Nico Rosberg apologised for his language on Sunday after telling live television how he felt after a first-corner tussle with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old German leader of this year’s drivers’ world championship told Sky Sports that he was “pissed off” when the clash with Hamilton saw him drop to 10th at the end of the opening lap.

“You don’t need to apologise for me, I can do that for myself,” he said.

“I didn’t realise it was that strong to say that.”

Hamilton survived their skirmish and went on to win the race, his second successive victory, fifth in Canada and the 45th of his career.

Rosberg recovered, endured a slow puncture, a lack of fuel and another late off-track skirmish to finish fifth.

“Sebastian (Vettel) made a good start, I had a decent one and Lewis had a really bad one,” said Rosberg. “My position was on the outside and in Barcelona I gave it a go around the outside of Lewis and it worked out really well.

“I went for the same again today and he did a really hard racing manoeuvre. We touched and I was off and that's it. It didn't work out.

“I was very pissed off in the moment, but that's racing in the end and it's my job to make sure I'm in front after a battle like that next time.

“It was very costly for me because I lost a lot of places and from then it was an uphill battle trying to fight back."

He added that he had other problems throughout the race.

“It was difficult with fuel,” he said. “I nearly ran out of fuel –- that’s why I couldn't really attack Max (Verstappen) properly and he did a very good job to defend.”

For Rosberg, the season has been turned upside down since he and Hamilton collided in Spain.

In his first four races, he scored 100 points to move 43 clear at the top of the championship.

In the three that followed, he has scored 16 and now leads his team-mate by only nine points.

Source: AFP