Nico Rosberg has revealed a gust of wind caused him to lose control of his car in the closing stages of the U.S. Grand Prix and concede the lead to team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg lost control of the rear of his Mercedes between Turns 12 and 13 with just eight laps remaining, forcing him into the run off area and allowing Hamilton to breeze into the lead. After the race, Rosberg was unsure of the reason behind the mistake, but on arrival in Mexico on Thursday he revealed that a strong wind unbalanced his car.
"It was a gust of wind -- a big one -- and I lost a lot of rear downforce as a result.," he said. "Everybody has it, so you can't really use it as an excuse. It is still a mistake but I understand my mistake now, which is important. For me to understand it, it is very unusual scenario that happened just once in all of those laps, so I understand the mistake and it helps me moving forward."
Hamilton secured the drivers' title in Austin, meaning Rosberg's battle with Sebastian Vettel for second place is one of the few things left to play for this year. But Rosberg is not expecting anything to change in the way Mercedes approaches the final three rounds.
"I don't think it is going to be such a clear change, it is still going to be fighting for the win out there. OK the drivers' championship is done, the constructors' is done, but I still want to win, I'm sure Lewis wants to win, I'm sure Vettel wants to win, I think it is going to be a battle as usual. I don't think it isn't going to change much. I am able to reset [after Austin] and I am excited to be here. I want to win. That's it. Ready to go."