Charles Leclerc and Ferrari now have "nothing to lose" in their fight for silverware this season, according to Nico Rosberg.
Ferrari were the team which made the fastest start to the season, with Leclerc winning two of the first three races to throw the gauntlet down at the feet of Max Verstappen. But the defending champion has picked it up, and already looks well placed for a successful title defence.
The Dutchman is 46 points ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in the drivers' table, with the gap to Leclerc three points greater after nine Grands Prix. The advantage enjoyed by Red Bull in the constructors' standings is even greater, with Ferrari 76 points off the pace.
A combination of errors from team strategists and the drivers themselves, as well as reliability problems with the power unit, has led to such a gulf between the two teams which look well matched in terms of car performance. And according to 2016 champion Rosberg, the pressure is now off for the Scuderia.
"It’s kind of nothing to lose anymore," the German told Sky Sports. "So just go for it and then see what can be maximised. Of course they need to get on top of their reliability issues but the pressure is kind of off a little bit now."
He went on to encourage Ferrari to use every weapon in their arsenal in an attempt to reel in Red Bull. He added: "I mean, they were huge favourites after the first couple of races but now they're so far behind. So you have nothing to lose. Go for it. Big push and let's see what they can do."
Discussing the race to become drivers' champion, Rosberg has been complimentary about both Verstappen and Leclerc – but is less convinced by Carlos Sainz. "Sainz has got it in him to be a good, decent driver within Ferrari, but at the moment he has not got it in him to be a world champion," was the former Mercedes ace's verdict.
"Because on performance, [Charles] Leclerc has been outdriving him every single race this year. So there he still needs to find quite a bit of progress to be on level terms with Leclerc, he is still somewhat away from there. That comes as quite a surprise after last year but of course the car is completely different so maybe it takes him more time to get on top of things."
