Formula 1: Mercedes and Schumacher set to challenge Championship at Valencia Grand Prix
Former power-house Mercedes are on the sidelines this season as they have failed to make any impact. They have not won any races this season, their drivers coming only in consolation positions. With Red Bull Racing and McLaren winning the races, it seems that this year’s F1 Championship will be a two horse race. But Mercedes are confident that their time has come and their fortunes will be turned around in coming races.
Last year’s champion had a below average season so far with only two third place finishes by Nico Rosberg in Malaysia and China. Rosberg’s partner five-time World Champion Michael Schumacher has been less than impressive since he came back from international retirement. Rosberg has shown some consistency as he has finished between third and seventh in all races except one.
But team principal Brawn is optimistic that Mercedes is still in contention to defend its title and with a new points system; the season could easily go down the wire. Brawn said, “With the new points system this year we are still within striking distance of the championship leaders and we will continue with our efforts to become more competitive. We have a number of the basics right and the difference between winning and losing is small. We need to close that difference”.
Mercedes is hoping that they would finally find a podium position in upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. And with a number of updates in their machines, they are confident that they could propel themselves to victory in Valencia. According to Brawn, the circuit in Valencia is similar to Montreal and this could give them added advantage as the layout of circuit in the form of long straight patches connected by slow corners could suit their car. With an upgrade package available for the German team, Mercedes can be a serious threat to its competitors.
For Michael Schumacher, it would be completely novel experience as this is the first time he will be competing in Valencia. This venue was for the first time introduced two years ago, when Schumacher was in retirement. 41-year old German was due to appear last year in Valencia but couldn’t make it due to his neck injury. Still, Michael Schumacher, who was criticised in the Canadian Grand Prix for being slow, is optimistic of his chances in Valencia. Seven-time World Champion said, “Valencia is a track I have never raced on before so it will be another new experience for me, but one I am looking forward to. I have always been quite good in adapting quickly to new situations, and I strongly expect that to be the case in Valencia”.
Meanwhile, Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry is also hopeful that Schumacher will come strong after he was criticised for his tactics in Canadian Grand Prix. Schumacher had a frustrating race in Canada and was considered by critics as his worst race since his comeback. He started the race from a season low 13th and suffered extreme frustration during the race. He was initially involved in tangle with Renault’s Robert Kubica and later with his former team-mate Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. He almost got punished by stewards after his incident with Massa. And to make it worse, he was overtaken by Sebastian Buemi and Adrian Sutil in the closing minutes of the race dropping him to 11. He was heavily criticised by media for driving painfully slow. German newspaper had a headline stating “blackest lap" referring to his last lap in the race.
But Fry is adamant that Schumacher will come back and it is too early to write him off. Talking to media, he said, “I am surprised people have reached those conclusions. We are very comfortable with Michael's performance, and I can't see any reason why he would not come well. He continues to improve, and he is going make a good job of it”.
With the Spanish Grand Prix around the corner, it will be interesting to see the performance of both Mercedes and Michael Schumacher. Schumacher will be under pressure to perform and steer his team towards this season’s glory as he has done so many times before.
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