2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg is backing Sebastian Vettel to overcome the setback he suffered last time out in Bahrain.
The German was soundly beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc in both qualifying and the race, with further criticism coming after another spin while battling Lewis Hamilton, taking him out of contention.
Some believe it was a race that could signal a changing of the guard at Ferrari, but Rosberg believes the momentum could very quickly swing back in Vettel’s favour.
“He’s a four-time world champion,” the ex-Mercedes driver was quoted by the Telegraph.
“The thing about sport is that it only takes one race to turn the corner – I’m really sure he’s going to able to turn the corner very quickly.
“It just takes him winning China and everything changes and he’ll be full of confidence again.”
Rosberg is also sure his fellow countryman won’t have been too negatively impacted by the events of Bahrain.
“Sebastian is a very self-confident person, so I don’t doubt his mindset,” he stated. “Of course, it doesn’t help confidence when you have the race like he did in Bahrain.
“He needs to come back now and have a strong race and build his confidence up. I am sure he can do that.”
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- Ferrari: Tougher challenge managing Leclerc & Vettel a ‘good thing’
The question still remains though whether Leclerc will now be a consistent threat to Vettel, and if that is the case then Nico admits the balance at Maranello might change.
“It’s interesting how they manage the team. Especially if Leclerc continues to show such speed and pace, it’s going to be amazing,” he claimed.
“If Leclerc really shows this kind of speed then he’s going to challenge Sebastian all the time and it’s going to be much more difficult.
“If it becomes a problem for one of their drivers it becomes a problem for Ferrari as well.”
