‘Nico is an incredibly strong driver’

On his way to claiming his first ever World Championship, Mercedes director Paddy Lowe has heaped praise on Nico Rosberg, claiming his racecraft is incredible.

Ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, the German is currently enjoying a 33-point lead on the Drivers’ Championship table, with Lowe claiming that his improvement over the years has been remarkable.

“Nico is an incredibly strong driver,” Lowe explained.

“The step that he has made this year is that he has improved his racecraft considerably.

“He’s proving himself much better able to fight for the positions. A few incidents that didn’t quite come off how he wanted, but overall that’s where he has made the step.”

Following the praise he received from his Silver Arrow colleague, Rosberg refused to comment on Lowe’s words, explaining that he will continue to take it one race at a time.

“I can’t comment on that, with all due respect,” the Championship leader said.

“It’s good to hear him complimenting me and saying that I made progress in certain areas.

“What can I say to that? I’ve been feeling good anyways. It’s an ongoing process for me, pushing in all directions and just trying to be better every time. That’s what I love doing, pushing myself also to get to higher levels.

“The best reasoning [for taking it race-by-race] is that it’s actually working quite well, so why change something if it’s working quite well with the approach that I’ve got at the moment.”