After signing a new contract to stay at the dominant Mercedes team for another two years, Nico Rosberg appears to be in his prime. He made a near-perfect start to the season, but at the halfway point has once again found himself behind on points to Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. In an exclusive interview, the German sits down with ESPN to discuss the most difficult thing about being Hamiltons teammate, how being in the glare of the media impacts the battle and how he intends to deal with the situation. When your new contract expires in 2018, you will have been with Mercedes for nine years. The only driver who has stayed at one team for more consecutive years is Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, so what is it thats made you and Mercedes stick together? I think, going back, its because I started from day one [in 2010]. Ive been part of this process, I went through loads of downs that were pretty deep and then the up parts now as well. I think they appreciate that I make an effort towards my job and Im really passionate about the whole thing and I always try to be very respectful to all my colleagues. But why does it work? I think its because its a successful partnership, you know? We have been very successful together, and crucial for me was to beat Michael [Schumacher] at the time for my career going forward, and I managed to do that. From then on its been going well.Do you think your reputation in the paddock took a big step up when you beat Michael Schumacher between 2010 and 2012? I think its gone up every year. Its never gone down, its kept going up.But was beating Michael the one step that really made a big difference? Of course -- to beat the best of all time.How much did Lewis Hamiltons arrival at Mercedes in 2013 change the team dynamic? I think it raised the game for all of us. Lewis is a great driver, very competitive and one of the best out there. The two of us against each other, we really push each other more and more, and that does raise the bar a good step again.Media influenceDid things change again when you started to fight for titles in 2014? It changed a lot, yeah. Being able to win every race is a totally different situation, but its just amazing and awesome -- and it is awesome still. Its been going for so long now, which is pretty unreal. Its a great experience. But the pressure is always the same, because the pressure is massive when you are driving to 11th and 12th also, because that is not acceptable. OK, theres a bit more interest and ... well, the media changes a lot, because all of a sudden you guys [in the media] are interested, and when you are finishing 11th and 12th theres just no interest. Funnily enough, you guys do have power, even on us insiders.Does the media have that big an impact? Whats an example? What you write affects my engineers who sit next to me. They could just ask me when Im sitting right next to them, but no, they are affected by what they are reading on their computers and with what you write.Do you ever think of applying a strategy to your answers to the press to gain an advantage -- to start playing the media? Play the media? I want to drive fast in a race car, thats what I want to do. But of course, yes, I do need to take you guys seriously and you do have an influence. That is something we discuss internally and prepare for, and we have media briefings to plan for what to expect and things like that.Being Lewis Hamiltons teammateSo whats the toughest thing about going up against Lewis? The toughest thing? Its his speed -- thats it!Does he have the edge on you in general? I dont think about in such a sense. The fact is I can beat him when I have a good weekend, but the fact is also that hes beaten me the last two years over a championship year, and he is now ahead of me at the moment. That means up to now he has done a better job. But there is still a long way to go and its very close, we have done half the season and we are very close on points, so it will keep being a good battle all the way to the end. I just want to beat him in as many races as possible and then we will see where we are.In the past youve said you have a neutral relationship with Lewis, how is it now? Its up and down. Its always going to be difficult, there is always so much going on and always so much at stake. We have the necessary respect and its a good battle.Talking about respect, how did you feel about Lewis going to see race director Charlie Whiting to seek clarification about your pole position lap in Hungary? I didnt know about it first of all, and even now I dont think to myself about such details. Im easy going about it, I just think its interesting to see how hes become such a safety freak all of a sudden. That right after a double-yellow flag he decides to go to the people in charge and discuss it.It sounds like there is subtext to what you are saying? Wheres the subtext?Youre saying that because its a situation where you had pole, he changed the way he usually approaches those things... No, I just said it was interesting.What interests you about it then? Well, hes not known for being such a safety freak.Then why do you think he was in that instance? Youd have to ask him.Living in the momentThere will be some big regulations changes in 2017, can you see that upsetting Mercedes dominance? We are such an awesome team now, you know? Yes, it could upset our dominance, but we will be there or there abouts at least. Maybe not as dominant now, thats possible because its a huge change, but well do well.Does it put any extra pressure on this years title fight knowing that this could be the last year of dominance? No. I dont think about that, thats so far ahead. Just be in the moment, make the most of it, because next year we could be even more dominant, because we could make the most of the new rules! Who knows?!You often say you like to live in the moment... No, thats what I do. Thats not what I like, thats what I do.Okay, but is that the same approach you have in life in general? Is it a philosophy of yours? It is the best approach, even for life in general. For well-being, thats the way to go, be in the moment. Dont think about your hopes, desires or past experiences -- but thats the most difficult thing to do.Where did you learn that approach from? I like to read about such stuff -- in general stuff about the way we are and the way we think.Going back many years to the early part