Assessment: A Mixed Weekend for Mercedes

A thrilling Chinese Grand Prix today saw Nico Rosberg secure his second consecutive podium after a race with changing weather conditions.

Rosberg’s wise choices allowed him to take the lead of the race for 16 laps, before a small mistake and a switch to intermediate tires when the conditions worsened. His teammate, Michael Schumacher, had a tumultuous race, finishing in tenth position.

After four races, and just before the return of the races in Europe, Mercedes GP is in fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship, while Nico Rosberg is second in the Drivers’ Championship.

Nico Rosberg – 3rd: It’s fantastic to be on the podium for the second consecutive time. It was a very eventful race and we made very good choices that allowed us to achieve these results. I followed the team’s advice by deciding to keep my slick tires when the first shower arrived. I was there telling myself, ‘Please stop raining.’ But it was the right choice, and it’s a good thing to have been in the lead for a while. When it started raining again, I suffered from tire degradation, and Jenson (Button) was able to overtake me. Third place is a good result. It’s really good to head into the European season with these results and second place in the championship.

Michael Schumacher – 10th: Today… it’s one of those races you don’t want to remember, a bit like the whole weekend actually. It’s not good for me, nor from my side. You have to take it as experience and accept it even if it’s frustrating, like the fact that I couldn’t make my tires work better. My strategy was nothing impressive, and in the last 10 laps, my tires were gone, looking more like slicks than intermediates. In general, I had some good and fun battles, but my last pit stop was way too early. I was completely unable to hold on at the end. Congratulations to Nico for securing the podium and scoring big points. I’m looking forward to going home and see if we can improve on all this!

Ross Brawn – Team principal: We had a very good race with Nico today. He drove extremely well considering the conditions, and the team made the right choices for the stops. We lost a good part of our advantage with the second intervention of the safety car, but overall, it was an excellent day and a very good drive from Nico. With Michael, we clearly had some tough moments, but we still managed to bring back a point. We need to resolve a few issues, particularly regarding the degradation of his tires, and thus his pace before the next race. We don’t have the car just yet, but when the time comes, we know we can do a good job.

Norbert Haug – Director of Mercedes Motorsport: A good result for Nico and everyone at MGP today. It feels great for everyone to achieve a second podium with two third places for Nico and the team. He is now second in the driver’s championship and certainly one of the most remarkable drivers at the start of the season. Congratulations to our friends at Vodafone McLaren, Jenson, and Lewis for their one-two finish. Unfortunately, it’s not a very good weekend for Michael. We will study the problems, but I am convinced that we will achieve better results with him soon.