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Another Setback for Gladbach: Kühn Out for Weeks

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Another Setback for Gladbach: Kühn Out for Weeks

In the midst of a sporting crisis, Borussia Mönchengladbach has suffered another setback: New signing Nicolas Kühn has been injured and will be out for weeks.

Barely arrived, and already he has to sit out: Nicolas Kühn has apparently suffered a torn muscle and will be sidelined for several weeks, as first reported by Bild. The club has not yet confirmed the injury.

The versatile attacker joined on loan from Como on Deadline Day; Gladbach does not hold an option to buy. The Foals have high hopes for the 26-year-old. Kühn is expected to energize the offense; he has great speed, is a strong dribbler, and excels at handling one-on-one situations. Coach Eugen Polanski’s team will now have to do without all of that for the time being.

This means that injury woes continue to plague Mönchengladbach. The Foals are currently without Jens Castrop (shoulder surgery), Daiki Hashioka (neck injury), Yukhym Konoplia (torn medial collateral ligament in the knee), and Enzo Leopold (torn cruciate ligament); in addition, Zento Uno is still behind in training following his muscle injury. Last-minute signing Kühn, who made his debut in the 69th minute against Elversberg on Saturday, now joins the Foals’ injury list.

Pressure Mounts in Gladbach

These absences are, of course, a major blow to Gladbach in this difficult sporting situation. The Foals’ start to the season has gone anything but according to plan; a 0-3 loss in Leipzig to open the season was followed on Saturday by a 3-4 defeat at home against promoted side Elversberg. Polanski’s team had already taken a 3-1 lead against SVE—only to concede three more goals.

In Mönchengladbach, fundamental questions are being raised early in the season, and the pressure on coach Polanski is mounting. Last season, Gladbach had already fallen short of expectations, partly due to a string of injuries. The Foals found themselves looking down the table time and again, ultimately finishing in twelfth place. Of course, the club wants to avoid a repeat of that season in the Lower Rhine region, but alarm bells are already ringing after just two games.

RB Strikes It Rich: Eight Million Euros for Sani, the Unwanted Player

Phil Laffertey
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RB Strikes It Rich: Eight Million Euros for Sani, the Unwanted Player

Brought in from Slovenia, sold to Saudi Arabia: Suleman Sani nets RB Leipzig a profit in the millions without having played a single minute.

The deal had been in the works for some time, and on Monday it was finally finalized: Suleman Sani (20) is transferring to Al-Qadisiya in Saudi Arabia. The club, which also employs former Bundesliga pros Koen Casteels and Julian Weigl, is providing RB with an unexpected transfer fee of eight million euros—including bonuses—for its last summer signing, resulting in a transfer profit of three million euros.

This is all the more remarkable because Leipzig had acquired the Nigerian left winger as recently as January for five million euros from the Slovak first-division club AS Trencin, and he had not played a single minute in a competitive match for RB since then. When he signed the four-and-a-half-year contract, sporting director Marcel Schäfer described him as a “highly talented young winger” and a “preview of the summer.”

Sani Has No Future Under Either Werner or Demichelis

But it quickly became clear to them that Sani would not be able to make the leap to a top Bundesliga club, partly because the youngster turned out to be extremely injury-prone. As a result, he failed to make the matchday roster under either former coach Ole Werner or current coach Martin Demichelis.

In Leipzig, they are understandably happy to have received such a sum for the player who had no future prospects, a sum that improves their transfer balance. For Sani, who reportedly received a three-year contract, the road ahead leads to further sporting uncertainty.

“Frustrated” Goretzka Announces Forced Break

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“Frustrated” Goretzka Announces Forced Break

Leon Goretzka himself recently emphasized that joining Aston Villa was the right choice. However, the 31-year-old likely won’t be able to make his debut for the Villans until October, as he announced on Instagram.

