Nico Rosberg praises the strategic call Mercedes made at Valencia – Formula 1 news
Nico Rosberg has praised the strategic call made by his team Mercedes during the European Grand Prix.
Rosberg started the race placed at sixth with the plan to only make a single stop. Mercedes however changed the strategy mid race realising that the degradation of the tyres is quicker than they expected.
The team went for a two-stop strategy which worked for Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Both drivers finished in the top ten. Rosberg was able to finish sixth while Schumacher secured his first podium since his comeback.
The season has been very unpredictable and the race personified the season as it looked clear that Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was going to take his third consecutive win at the venue but due to a mechanical fault he had to retire.
Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado fighting for the 3rd and 4th place collided ending the Brit’s race while the Venezuelan only managed to finish 10th. Romain Grosjean faced similar issues Vettel faced as his car’s engine also failed on him and had to retire.
The situation allowed Schumacher to finish third from his 10th place start coming out of the pits when there were only 17 laps left in the race.
“It felt like I was finishing 15th at one point!” Rosberg said. “I was sure, 'OK, today I'm finishing 15th'. I'm really pleased with sixth in the end because it was such a difficult race, going up and down all the time and everything, it was really quite
a struggle. A great call in the end from strategy from Mr Vowel's - the guy who does the strategy in the team - because that gave me many, many positions, because I wasn't going anywhere otherwise.”
Rosberg added that the heat during the race was a trough test for the teams and the drivers. Tyre temperatures and tyre degradation was an important factor in the race.
He added, “It's such a challenge to get it right. Driving style, set-up, everything; it's very, very difficult to do the job with that so in the end I'm pleased because six place is still many points.”
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