Nico Rosberg: Mercedes learning from slump in form

The German's maiden victory in China brought him into championship contention despite having failed to score in the first two races of the year.

But a run of just 18 points in the last five races means that Rosberg is no longer a title challenger.

"We understand some of the reasons why others have managed to get away from us a little bit," said Rosberg when asked about the team's form by AUTOSPORT. "Some of them are not totally unexpected.

"It's just a matter of understanding it and improving the situation. A lot of the things that we've done are longer term and will improve things. We've just taken a bit of a hit now."

Rosberg admitted that it was disappointing after his strong run of six top-seven finishes from China through to the European Grand Prix to have struggled to repeat his podium form.

"It is [difficult to deal with]," he said. "I was really confident that I could be up towards the front of the championship.

"From there on, it really dipped. It's not a great experience."

Rosberg added that he was unsure how strong Mercedes would be in this weekend's Belgian GP.

The team has generally struggled at circuits with long corners this year and Spa's second sector in particular could cause it some difficulties.

"Quick corners haven't been our strength up until now so I'm not really sure what to expect here," said Rosberg.

"I'm sure we can have a decent weekend, but if it's enough to really do something good or not, I don't know."

For an in-depth analysis of Mercedes' difficulties, and what team principal Ross Brawn has done to change things, check out this week's AUTOSPORT magazine.