Leon Goretzka’s transfer summer dragged on for a long time. At the end of August, shortly before the transfer window closed, the moment finally arrived: After his contract with FC Bayern expired, Goretzka found a new club in Aston Villa. The 31-year-old seemed happy when he arrived in Birmingham—and at the same time, full of enthusiasm.

But when it comes to his debut, Villa fans—as well as Goretzka himself—will have to be patient for now. On Monday evening, the player with 73 caps for the German national team addressed the fans of his new club via Instagram.

His body has “reacted to the increased workload following my time away from the field,” writes the Bochum native. “It’s frustrating, but I need this short break now to return at full strength.” After the World Cup, little had happened despite potential transfer options. Goretzka kept his cards close to his chest while searching for a club before signing with Aston Villa on August 27.

Debut for Villa on October 10 at the earliest

He made it clear right at the start of his message that the move to Birmingham was the right one for him: “After my first few days at this club, the feeling that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be has grown stronger with each passing day.”

Goretzka now wants to “use the coming days, including the international break, to fully recover. “Then I’ll be ready again to fight for you and for Villa.” For national team coach Jürgen Klopp, he will be ruled out as a possible option for the time being.

Goretzka was absent from coach Unai Emery’s lineup in the 0-1 loss to Arsenal and the 0-0 draw against promoted Hull City. He will therefore also miss Tuesday’s Champions League opener at Club Brugge. According to his own statements, Goretzka is not expected to make his debut until after the international break—meaning no earlier than October 10 at Villa Park against Brentford FC.

Greece Again: Augsburg Is Letting Jakic Go After All

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Greece Again: Augsburg Is Letting Jakic Go After All

Kristijan Jakic will leave FC Augsburg after all and move to Greece. This move had been in the works for some time.

Not every seasoned Bundesliga player can find a spot on the newly formed FC Augsburg roster. Kristijan Jakic was a key player for the Bundesliga veteran club for years, but the Croatian World Cup veteran has not been in demand in this role for some time—and most recently wasn’t even part of the matchday roster.

However, this was only partly due to on-field reasons: Jakic had been in talks with potential new employers for quite some time, and Union Berlin is also said to have made inquiries. Now, the former Europa League champion with Eintracht Frankfurt is heading to Greece to join PAOK, where his former FCA teammate Dimitrios Giannoulis is already waiting.

Augsburg, led by Managing Director Michael Ströll and Sporting Director Benni Weber, has been in negotiations with the team currently ranked seventh in the Greek Super League for several days, and a solution has now been reached. PAOK is initially loaning Jakic for a fee of 500,000 euros and holds an option to buy him next summer.

In Greece, the transfer window remains open until September 15, so the deal must be finalized by next Tuesday at the latest.

Rieder and Massengo are the driving forces in Augsburg’s midfield

Jakic is leaving FC Augsburg after a total of 78 competitive matches, during which he recorded three assists and five goals. He scored the last of those goals, of all things, in what was—for the time being—his final appearance in an FCA jersey: In the cup match in Cottbus, Jakic scored the goal that sealed the 2–0 victory shortly before the final whistle and then ran jubilantly toward the visitors’ section.

One thing is clear, however: The departure of the 17-time national team player is no longer considered a particularly bitter loss. Jakic earned his stripes in Augsburg as a tenacious tackler, even wearing the captain’s armband at times (and getting into it with his own fans), but in terms of play, Fabian Rieder and Han-Noah Massengo have long since surpassed him in defensive midfield. At FCA, there’s now more focus on playing soccer than on hard work, and Jakic didn’t really fit in there anymore.

Thrilling Win Over Mali: DBB Women Advance to the Next Round

Sports Of The Day
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Thrilling Win Over Mali: DBB Women Advance to the Next Round

Germany’s women’s basketball team has advanced to the intermediate round at the World Cup on home soil in Berlin. In their final group stage game, the team led by head coach Olaf Lange delivered a strong performance to secure a decisive 83-58 victory over Mali.

Germany thus finishes the group stage in second place behind Spain; the Spanish women secured a decisive victory over Japan to claim first place in the group. The DBB women will be back in action as early as tomorrow, when Germany faces South Korea—the third-place finisher in Group B—in the intermediate round. Tip-off is at 8:45 p.m. at the Uber Arena. Mali, on the other hand, has been eliminated in last place despite its upset victory over Spain.

The top scorers for the German team were Luisa Geiselsöder (17 points) and Frieda Bühner (21, 4-for-6 from three-point range), while Leonie Fiebich (7, 2-for-8, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) shone with another strong all-around performance. For Mali, WNBA player Sika Kone (8 points, 11 rebounds) was the standout, but even she was well contained by the German defense.

Alexis Peterson-Smalls (9 points, 5 assists), who had recently been ill with food poisoning, was available again but came off the bench initially. National team coach Olaf Lange stuck with the starting five against Japan, and the start went well. Fiebich hit the first three-pointer, and even problem child Geiselsöder was able to quickly gain confidence. Mali countered with physical play; the African team earned eight free throws in the first quarter and blocked three German attempts. Nevertheless, the DBB team remained in control and led 23–18 after ten minutes.

DBB Women Now Face South Korea

The German team had found its rhythm; Fiebich, in particular, was involved in almost every play. But they couldn’t really pull away; Mali kept managing to finish quickly time and again. At the same time, their defense lacked organization; Bühner took advantage of this to hit three wide-open three-pointers, and Alex Wilke and Marie Gülich (9 points, 4 rebounds) also contributed from beyond the arc during a 15–3 run. Mali seemed shaken, and their offense had stalled. Germany led 49–32 at halftime.

After the break, Mali went on a quick 5–0 run, but there was no sign of nervousness. Instead, the DBB team responded with a 7–0 run and five points from Geiselsöder. Emily Bessoir, who had seen little playing time in the first games, also played well here, which was important given Emma Eichmeyer’s foul trouble. After a timeout by Mali, the visitors regained their composure, but Germany had an answer once again. Following defensive stops, the pace picked up again and the lead was reestablished. The score was 64–44 heading into the final quarter.

There, with men’s team captain Dennis Schröder watching, the German women didn’t let anything slip; Mali’s offense simply wasn’t a threat. In the final quarter, Mali attempted more three-pointers, but their shooting percentage left much to be desired (6/28). With about four minutes remaining, it was clear the game was out of reach, so national team coach Lange pulled his best players to rest them for tomorrow’s game.

“Songs of the Past” DLC Brings Back That Familiar Witcher Feeling

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“Songs of the Past” DLC Brings Back That Familiar Witcher Feeling

“Songs of the Past” brings new stories, a new region, and fresh combat mechanics. But above all, the demo reminded us why The Witcher 3 was such a hit over ten years ago.

A stroll through a late-summer idyll and a fistfight against a hungover wannabe bard. That’s all it took in the demo of the Witcher DLC “Songs of the Past” at gamescom to catapult us right back into the universe of Geralt and Dandelion.

More than ten years after its release, however, the RPG looks highly polished graphically. After all, in addition to new content, there’s also a remaster under the hood. It’s being released as a free update and also includes the two previous expansions, “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine.”

Latvia, the new region, showcases the new visuals beautifully. At its center, a huge lake glistens in the sun, surrounded by colorful villages and forests. With its warm colors and Mediterranean-style idyll, “Songs of the Past” is reminiscent of its predecessor, “Blood and Wine.” However, Letten—inspired by Poland—quickly develops an identity all its own.

A New Story in the Witcher Universe

Story-wise, the beginning of the DLC doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Dandelion has disappeared once again—this time from his family’s home. Accompanied by the bard’s cousin, Lilla, Geralt sets out to find him.

