• Malaysian Grand Prix

Rosberg hoping for F-duct advantage in Malaysia

Nico Rosberg: "The circuit has two long straights which should suit us this year" © Getty Images

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• Malaysian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Nico Rosberg

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• Mercedes

Nico Rosberg is hoping his Mercedes top speed advantage will give him an edge at the second grand prix of the season in Malaysia.

Rosberg finished 12th at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend after a last lap incident with Sergio Perez dropped him from a potential sixth place finish. The Mercedes appeared to be much stronger in qualifying than the race and that was largely attributed to a DRS-activated F-duct that helped reduce drag and improve top speed. Rosberg is hoping it will allow Mercedes to be even more competitive in Malaysia.

"The circuit has two long straights which should suit us this year, and the conditions will be very demanding as always due to the high heat and humidity," he said. "I'm confident that we can improve our performance here, and we will have a successful weekend in front of all our Malaysian supporters."

Rosberg struggled with tyre degradation in the race, which saw him drop from fifth at the end of the first lap to eighth in his final stint. Mercedes motorsport president Norbert Haug said Mercedes is working on correcting the issue ahead of this weekend's race.

"Nico's lap times were affected by higher levels of tyre degradation than ourselves and Pirelli had expected from testing and the practice sessions in Melbourne," Haug said. "Our team will be working hard to understand and, where possible, correct this before the next race in Malaysia."

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