Nico Rosberg believes the F1 Monaco GP would have played out much differently had Charles Leclerc taken part in the race, as his reliability issue cost him a chance a victory. It all looked so promising for the Monegasque driver as he took pole position on Saturday. Although he ended Q3 by crashing into the barriers, Ferrari stated on Saturday evening and Sunday that his car had passed all the required checks. Something went wrong however, with Rosberg stating Ferrari didn't give a thorough enough check of the car, as Leclerc wasn't even able to make the grid. "We would have seen a very different race if Leclerc had been able to start, he would have won today [Sunday] I'm sure," Rosberg told Sky Sport Italia. "He was so incredibly fast this weekend so he would have won. "What a bad day for Ferrari. They didn't check the car properly because they only looked at one side of the car, so it's a very tough day for them. I think they should have looked a little bit more closely, I understand there was stress but I think they should have found it. "Now they have to make do with second place with [Carlos] Sainz, which is also nice, but it's still a shame when you know you could have won." Rosberg spoke favourably of Sainz's performance in Monaco, stating that Ferrari look to have made the right decision in signing the Spaniard even though he was initially skeptical about the move. "I was very critical of Ferrari's choice to sign Sainz and he is doing great," Rosberg added. "I was wrong and Binotto was totally right. I thought they needed [Daniel] Ricciardo but they just needed Sainz who has been very steady this year and has been there every time. "Sainz had the speed to take pole on Saturday so I understand he was frustrated with Leclerc's crash, yet he held his ground and took second place which is very impressive. He's always positive and I like that in him, he's a really good driver for Ferrari."
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