of your career, you had a seat to go to university at Imperial College but you decided to race in GP2 instead. Do you remember what was going through your mind when you chose racing over university? All my friends that I went to school with were going to university -- that was the next step in life -- but my next step was completely at a T-junction and went in the other direction. That felt a bit weird and I thought that university could be cool anyway, so I wanted to do that. Then I thought maybe I could do that and racing, but it was never realistic and I was a bit of a dreamer. I went, took a gap year, and never went to university of course because it doesnt work to do both. It was never realistic, but I dreamt I could maybe do it.Clearly you have a desire to learn, but what can you do in Formula One to learn so that you have an edge over other drivers? In Formula One you learn so much! At a very young age you are straight into one of the worlds leading companies and you go straight to the top of it, or just below, so you are speaking with the bosses and you are responsible for the motivation of the whole team, respecting everybody and the human interactions that go with that. You have a huge responsibility and you learn so much as a young guy in the sport and Im really grateful for that because I have made such a lot of progress as human being as a result. Its very obvious to me.So when you compare yourself now to how you were when you first entered the sport, how big a change has there been? Its huge. Self-confidence, for example, how to interact with other human beings, especially your colleagues, how to push them with it sounding like a positive rather than a negative, and also how to receive pushes yourself -- to take them positively rather than negatively. Its all so difficult to do, because when you get criticised everybody goes straight into a negative state of mind and blocks it off and says no, Im not having that. To use it as a positive is a big challenge, but for sure I do that better now than I used to.To be a world champion is also a psychological challenge, isnt it? The mind plays a big role always in sport, for sure.Do you feel you now have everything you need in that regard to be a world champion now? Time will tell. Stan Smith Baratas Rebajas ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Stan Smith Baratas . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.stansmithbaratas.es/ . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Stan Smith España . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Stan Smith Baratas Online . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. MINNEAPOLIS -- As Minnesota Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica let a 3-pointer fly at the buzzer, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was already preparing for overtime.After the last couple games, its kind of like here we go again, Malone said. To see it actually in and out was kind of nice for us to get a favorable bounce.Wilson Chandler scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and Bjelicas 3 rattled out to help the Nuggets outlast the Timberwolves in a 102-99 victory.Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 18 as Denver erased a 15-point deficit in the first half. The Nuggets outscored Minnesota 45-23 off the bench and shot 48 percent for their second win of the season.Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 14 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins scored 25 for the Timberwolves, who gave away a lead of at least 15 points for the third time in four games this season. Bjelica scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.Its like we have half of the puzzle done and we dont finish the puzzle, Towns said.Denver led by 13 with eight minutes to play, but Bjelicas scoring flurry helped the Wolves pull within 102-99 with 90 seconds to go.Emmanuel Mudiay responded with a three-point play and the Wolves missed three 3-pointers that would have tied the game in the final 30 seconds to help the Nuggets hold on. Jameer Nelson had 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Mudiay finished with 12 points and six rebounds.It was a sloppy game, said Mudiay, who had six of Denvers 22 turnovers. It was a bad game for us personally but we picked it up and we did what we had to do.Minnesota led by 17 in the season opener against Memphis and 18 at Sacramento, but lost both games.Denver outscored Minnesota 33-14 in the third quarter to surge to a 13-point lead, with Nurkic bulling his way to the paint and Gallinari knocking down 3s from the perimeter.But the Nuggets have been just as sshaky with the lead in this young season, including letting an eight-point lead slip away against Portland in the final 90 seconds before losing in overtime.ddddddddddddThe third quarter is haunting us right now, Wiggins said.TIP-INSNuggets: G Will Barton missed the game with a sprained left ankle and backup G Gary Harris was out with a strained right groin. ... Rookie Jamal Murray started for Barton. ... F Darrell Arthur made his season debut after sitting out the first three games and the preseason while recovering from surgery on his left knee. He had two points in nine minutes. ... Denver has won five straight games at Target Center and is 19-6 here since 2004-05.Timberwolves: Minnesota scored a season-high 37 in the first quarter. For the season, the Wolves are averaging 33.0 points on 60 percent shooting in the first 12 minutes. ... Gorgui Dieng had a rough night with two points in 28 minutes and picking up a Flagrant-1 when he hit Nurkic in the throat in the third quarter.PINCKNEY BOWLA mini-drama broke out between the Nuggets and Timberwolves this summer. Assistant coach Ed Pinckney was on Michael Malones staff in Denver last season, but has a long history of working with Tom Thibodeau, who took over in Minnesota. At one point the Nuggets offered Pinckney a bump in pay to stay on, but after initially agreeing, Pinckney ultimately decided he wanted to leave for Minnesota.Pinckneys change of heart didnt sit well with the Nuggets, who dug their heels in. The two teams went back and forth for a month. The NBA ultimately got involved and Pinckney did not officially join the Wolves until after training camp started, getting a sizable raise from what he was making in Denver.UP NEXTNuggets: Visit Detroit on Saturday.Timberwolves: Visit Oklahoma City on Saturday. ' ' '