Nico Rosberg eyeing a strong season for Mercedes: Formula 1 News
Mercedes’ driver Nico Rosberg has claimed that his team will continue performing the way it did in the Formula 1 2011 Chinese Grand Prix, on Sunday 17 April. The young German had a very good race overall, finishing fifth. The team now aims to bring some
upgrades for the Turkish GP, which will take place on Sunday, 8 May, in order to fight for the podium.
Rosberg said, “We are optimistic for one, which is nice. It is good to see after such a disastrous start, to turn it around and then lead the Shanghai race for I don't know how many laps. No one saw that coming and it was brilliant wasn't it? It was great
stuff.”
The 27-year-old further added, “We are just extracting the best from the car now. Set-up, basic things even, just coming together, understanding better – an example is big chunks of time from basic springs and parts. So that is good. It is not everything,
a small bit, but there are bits and pieces everywhere.”
The Petronas sponsored team didn’t get off to an ideal start to the 2011 season after promising a lot in the final preseason test at Barcelona. The German giants failed to score a single point in the opening race of the season in Australia and continued
their bad form in the Malaysian GP.
Before the start of the third race of the ongoing season in China, Mercedes remained realistic about its chances. There was very less time to bring some upgrades, as the second and third race took place in a week’s gap.
However, Rosberg was able to challenge his rivals during the race weekend, qualifying fourth on the grid ahead of race day. The race also proved to be very good for the young German, as he scored 10 points in it. He could have managed a few more points,
as he led the race for a handful of laps.
On the other hand Rosberg’s team-mate, Michael Schumacher, had some issues with his rear wing, which didn’t allow him to qualify in the top ten. The veteran started the race from 14th, but ended it in eighth position overall.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion took a brilliant start in the race, gaining five positions on the opening lap. He then had a trouble-free race with a three-stop strategy and his pace towards the closing laps was impressive.
Schumacher could have finished in a better position, but the two Ferraris ahead of him of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were on a two-stop strategy. If any of the scarlet cars had stopped thrice, Schumi would have easily gained at-least a notched-up position
over the existing one.
The only issue for Mercedes in the Chinese GP was their fuel consumption. The team had miscalculated the fuel level in both cars, which didn’t allow the drivers to push harder in the final moments of the race.
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