Mercedes eager to start hostilities in Melbourne
It is with the feeling of a job well done that the men from Brackley approach the 2012 season, determined to prove that the efforts made so far have finally paid off, even though the verdict of the Australian Grand Prix will still need to be awaited before making any predictions.
After a notably disappointing 2011 season, Mercedes approaches 2012 with the hope of finally realizing its ambitions displayed for two years, and Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, sees encouraging signs in the winter tests of the German team before Melbourne: « It’s only a little over a hundred days since Formula One left Brazil for what was the last race of the 2011 season, but now we are ready to start the 2012 season and get back to what we love most: competition. At the beginning of the third season of the Silver Arrows, we believe we are better prepared than in the previous two years, which indicates that our learning curve is on the right track. The F1 W03 has been reliable from its first laps on February 16, completing 4,450 km during pre-season testing and averaging 472 km each day: that’s equivalent to more than one and a half Grand Prix every day. Nico and Michael are both excited and highly motivated as the new season approaches, while our team, both in Brackley and Brixworth and on the track, is working extremely hard to be both competitive and reliable for the inaugural race. The entire team has done a good job in these two areas over the winter. »
For Michael Schumacher, the time for the verdict has finally arrived: Finally, we can stop trying to read into the tea leaves of testing and get down to business, says the German who is delighted to return, once more, to Melbourne. It’s the perfect place to start the season. The city loves Formula One, the fans create a great atmosphere and, obviously, as drivers, we feel it.
I have always loved the atmosphere in Melbourne: it’s a great city and the fans are fantastic. After all the hard work we’ve done and all the speculation, it will be really interesting to see where we are on Saturday afternoon, following the qualifications confirms Nico Rosberg, who is eager to get back on track in Melbourne: I had a perfect offseason with plenty of rest, a good training camp, and a successful pre-season testing program where we were able to accumulate kilometers with our W03. So we are really ready for the first race.
His seven-time world champion teammate shares the same optimism about the team’s preparation, as what could very well be his last Formula One season approaches: « During winter testing, we covered a lot of miles and collected a lot of data, which should put us in a good position for the first race and to further develop the car in the right direction. We are ready to start the 2012 season. »
For Ross Brawn, Team Principal of the German team, all that remains is to discover the verdict of the track: The build-up before the start of a new season is always something exciting, no matter how many times you have experienced it, and everyone in the team is eager for the action to begin in Melbourne next week. Following our structural developments and testing program, we are well-prepared, whether at the factory or on-site, and I am sure we are in a good position. What remains to be seen is how our performance will compare to the competition, which is of course the big question mark, and it will be interesting to see what comes out of it this weekend.
Same sentiment from Norbert Haug: After the tests, we know that we have a solid foundation to work on and a good development platform. Logically, there is much speculation regarding this new season’s hierarchy and finally we will get a first answer Saturday afternoon, during qualifying, in Melbourne, when everyone will lay their cards on the table. But before this first race of a long season, I would like to thank all the members of our team who have worked so hard and with such devotion over the last few months, with the clear objective of making a new breakthrough in improving our performance relative to our competitors. We want to show that we have achieved this as the first step in an ongoing process of progression.
Only left to discover the first conclusions this weekend in Melbourne, even though Norbert Haug has downplayed, to the agency SID, the title ambitions of the star-branded team: « You don’t go from creating and restructuring a team to winning a world championship in two seasons. The reigning champions [editor’s note: Red Bull] didn’t do it, and neither did we with McLaren [as engine suppliers]. You just have to accept that there is a transition phase. »
