Nico Rosberg will not alter his approach to grand prix weekends despite seeing his championship lead cut dramatically by Lewis Hamilton in the last two races.
After claiming his fourth straight win of the season in Russia, and his seventh in a row, Rosberg led teammate Hamilton by 43 points. Since then Rosberg has not been back on the podium, with the Mercedes drivers crashing out of the race in Spain before back-to-back wins for Hamilton cut the gap to nine points.
Rosberg battled back from first-corner contact with Hamilton in Canada but had to settle for fifth after a late spin while trying to pass Max Verstappen. Despite his sudden dip in form Rosberg is not about to change his mentality.
"Canada unfortunately didn't work out as planned," Rosberg said. "But that's how things go when you're pushing the limits and I'm not going to change my approach or start backing down. I'm in this championship battle to win it -- not to settle for second best."
Like his boss Toto Wolff, Rosberg is wary of the threat of Ferrari and Red Bull and thinks the gap at the front will be marginal at this weekend's inaugural Grand Prix of Europe.
"Ferrari and Red Bull are very close to our pace now, so any tiny difference we can find this weekend could make the difference. I'm excited to get out there, get to know the track and a new city and hopefully get myself back to the top after a tough few races."