Rosberg undaunted by Hamilton's run of form in F1 title battle

The German has finished runner-up to his Mercedes team-mate in the last four races, and also lost the championship lead at the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago.

But although the momentum appears to be behind Hamilton, Rosberg says there is no reason why things cannot change swiftly.

His optimism is based on the fact that in dry qualifying sessions their form has been pretty even, even though the pole battle tally is 4-1 in Hamilton's favour.

When asked on Wednesday if he needed a new approach in the fight for pole position, with grid positions so crucial in Monte Carlo, Rosberg said: "No.

"Of course three of those qualifying were in the wet. But in the dry it is 1-1 and it is supposed to be dry on Saturday, so I am confident I can make it happen," added last year's winner in Monaco.

Hamilton said after a close Spanish GP fight with Rosberg that he was not happy just beating his team-mate across the line - he wanted to be finishing well clear of him.

But Rosberg said that he did not feel the gap between himself and Hamilton was very big at all, and that only a small change in form could completely change the competitive battle.

"In general it has been a tough battle up until now," he said. "I expect it to continue like that.

"He has had the result rhythm in a couple of races, but it has been close. I just need a tiny bit to turn it around, and I will try to do that in Monaco."