Mercedes was not expecting Michael Schumacher to qualify at sixth position – Formula 1 news
Michael Schumacher admits that his team, Mercedes AMG, was not expecting him to qualify at sixth position on the grid for the United States Grand Prix.
Schumacher initially qualified for the sixth position but will be promoted to the fifth slot on the grid due to the five-place penalty handed over to Romain Grosjean of Lotus for an unscheduled gearbox change.
“We were anticipating just to get in to the top ten, that's probably what we were thinking could be good; maybe seventh or eighth as a maximum,” Schumacher said. “Then to be sixth and fifth for another reason is welcome, particularly being on the right side
of the grid. I hope it stays like this; I hear some rumours that the grid is not completely clear yet so I hope to stay on that side of the grid.”
The driver also mentioned that the tyres played a very important role in this surprising achievement. He said that the car settings turned out to work ideally with the track conditions.
He added, “The tyres are very crucial. Here they are maybe more peaky in their behaviour because of the track condition and the circumstances.”
He is pleased with his pace shown in the qualifying round. He said that the car was working really well so he was successful at increasing his potential. He is certain that the car will carry on in a similar way during the race and his target is to achieve
good points for the team.
The unexpected qualifying position is also a welcome respite for the team. Ever since his return from the retirement to the team, Schumacher has been off his usual performance and this is his first top ten qualifying in the last three Grands Prix. The driver
is going back into retirement at the end of this season; this time with no plans of return. Mercedes is replacing him with the McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton.
On the other hand, Schumacher’s teammate, Nico Rosberg, did not have a good qualifying. He has qualified at seventeenth position which is being blamed upon the teams’ decision to run the old exhaust system. Rosberg is still hoping for a better race and is
determined to score points as well.
Tags: