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Formula 1 Belgian GP
Rosberg: Mercedes "seriously off the pace" before qualifying
Nico Rosberg has expressed his relief at taking pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, with the usually dominant Mercedes team having been "seriously off the pace" in practice.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Aug 27, 2016, 2:07 PM
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Rosberg was a strong favourite for pole after engine issues ruled teammate Lewis Hamilton out of contention, but the German was still made to fight for it, seeing off Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen by a tenth and a half in Q3.
"We had a difficult weekend up to now, especially this morning [in FP3] - we were seriously off the pace on one lap," said Rosberg.
"So, not so easy coming into qualifying, but we got the job done in the end. We made quite a few changes to the car into qualifying and it came together, felt good, so I am pleased about that one."
Elaborating on the team's struggles prior to qualifying, Rosberg said: "We just weren't quick, it is hot and Pirelli pressures are high this weekend so [it's a] different world out there.
"We had to change things and adapt. Even this morning in FP3 we were quite a bit off the pace still."
The German, who is still chasing his first victory at Spa-Francorchamps, insisted that he will not expect a straightforward romp to victory in tomorrow's race.
"It is going to be a very challenging race, tyres are extremely difficult out there this weekend," he said.
"I think we will see a bit of everything, and with Max on supersoft and Kimi on soft, there will be a whole load of things going on - so definitely won't be an easy one."
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