Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton to battle out in Italian Grand Prix

New father Nico Rosberg has plenty to be happy about right now, but Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton intends to be smiling just as much after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

The race at the super-fast Monza track, which faces an uncertain future despite its historic status as a temple to Ferrari, could see Hamilton accelerate ever closer to his third Formula One world championship. The Briton won the Belgian Grand Prix in August to go 28 points clear of Rosberg with eight races remaining.

A dramatic, high-speed blowout in practice at Spa, coupled with a similar one on race day for Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, did little for Rosberg’s peace of mind ahead of the birth of his daughter last Sunday. Any sleepless nights since then will have been more to do with his home life, however, as a post-Belgium inquiry exonerated Pirelli’s tyres from any structural failure.

At a charity event in Monza on Thursday, Rosberg said: “Yeah, so again we have an amazing car, you know. Mercedes have given us the best car in F1. So it’s a great battle between Lewis and I. And Monza, it’s the end of the European season now so we have eight races to go and Lewis is 28 points in front of me, so I need to push hard because I need to try and close that gap to, to have a chance of the title at the end of the season.”

Either way, Rosberg believes a Mercedes will be first across the line.

“It’s great to be here. Part of me is Italian also, because all my friends are Italian and I speak Italian and so I enjoy driving here. The track is legendary and with our car, you know, our car is quick anywhere, so we have a great chance to win here as well,” he said.

If Hamilton wins at Monza on Sunday, for the third time in his career, he will become the first driver to take successive Italian Grand Prix victories since compatriot Damon Hill with Williams in 1994.

Monza’s own future will also be in the spotlight, with the circuit still to agree a new contract after 2016 and more talks with commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone sure to take place over the weekend.

Mercedes-Benz is donating €100 for every racing kilometre that Rosberg leads during the Formula One World Championship and he has currently earned €66,000 for the Laureus charitable organisation, of which he is an ambassador.

“I know for myself, you know, sport has given me so much for my life. I’ve learned so much, I’ve learned respect, how to work with other people and hopefully I was able to give a bit back to some of those kids,” Rosberg said on Thursday.