Nico Rosberg happy with Mercedes upgrades and sets target for 2011 season – Formula 1 Update
Mercedes’ driver, Nico Rosberg, said that despite being off the pace from Red Bull and Ferrari, the team has done well with the upgrades and the modified MGP-W02 looks more competitive than the previous one. He said that the team has shown progress which
was reflected on the final two days of the pre-season test in Barcelona.
The Mercedes team started off the 2011 Formula 1 pre-season in the worst possible fashion, as they were completely down and out in the Valencia test. Their new car faced a lot of problems soon after it was launched. Michael Schumacher and Rosberg only managed
a miserable 14 laps on day one, as the new car was confined to the pits facing oil leaks and mechanical problems. Their car showed the same reliability in the Jerez test, but when they moved to Barcelona, the Mercedes team started to show some competitiveness,
as Schumacher was able to top the table.
In the last test, in Barcelona, the Mercedes team did some upgrades in the car which showed immediate results, as Schumacher posted a fastest lap time on the fourth day and Rosberg did the same on the final day.
Rosberg was happy about the upgrades and said, “Definitely the team has made a lot of progress, so it has been great to see how much progress has come on.” He further added that the car is still slower than the others, but it is good to see that it has more
reliability then the previous version. He further said that the car surely looked more compatible, as there is some work done by the engineers. Rosberg explained that the car is 0.4 seconds faster than the older one.
Previously, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn also commented that the team looks in better shape and with drivers like Schumacher and Rosberg, Mercedes is well on course for claiming the title.
Talking about the championship contenders, Rosberg said the same thing, as Schumacher said that Red Bull and Ferrari are still the quickest cars on the grid and Mercedes’ first goal will be to take third place behind them.
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