Sunday: Mercedes and Schumacher back on the podium

Michael Schumacher – 3rd

Wow, I didn’t even think for a second I could be on the podium today for this race, so what a magnificent result! It has finally happened! After such a wait and being on the podium in such an unexpected way, I feel really very happy. I think it’s the best answer to everyone who started doubting our work: build a good car and fight; never give up.

A huge thank you to the entire team and everyone who believed we would be back on the podium. It’s a true team effort. A special thought for my mechanics and engineers who did an amazing job this weekend after a few challenging races. I didn’t think a podium was possible – not even at the end of the race, because I was quite busy in the last laps and had lost my position. Then I crossed the line, asked the guys where I was, and they said ‘Third – on the podium!’. It’s one of those moments you fully appreciate as a driver. We were close several times, but it’s nice that it happened in such a spectacular race, with strategy and many overtakes on a circuit where overtaking is difficult.

Nico Rosberg – 6th

This was a really exciting race. I had a bad first few laps and lost several places, then the safety car came out at the wrong time for me. After the restart, I thought I would finish out of the points because I had worn tires and no grip, which made overtaking complicated. We had planned to try a one-stop strategy but we had to change it to two stops, and thanks to the strategists, we were on fresh tires while everyone else was struggling. I was 12th on lap 47 and 6th at the end (on lap 57), so it clearly worked out and we’re thrilled with this great team result after a chaotic race, with two cars in the top 6. It’s a great result for Michael with this podium and I’m happy to keep scoring good points.