Monaco Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg has praised the improvement that Mercedes have made since the Spanish Grand Prix, allowing him to claim his first win of the season.
The win was particularly special for Rosberg as his father, Keke, won the race thirty years ago, and Nico has spent most of his life in Monaco.
“Yeah, amazing,” Rosberg began in the post-race press conference. “This is my home, I grew up here, I went to school here, I’ve lived here all my life so it’s a very special day for me.”
Rosberg was able to hang on to the lead heading into the first corner, but he revealed after the race that his start was poor.
“The whole weekend went perfectly. The start was very close, terrible start, so close to Sebastian and with Lewis also, but then that worked out well.
“After that, I was just able to control the pace and the car was really good, you know, the tires held on okay so that was really the key to the victory today. Massive thanks to the team, firmly improved from Barcelona, and I’m just ecstatic.”
Rosberg’s victory was certainly a long time in the making, with the team failing to convert any of its previous three pole positions into a win in 2013. However, it was fourth time lucky for the German team, and Rosberg will be delighted to have won in such fashion, even with the cloud of a protest from Red Bull hanging over the team’s head.
Seattle Supercross by the numbers: Three riders separated by 17 points
Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports
Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.
Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.
Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.
The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.
In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.
Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.
Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.
Last Five Seattle Winners
450s 2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto
