Sunday: Hamilton once again puts Mercedes on the podium
Starting from pole position, Lewis Hamilton didn't have the sufficient pace to win, but the Briton still finished on the podium in 3rd place, as in Malaysia during the last race. Nico Rosberg didn't have as much luck; the German driver encountered a problem with his Mercedes and had to retire, but he hopes to make up for it next weekend in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton – 3rd:
« It was a good race for me today, and even though I would have loved to win it, I’m happy with this third place and being on the podium for the second consecutive race. Fernando and Kimi were just a bit too fast for us during the race, and my tires were struggling at the end when I was trying to stay ahead of Sebastian. I could see his car getting bigger and bigger in my mirrors, so it was nice to be able to hold onto third place. The guys did a fantastic job this weekend to get us here, first on pole and then in third. We got the maximum out of the car we had, and that’s a real satisfaction. We weren’t quite there in terms of overall pace, but everyone is working so hard, and I know we can get there. »
Nico Rosberg – Retirement:
« The race was difficult for me today and with my settings, I had an unexpected level of understeer which made driving complicated. After my second pit stop, I felt it was worse and had a front wheel in the air in the corners. The rear anti-roll bar, which affects the car’s balance, was broken so we had to retire. It’s a shame and I’ve had a tough start to the season with two retirements. But it’s good that the next race is only in seven days and hopefully we can achieve a good result in Bahrain. It’s great for the team to secure a new podium today. »
