Nick Fry says it: « Don’t bury Mercedes GP too quickly »

In the world of F1, it’s common practice to quickly label teams and drivers. It’s true that after three Grand Prix, paddock gossip suggests a season almost already lost for Mercedes GP. The same gossip portrays Michael Schumacher as a supporting role for Nico Rosberg.

The results of the world champion team, for now, are written in a single line, with only Rosberg’s third place on the Sepang circuit.

Nick Fry, the director of the German team, remains confident. He believes that the team will eventually catch up with its rivals and asserts that it would be foolish to consider it already out of the running: «I think we have a very strong team, and anyone who underestimates us would be quite stupid. »

He supports his point: « We have excellent people. I would say we still have the best technical leader in Ross Brawn, we have the best engine manufacturer and supplier in F1, and we have two phenomenal drivers. »

Regarding the future, he is categorical: « All this means that we are going to be strong, and we have the financial means to do a very good job. I am very optimistic. We will be strong this year. Winning, who can know, I think we will be there, or very close to being there. »

The case of the seven-time world champion is also mentioned because, for Fry, Schumacher will succeed in raising his level as soon as his three-year absence becomes just a distant memory. The Mercedes director nonetheless acknowledges that he has already been very impressed by the performances of the Red Baron:

Michael is, for me, quite remarkable… Even this weekend, his ability to give feedback is something I’ve never seen before…. When you have the headset on, you hear amazing things, and during qualifying, he drove while providing comments almost all the way through. The FIA, who was also listening, was very impressed by Michael’s ability…. Every race, he learns a bit more and it all comes together, slowly but surely, which is probably what you expect…. He handled the disappointment in Malaysia very well, he’s old enough to realize that sometimes these things happen.

Fry also praised Nico Rosberg, stating that he has shown great driving skills, which everyone knew and hoped for: « My personal verdict on Nico is that he is doing exactly what I expected. He was the first driver hired, before Michael and Nick, because Ross and I thought he was a brilliant driver. This was before Mercedes got into the business, yet our choice was confirmed. »

Nick Fry concluded by making Rosberg the spearhead of Mercedes GP: “I know that some in the paddock are not so convinced by Nico, but I think they need to revise their perspective because he is the strong man. It was a very solid performance throughout the weekend in Malaysia, just as it has been since the start of the season. Nico is very self-assured, he has great confidence in his abilities. He had a very good qualifying. All of this bodes well for the future.”

If Mercedes makes progress thanks to Ross Brawn’s ideas, it could allow Rosberg and Schumacher to make some noise. Let’s bet that this collective effort towards absolute performance will add two more cars to this magnificent battle for victory.