Nico Rosberg admits he was initially delighted to see Lewis Hamilton make his decisive pit stop on lap 43 of the British Grand Prix because did not think the rain would intensify further.
Rosberg was closing in on his Mercedes team-mate after the initial rain shower as the world champion struggled to get temperature into his hard compound tyres. Rosberg cut almost nine seconds out of his lead in a handful of laps, prompting Hamilton to dive into the pits for intermediate tyres on lap 43.
The world champion's pit stop coincided almost perfectly with a second, heavier rain shower and by the time Rosberg had got back around the Silverstone circuit to take intermediates of his own he was ten seconds behind Hamilton. The German had to settle with second place and he says the change in conditions caught him by surprise.
"I felt good when it started raining [the first time], I felt great," Rosberg said. "I was really able to attack and pass both Williams and close into to Lewis a lot. So I was hoping the race would stay like that and I thought I could attack Lewis at some point and then Lewis boxed. I was pretty sure that was the wrong call because it was still touch and go at that time so I was actually quite happy that he boxed.
"But then it was the right call in the end because it started raining more in that lap so that was it. Anyways I had to take that chance just following Lewis into the box is definite lose for me so I might as well take the chance and stay out and do one lap more at least and it didn't work out, so that's it. I did everything and it didn't work out."
Hamilton and Rosberg were jumped off the line by the Williamses of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas. Rosberg spent much of the opening stint in fourth and Rosberg was switched to "Plan B", something he admits was a difficult phase of the race.
"It was not such a great phase because I just had these two Williams in front and just completely blocked, I just couldn't get close so that was a bit annoying
"[Then] I was pushing hard to catch Lewis under the difficult conditions but then he just made the better call with the pit stop so that's where I lost it. Fair play to him, he did a great job all weekend."