Rosberg: Lack of team cohesion at Ferrari cost them title

Former world champion Nico Rosberg has pinned a lack of "team cohesion" as the reason Ferrari didn't win the constructors' championship this season.

Mercedes triumphed to yet another double in Formula One; with the team winning the constructors' and Lewis Hamilton beating Sebastian Vettel to the drivers' title, and by some margin.

The first race of the season in Australia, Ferrari had the quicker car - but their campaign fell apart mid-season. Individual mistakes from Vettel, bad strategy calls and no team orders ultimately cost Scuderia.

Rosberg believes Ferrari will come back stronger in 2019, but they need to work on their levels of consistency.

"Basically, Ferrari just needs to continue in 2019," the former Mercedes world champion told German publication Bild am Sonntag. "They managed to build a brilliant car. On that basis, I trust them that they will come back very strongly from the winter break.

"They made so many strategy mistakes, also in team cohesion. It was weird because Ferrari always led the way with team orders. But as a driver, if you feel that you do not have full support, it can affect you in your mind and your focus.

"If you do not agree with your team - and in Sebastian's case rightly so - it is difficult. We also cannot forget that Sergio Marchionne was very strongly involved with the team. But you have to say that Mercedes managed to compensate without Niki Lauda."