The Witcher quickly leaves the rosy meadows of Letten behind. They give way to a rose garden that’s actually more of a thorn garden. The sunny harvest festival atmosphere turns into a gloomy setting—full of new monsters.

A family legend tells of a mad ancestor who is said to have once wiped out an entire village here. In typical Witcher fashion, there’s a grain of truth to it. At the end of the demo, Geralt must face Ritterthorn’s ancestor.

Geralt Shows Off His Cowboy Skills

To do this, Geralt has a new tool in his arsenal: a chain. It’s used a bit like Indiana Jones’s lasso in the Indiana Jones movies. Either the Witcher uses it to directly attack his enemies—exploiting a new weak point system—or he pulls them toward him.

The 45-minute demo didn’t reveal just how much gameplay depth this feature actually offers. However, at least one creature demonstrates how the new tool can change combat. It’s surrounded by a swarm of bees and can be pulled out of the swarm with the chain. This allows Geralt to deal damage without having to expose himself to the aggressive bees.

Aside from the chain, the combat feels largely familiar, though the remaster stages it more effectively. Signs and bombs explode in larger, more powerful particle clouds, while finisher animations are meant to be the icing on the cake. In the demo, the developer shows one of these using the chain. It looks good—but also seems a bit scripted in the presentation.

The classic Witcher feel

We don’t want to pass final judgment on the combat system after just a 45-minute hands-off presentation by the developers. Details in particular can make a big difference here: How easy is it to target weak points with the chain? How often do finisher animations occur?

There haven’t been any answers to these questions yet. The fact that the talent system has been revamped was also barely touched upon in the demo.

In terms of presentation, however, “Songs of the Past” makes a strong first impression. With polished graphics, Letten entices players not only with new stories but also with the promise of exploring yet another unique and vibrant region. After just a few minutes, we were reminded of why we loved playing The Witcher 3. “Songs of the Past” captures that feeling.

We asked the developers at gamescom how they felt about returning to The Witcher universe, what challenges they faced, and what to expect from “Songs of the Past.”

“I accept it”: Are George Russell’s World Championship chances now minimal?

Jason Maverick
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“I accept it”: Are George Russell’s World Championship chances now minimal?

George Russell sees his World Championship chances dwindling after falling 66 points behind Kimi Antonelli and is now focusing on individual races

George Russell has apparently largely written off the fight for the World Championship title. Following Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Monza, the Mercedes driver trails his teammate by 66 points. Antonelli leads the World Championship with 267 points, while Russell is in second place with 201 points.

Russell himself therefore no longer wants to dwell on a possible comeback. “Personally, I’m not even thinking about a fight, a comeback, or anything along those lines,” says the Mercedes driver. Instead, he wants to take it one race at a time and make the most of every weekend.

The deficit is very difficult to make up. “He’s performing incredibly well. It’s going to be exceptionally difficult to close that gap,” explains Russell. At the same time, he wants to accept the current situation, enjoy the remaining races, and secure as many more victories as possible.

Russell acknowledges Antonelli’s strong form

Antonelli himself also didn’t want to dwell on the championship standings after his victory at Monza. The Italian points out that the balance of power can shift very quickly this season.

“I really don’t want to look at it, because we’ve seen this season how quickly things can change,” says Antonelli. For him, it’s about approaching each race individually, seizing every opportunity, and focusing on the things he can control himself.

Despite his comfortable lead, Antonelli therefore sees no reason to think about the title just yet. “There’s no point in thinking about the championship,” he says. The key, he says, is to stay in the moment and keep going race by race.

The Mercedes driver also doesn’t want to view his current form as a guarantee for the rest of the season. At Monza, Mercedes was the fastest team, but Antonelli expects that could change again as early as the next race.

Schumacher sees Antonelli in the lead right now

Ralf Schumacher believes Antonelli’s current performances are well-deserved. Speaking to Sky, he makes it clear that the young Mercedes driver is currently outperforming his teammate. “Yes, of course. I mean, what he’s doing is really good, and he’s simply doing it better than his teammate,” said Schumacher.

At the same time, he qualifies this by noting that it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll maintain a lasting advantage. Further developments to the car could end up suiting Russell better again. “George Russell is a great driver, but Antonelli is on a roll right now,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher also addresses another point: the different dynamics within the team. In his view, Antonelli has the full support of Mercedes, even though Russell receives it as well. Antonelli’s close relationship with team principal Toto Wolff could play a role here.

Rosberg Warns Against Overthinking

Nico Rosberg, for his part, points out the unique situation that arises when your biggest rival happens to be your own teammate. Decisions made by the team can then quickly lead to doubts—even if they were actually made in a completely neutral manner.

“That’s an internal matter; it’s so difficult when your rival is your teammate,” Rosberg says on Sky. Especially when it comes to strategy decisions, a driver can quickly get the impression that he’s been put at a disadvantage compared to his teammate.

Rosberg describes how quickly such thoughts can arise: “Even today, with George—you immediately think, ‘They gave him the better strategy.’ That can’t be right; that’s unfair. Even if that’s probably not the case, your mind starts going completely crazy very quickly.”

For Russell, the main task now is to close the massive gap. He himself, however, is deliberately setting the bar lower: no grand comeback plans, just getting the most out of each weekend.

Why Max Verstappen Felt “Like a Turtle” at Monza

Phil Laffertey
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Why Max Verstappen Felt “Like a Turtle” at Monza

Max Verstappen struggled with rear-axle issues and a lack of power on the straights at Monza and felt like a turtle compared to Mercedes

Max Verstappen managed to make it onto the podium at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix despite a difficult Red Bull. The Dutchman finished third behind the two Mercedes, but had to contend with several issues along the way.

Verstappen was at a particular disadvantage compared to the Mercedes-powered cars on the straights. “It was pretty clear during the race that we couldn’t keep up with the Mercedes-powered cars when it came to deploying the DRS,” Verstappen explained. On a track like Monza, that’s particularly difficult.

Added to that was the rear-axle problem already evident in qualifying. Verstappen confirmed after the race that nothing had changed. “It was still there. Nothing has changed. It’s just not good,” he said.

Rear Axle Continues to Cost Performance

The Red Bull had problems especially over bumps and curbs. “You have problems with the bumps, the curbs, and especially in the slow sections,” said Verstappen. “The rear axle just isn’t very flexible.” There had been no change from qualifying.

Nevertheless, Verstappen was initially able to compete with the Mercedes. This was made possible primarily by the use of the so-called Overtake Mode. As soon as Verstappen was within one second of the car ahead, he could use additional energy and thus stay much closer to his rivals.

However, as soon as he was in the lead himself, the situation changed. “As soon as I was in the lead, it was very difficult to defend,” explains Verstappen. That, he says, was one of his biggest problems throughout the entire race.

“When people pass you like they’re passing a turtle”

As a result, Verstappen had to hold his ground in unusual ways on several occasions. After being overtaken through the Curva Grande, he tried to regain position on the outside in the following turns.

When asked how that felt in the car, Verstappen replied bluntly: “Honestly, not particularly good when people just pass you like you’re a turtle.”

His response to the problem, however, is typical Verstappen. “But yeah, just attack on the outside again.” The Red Bull has good braking characteristics, which gave him the confidence he needed to attack.

“The car is good under braking; that helps,” he explains. He managed to pull off this maneuver twice in the second chicane. He definitely enjoyed the battles, but at the same time, they were frustrating.

Overtake Mode Keeps Verstappen in the Race

“It’s fun, but at the same time it’s frustrating,” says Verstappen. He therefore tried to get the most out of the package he had. He managed to do so, at least for extended periods. After his pit stop during the virtual safety car phase, Verstappen ultimately had to battle with the McLarens.

