• Belgian GP - Race

Rosberg blames 'British fans' for booing

ESPN Staff
August 24, 2014 « Lauda angry with Rosberg risk | Hamilton baffled by Rosberg's driving »
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Nico Rosberg is not bothered by the boos which greeted him on the podium because he thinks they came from "British fans" after his clash with Lewis Hamilton at Spa.

Rosberg recovered from an early collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton to finish second, though seemed to be at least partially to blame for the incident which took his team-mate out of contention on lap two. Rosberg tried a lunge on the outside of Les Combes and did not pull out as Hamilton took the racing line through the corner, losing some rear wing and giving the Brit a puncture.

Rosberg's arrival on the podium post-race was greeted by boos but he thinks it was Hamilton's fans.

"They are British fans, so I do understand," Rosberg said. "It's not a nice feeling for me. All I ask is that they prepare themselves well before having such an opinion. For example, by reading the regulations and really understanding what is the code of conduct between drivers.

"Anyway, it's a small minority out there today - it was the British fans out there. The rest were excited to see a great race. Of course for us it was a bad day as a team."

Post-race both Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda appeared to lay the blame at Rosberg's doorstep during TV interviews but the German refused to be drawn into comment on his opinion.

"I don't know. I haven't got an opinion on it at the moment. First of all I don't know what [Toto and Niki] have said so don't want to comment in detail. I need to see it before going into any such detail.

"I was quicker and I wanted to overtake, and I went for it. The inside was closed up so I went round the outside and tried to go for it and unfortunately we touched. I definitely tried and I was alongside."

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