Three time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is being backed by his team boss Toto Wolff to claw back the deficit to team-mate Nico Rosberg.
It’s a strange scenario, because in a sense it means that Wolff is backing his current Formula One World Championship leader to lose momentum over the course of the season.
But that’s the scenario we find ourselves in.
Nico Rosberg has started 2016 in the exact same way he ended 2015, with three straight wins.
Having taken six victories in succession, he has taken the momentum from last year into the new season and now leads the standings by 36 points.
So is Nico Rosberg now the favourite to win the 2016 Formula One World Championship? ‘No. It is just 3 [races] out of 21, so statistically there is so much more to come that you can’t speak about any favourite. Wolff told Sky Sports.
‘At this stage of the season it’s about collecting points without looking at the championship.
‘Lewis has every reason to be upset about the result. He wouldn’t be a three-time world champion if that didn’t upset him, but I have no doubt he will make a quick recovery.
‘The gap is substantial but it is very early days. He is mentally very strong so I have no doubt that it will be close at the end.’
With 18 races in 2016 remaining there are of course still 450 points to play for.
However, if Hamilton was to beat Rosberg with the German finishing second, it would take over 5 races for Hamilton to close the current gap.
Wolff backs Hamilton to close gap to Rosberg
