Nico Rosberg has no intention of giving Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton an easy ride to his third world title despite falling 53 points behind him in the race for this year's Formula One championship after Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
The 30-year-old German, who retired with a blown engine with two laps remaining, had his worst day of the season as the defending two-time champion Briton drove to his 40th career win in commanding style.
“It’s a fact that it’s a massive step in the wrong direction,” said Rosberg.
“It’s the biggest loss I’ve had in one day throughout the whole season, so that’s very bad, and I now need to catch up a few points.
“I keep going. Giving up doesn’t exist for me. So, I’ll just keep fighting and I’ve got to try to win the next couple of races somehow.”
Rosberg’s problems began on Saturday morning when after final free practice a cooling system leak meant he had to change engines – and revert to an older unit used at last month’s Belgian Grand Prix.
“The whole weekend just went completely wrong and unlucky I think,” he added. “There were so many repercussions of this engine issue.
“It wasn’t an engine issue, actually. It was a chassis issue that made me have to change. To have it explode two laps from the end was unbelievable. It’s even more disappointing.
“I was going to have a good go at Vettel because finally I had the brakes cool enough to attack and I could ramp up the electric power, and I was going to really go for it.”
His engine failure came after a poor start, a recovery and then a team decision to give his power unit a boost in the final laps.
“We gave it a little push at the end to try to catch Sebastian and this is when it decided to call it a day,” said team chief Toto Wolff.
“The engine was on its sixth race so it was very high on miles and we didn’t get any warnings.”
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England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Saudi Cup race day
Schedule in UAE time
5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