Although he was able to overtake cars with his better tires, as soon as his opponents also remained in Overtake Mode, the speed advantage was too great. “As soon as they can stay in Overtake Mode, it’s simply too strong for us to really defend against—even on better tires,” explains Verstappen.

That’s why it took a while before he could finally leave the McLarens behind. The decisive disadvantage thus lay not only in the mechanical condition of his Red Bull, but also in the energy available on the long straights at Monza.

Podium as a consoling finish

Despite these limitations, Verstappen was ultimately able to cross the finish line in third place. For Red Bull, this is an important result following the difficult weekend at Zandvoort.

“For us, being on the podium after a very difficult weekend at Zandvoort, where the car wasn’t really to my liking, is a positive,” says Verstappen.

Red Bull had already shown significant improvement between Friday and Saturday. “We managed a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday, and the car was definitely in a better range,” explained the Dutch driver. Still, he isn’t entirely satisfied. There are still several areas that need improvement. This explicitly includes energy management on the straights.

“We still have a few things and areas that we know need to be improved—in addition to the obvious energy management on the straights,” Verstappen concludes.

Missed a Golden Opportunity? Franco Colapinto Is Frustrated by His “Big Mistake”

Jason Maverick
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Missed a Golden Opportunity? Franco Colapinto Is Frustrated by His “Big Mistake”

Franco Colapinto was within striking distance of the podium when he made “a big mistake” that sent him far back in the field: Why a better result would have been difficult to achieve anyway

Franco Colapinto has probably never been this close to the top in his career: After the first start of the Italian Grand Prix (race report), the Alpine driver fought his way up from seventh on the grid to fourth place and even had a taste of the podium at the restart when he briefly held third place.

In the first Lesmo corner, however, Colapinto lost control of his Alpine and slid spectacularly through the gravel trap. As a result, the Argentine was dropped all the way back to 16th place. “I had a great opportunity and didn’t take advantage of it, so I’m really very sad about it,” he admits.

“I think it could have been a great race, and that was a big mistake,” Colapinto told ESPN Argentina after the race, with tears in his eyes: “I missed a very important opportunity for the team and for myself, so I’m a little sad about it. It’s hard to learn from this.”

In interviews with other media outlets as well, the Alpine driver expressed his disappointment—even though he was ultimately able to fight his way back to ninth place and thus back into the World Championship points. Teammate Pierre Gasly fared only marginally better, finishing in seventh place.

Franco Colapinto “Just Frustrated” After Driving Error

“I’m just frustrated,” the Argentine says nonetheless. “I think I did some good things. I don’t know, I just completely lost the car in turns five and six—kind of out of nowhere. That’s very frustrating.”

“I think we could have achieved some good results—P2 and P3 together—and you know, you feel so strong and suddenly you’re battling with the top teams. That gets you very motivated very quickly, and a mistake like this throws it all away. I’m just frustrated.”

Even after the race, the Alpine driver can’t really explain the driving error. “I lost control of the car very aggressively, drove through the gravel trap very fast, and sustained a lot of damage,” he sums up. “I thought I’d have to retire.”

Colapinto: “We should have scored more points”

The team did, however, manage to minimize the impact of the damage. “And yes, we managed to score points,” Colapinto says, at least managing to play damage control. A fight for the podium would have been difficult anyway, as teammate Gasly demonstrated.

That did little to ease Colapinto’s frustration, however. “I’m just frustrated that we didn’t make the most of the car and the good things we’ve done together. And I think I need to learn from this for the future.“

”But we don’t get many chances like this to fight up there at the front, and that’s why it’s especially frustrating to have moments like this,“ says the current Alpine driver, who will also be driving for the team in 2027. ”I think we should have scored more points. So: my apologies to the team.”

Alpine driver is pleased: “It was cool to battle with them”

The pass on Max Verstappen shortly after the restart shows that perhaps a bit more than ninth place was possible. “When you’re in the car, you don’t really feel the difference between one driver or another,” Colapinto says, downplaying the situation against the four-time world champion.

“But it was cool to battle with them. That’s exactly what I meant earlier: We don’t usually get to battle side-by-side with the top cars and top teams. And that’s why it’s so painful to just let an opportunity like that slip away.”

“I left four cars from the top teams behind me during the restarts, and that’s exactly why it hurts so much to throw that away,” emphasizes the 23-year-old. “When you’re up there with them and taking more risks at the same time, you don’t even realize that it’s not really your battle.”

“You feel the podium and want to keep going and take risks, and maybe that didn’t make sense,” says Colapinto. “So, once again: learn from this and try to do better next time, if I get another chance like this.”

Rosberg Rejects Mercedes Allegations: “Equal Opportunities for Both”

Jeffrey Gooding
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Rosberg Rejects Mercedes Allegations: “Equal Opportunities for Both”

Nico Rosberg rejects allegations of favoritism at Mercedes and explains why George Russell, as the race leader, should actually have had strategic priority

Nico Rosberg has rejected allegations that Mercedes favored Kimi Antonelli over George Russell at the Italian Grand Prix. The 2016 world champion believes there are clear internal rules at his former team, according to which the leading Mercedes in the race receives first choice in strategy.

Antonelli won at Monza starting from 19th on the grid, benefiting from a virtual safety car period midway through the race. The Italian switched to fresh medium tires, while Russell, as the race leader, stayed on the track on hard tires. In the end, Antonelli prevailed over his teammate.

Afterward, Rosberg was asked on Sky whether Mercedes might have acted in favor of the driver leading the world championship. His answer was unequivocal: “No, no, no, no, no. Equal opportunities for both. That’s how it has to be. And that’s exactly how it is. They’re fighting for the world championship.”

Leading Mercedes gets first choice

Rosberg knows Mercedes’ internal processes from personal experience. From 2010 to 2016, the German drove for the team and became world champion there in 2016. In his view, there’s a clear rule when it comes to strategy.

“It’s very clear internally within the team,” explains Rosberg. “George is leading the race. He gets the best strategy to cross the finish line as quickly as possible.” Russell generally gets first choice in this regard. “He gets first choice. It doesn’t matter where Kimi is or what he’s doing or whatever,” says Rosberg.

That is precisely why, in that decisive situation, the strategy chosen for Russell was to stay out on the hard tires. “And Mercedes has to confirm that now,” explains Rosberg. From his perspective, that approach would then be completely understandable.

Was staying out really the best option?

For Rosberg, the crucial point is therefore whether the team actually offered Russell the fastest option for the remainder of the race. “At that point, the best option for George was to stay out and not come in to put on those medium tires,” he says.

The tire situation also played a role. According to Rosberg, Russell had only one used set of medium tires left. A pit stop to switch to those tires therefore wasn’t necessarily the better option. Moreover, he would have lost his track position, and it was unclear whether he would have been able to catch up to Antonelli again by the end of the race.

“If that’s the case, then everything is simple and fair,” Rosberg concludes. So the decisive factor wasn’t who was leading the World Championship, but who should get the better strategy at that particular point in the race. However, he noted that it’s difficult to judge the situation from the outside.

At the same time, the former Mercedes driver admits: “It’s hard to know that from the outside.” He hopes, however, that this was precisely the reasoning behind the team’s decision.

Rosberg Demands a Clear Explanation from Mercedes

When asked whether Mercedes might have hesitated to bring the race leader into the pits because Russell could have lost the lead as a result, Rosberg stood by his principle. “George has to get the best strategy because he’s in the lead,” he says. “He has to get the best strategy, whatever it is.”

For Rosberg, Mercedes must therefore, above all, be able to explain that staying out was indeed the fastest option to get Russell to the finish line. “And it must have been the case that staying out on the hard tires was the fastest way to the finish, because he only had one used set of mediums left.”

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