Nico Rosberg unhappy with missing out on the podium: Formula 1 News
Mercedes’ driver, Nico Rosberg, was disappointed after missing out on an opportunity to finish on the podium in the Formula 1 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. The German driver had an opportunity to end the race in top-three, but was hampered by fuel consumption issues towards the end of the race.
Rosberg stated, “Naturally I'm disappointed with the race today as we know that we didn't make the most of our opportunity out there. We've made a big step with the car this weekend which is really nice to see and we will have better races in future.”
The 27-year-old started the race from fourth place on the grid and managed to finish fifth overall. He had a good start to the race, as he didn’t allow the top-three teams to create a big gap on him. His team decided to pit him much early compared to the front-runners, which gave him the chance to come out ahead of everyone.
Rosberg was in the lead for much part of the race and things looked good for the German. However, the fuel level of his car was critical, which didn’t allow him to push harder in the end.
Compared to Rosberg, his team-mate Michael Schumacher ended lower down the order in eighth position. The veteran was still pleased with the overall result, as he started the race from 14th on the grid.
Schumacher stated, “We have made a big step forward with our car and it worked very well. We are heading towards the first race in Europe now and will bring some upgrades to Istanbul which should help us to improve even more. It is good to leave Asia with a positive feeling.”
The seven-time Formula 1 champion claimed that he enjoyed the race a lot today, as there were a lot of overtaking opportunities at Shanghai. He had some issues with his rear wing during the qualifying session on Saturday 16 April, which cost him a chance to make it through to Q3.
Schumacher gained five positions on the opening lap and then drove with consistency throughout the entire race. He had to do a lot of overtaking, as he was on a three-stop strategy compared to a lot of other teams which stopped twice.
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