally, this team is extremely strong.”
In 2022, Mercedes finished P3 in the Constructors’ Standings with 515 points to their name. Ferrari finished P2 ahead of them, with Red Bull winning the Constructors’ World Championship.
