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Rosberg suggests why Bottas is so fast: 'It's Hamilton's chassis'

Rosberg suggests why Bottas is so fast: 'It's Hamilton's chassis'

19-06-2021 11:15 Last update: 20:59
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GPblog.com

Looking ahead to qualifying and the Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit, former Formula One driver Nico Rosberg sees Red Bull's chances of winning the title increase. The Sky Sports pundit also has an explanation for Valtteri Bottas' good pace on Friday.

"We were a bit surprised yesterday because this is the absolutely Mercedes track," Rosberg begins his analysis as a pundit at Sky Sports. "Yet in the Mercedes sectors as well, Red Bull were really strong setting purple sectors, as a result of that I think qualifying will be so tight and interesting today."

Rosberg continued, stating that where Paul Ricard is one of the more normal circuits on the calendar, a unique situation also arises here, "We've had unusual tracks in Monaco and Azerbaijan, this is more of a normal track so yes this is an important test for Red Bull to see where they are on a normal track. But also here it's a special situation because so much of it is down to tyres overheating, especially on the front end so it's a unique situation in that sense actually."

Chassis change

Also, the former driver has an explanation for Valtteri Bottas' improved speed, namely the chassis he took over from his teammate. Rosberg: "Maybe it's down to the swapping of the chassis. Because he has Lewis' chassis here for this weekend, so maybe as a result of that he has found a lot of form."