Nico Rosberg’s F1 title credentials face major test from Lewis Hamilton at Canadian Grand Prix

Graham Caygill focuses on championship leader Nico Rosberg, who needs to bounce back from two disappointing races if he is to clinch his first world title.

Nico Rosberg has had his championship lead cut down after two disappointing races in Spain and Monaco. Dan Istitene / Getty Images

It is an odd situation for a man who has won four of the first six races of the 2016 Formula One season, and has a 24-point lead in the drivers' championship, to be under pressure.

But that is what Nico Rosberg is facing ahead of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix after two disappointing races in a row dented his title credentials.

Four weeks ago, Rosberg led the standings by 43 points having won the first four grands prix.

Additionally, Rosberg did not lose any points in Spain to Mercedes-GP teammate Lewis Hamilton – his main, and realistically only, title rival – as they collided on the opening lap.

Rosberg had been leading after a superb move around the outside of Turn 1 on Hamilton, but then inadvertently triggered their collision by leaving his engine in the wrong setting before the start.

He lost power because of the error, and Hamilton gained rapidly, too rapidly as it turned out, as the speed difference meant Rosberg closed the door when Hamilton was already committed to the move. With his front wing by the rear of the German’s, Hamilton lost control, and in trying to avoid an impact, spun on the grass and back into him.

Both men could take some portion of blame for the incident, but ultimately if Rosberg had not forgotten to change his engine setting not only would the crash not have happened, but Rosberg, with track position, would have likely gone on to win.

More from Formula One:

• Canadian Grand Prix preview: Ricciardo recharged and raring to go in Montreal after getting over Monaco anger

• Graham Caygill: Max Verstappen needs to respond at Montreal after crashing back down to Earth in Monaco

• Formula One driver rivalries: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are not the first to feud

Monaco was arguably Rosberg’s worst race performance in a long time. He was badly off the pace in the wet having run second in the opening laps.

So slow and timid in fact, he was asked to move aside for Hamilton, and the German did as he was told as Hamilton went on to win for his first victory of the season.

Rosberg has received a lot of credit for his sportsmanship in allowing Hamilton through as he could have ignored it, although for reasons we will not go into, that would not have been a smart play.

But in Rosberg’s mind, when he eased off the gas and watched Hamilton sweep past, he would not have been foreseeing a 19-point loss.

In his mind, Hamilton was on for second at best. Daniel Ricciardo had been untouchable in his Red Bull Racing car, and he still should have got at least third. A three-point loss to the Briton would hardly have been a devastating result.

But Red Bull botched Ricciardo’s second pit stop to give Hamilton the lead, and Mercedes got their own tactics wrong in leaving Rosberg out on wet tyres too long. He ended up down in sixth, and then lost another place to Nico Hulkenberg on the final lap to finish seventh.

A pretty dire outcome all in all for the German.

Yes, he could have ignored the team order, and it is hard to imagine drivers of the ilk of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell or Michael Schumacher doing such a thing as willingly moving over when their teammate is a championship rival.

But Rosberg is out of contract at the end of 2016 and is starting negotiations over a new deal.

Crashing in Barcelona was not the greatest sign he and Hamilton can work well together, but to then go rogue on the team in Monaco would have been an even stronger sign that the partnership was potentially toxic.

Given Hamilton is contracted to 2018, Rosberg is the one most likely to lose out, and given that Mercedes is still the class of the field, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon, he will want to remain with the team if he wants to continue fighting for race wins and championships in the coming years.

It is still his advantage in the championship, but he is yet to beat Hamilton in a straight fight.

Monaco was the first relatively clean race Hamilton has had in 2016 and he won, having had a difficult start to the season with mechanical problems in qualifying and poor starts.

Rosberg has won four races, but Hamilton was hindered on each occasion, some through his own making.

You can only beat what is in front of you, and Rosberg did just that, but with 15 races left of the season and only a 24 point lead, he cannot keep relying on Hamilton having issues.

The long straights of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve make it a power track and should minimise the impressive aerodynamic grip of the Red Bull, making Ricciardo less of a threat.

This should be a private duel between the Mercedes cars, and Hamilton knows how to win in Montreal, having done so four times in the past, including last year.

Rosberg took pole at the venue in 2014, and really needs a repeat performance and then a first victory in Canada to get some momentum back into his campaign to prove he is topping the standings because he deserves to be, not because of Hamilton’s problems.

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