>Niko Rosberg

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg talks about his weekend in Spain:

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton locked out the front row of the grid in Barcelona today for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS.
Nico scored his second consecutive pole position and the team’s third in a row at the Circuit de Catalunya this afternoon
With Lewis in second, both Mercedes will start from the front row for the first time since the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix
Both drivers used three sets of option tyres during qualifying and saved four fresh sets of the prime compound for the race

Nico Rosberg
It’s a great feeling to be on pole again. So far this weekend has been very positive and it’s a pleasure to see that the team is improving and fighting through the problems together. I know everyone back at the factory and at home will have been watching this afternoon and it’s a great feeling for all of us. However, we know that this is only half of the job completed and have the painful memory of what happened in Bahrain to prove that. We’ve worked very hard on our race pace but this track is tough for the tyres, particularly with graining. So it will be a big challenge tomorrow and our goal is to make the most of the opportunity we have from starting at the front and get a strong result for the team.

Ross Brawn
A great job by the team and both of our drivers today: I believe we have the strongest driver pairing in Formula One this year and they demonstrated it today. However, we know that it’s tomorrow afternoon that counts and we have worked diligently this weekend to find the right solutions to improve our performance and consistency in race conditions. I don’t think we will be the strongest team in the race but we are starting from the best possible position. Now we need to get through the first stint, which will certainly be interesting on the option tyre, and then see how our race develops.

Toto Wolff
It was a nice surprise for us to see both cars at the top of the times this afternoon but we know that Sunday afternoon is a more complicated challenge for us. We have worked all weekend with the race in mind but it is clear that we are harder on the tyres than some of our rivals. Tomorrow will show us what progress we have made on improving this situation and our pace in the race.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg completed the first two practice sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona today.
A rain shower prior to P1 left the track damp for the session, with Nico and Lewis completing 40 laps between them
The team focused on evaluating the new upgrade package along with the hard and medium Pirelli tyre compounds
In the dry conditions this afternoon, Nico and Lewis completed 45 and 35 laps respectively, finishing in P7 and P6
Drivers
No.
Chassis No.
Practice 1
Practice 2
Lewis Hamilton
10
F1 W04 / 04
19 laps
1:26.374
P6
35 laps
1:23.140
P6
Nico Rosberg
9
F1 W04 / 03
21 laps
1:26.621
P9
45 laps
1:23.398
P7
Weather
Damp morning, dry afternoon
Temperatures
Air: 17-20°C
Track: 18-35°C

Nico Rosberg
It seems that we are quick again on one lap but we need to focus very much on achieving a good race pace. There is still a lot work to do but in general I felt that we had a good test programme today and learned quite a lot. It’s difficult to manage the tyres in these conditions and we have seen a lot of graining today because of the lower temperatures.

Ross Brawn
We’ve been working hard on improving our long runs and there are some signs of improvement today but we need to have a good look at the data this evening before making any conclusions. The car seems to be quite good on low fuel as we know. Tyre degradation is going to be a key consideration over the weekend and we must remain focused to ensure that we get the best possible performance from the car in the race. That’s our priority.

Toto Wolff
A quite difficult day at the office for us today. The car seemed quick over a single lap but what matters for Sunday is how we perform on our long runs. They looked more difficult for both drivers today and we have plenty of work to do overnight to improve our pace for the weekend.

Test comparison between Formula 1 and Mercedes-AMG cars driven by Nico Rosberg, Bernd Schneider, Karl Wendlinger and Bernd Mayländer

Mercedes-AMG Performance Drive: Formula 1 versus Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, E 63 AMG, SLS AMG Black Series and SLS AMG GT3

Nico Rosberg in Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series: “It will be interesting to see how long Michael can delay starting before catching up with us at the finish.”

Stuttgart – As part of the programme for the 24-hour race on 19th May 2013, Mercedes-Benz will put on a special event highlight for fans at the Nürburgring:
As part of a high-performance demonstration, four Mercedes-AMG vehicles will go up against Michael Schumacher in a Formula 1 Silver Arrow. The vehicles will start at different times in front of the Mercedes-Benz grandstand but will cross the finish line simultaneously. The Mercedes-AMGs will be driven by: Formula 1 star Nico Rosberg, DTM record-breaking champion Bernd Schneider, ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Karl Wendlinger and by the official driver of the Formula 1 Safety Car Bernd Mayländer.

The first vehicle to go out on track will be an A 45 AMG driven by Bernd Mayländer, followed by: Karl Wendlinger in the E 63 AMG S, Nico Rosberg in the SLS AMG Black Series, and Bernd Schneider in an SLS AMG GT3. Finally, Michael Schumacher will set off in a Formula 1 Silver Arrow on the 20.832km lap around the Nordschleife (excluding grand prix circuit). On this special occasion, the Formula 1 record world champion will be the first driver to cover the Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art Silver Arrow since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954.

Michael Schumacher:
“This Mercedes AMG Performance Drive will be simply great, affording spectators at the 24-hour race a really top-class spectacle. Driving around the Nordschleife in a Formula 1 car will be an unforgettable experience both for me and for the motor racing fans. The legendary Nordschleife, famous throughout the world, is the perfect place for this demo, and the Mercedes-Benz vehicles taking part are all fascinating, powerful cars, a unique parade for all the spectators and car enthusiasts gathered there as they hurtle past.”

Nico Rosberg:
“The Nürburgring will play host to two super motor racing events with the 24-hour race and this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix. Our Mercedes-AMG Performance Drive on the Nordschleife with five Mercedes-Benz cars makes a fantastic warm-up for both events. It will be interesting to see how long Michael can delay starting before catching up with us at the finish. As for me personally, I am, of course, really looking forward to the German Formula 1 race in the Eifel (5th-7th July, but this too is going to be a fantastic weekend and I hope that many of the fans present for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring will be on hand to cheer us in our Silver Arrows.”

The vehicles and their drivers

Fahrzeug: Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG (360bhp, 0-100km/h: 4.6secs)
Fahrer: Bernd Mayländer

Fahrzeug: Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG S (585bhp, 0-100 km/h: 3.6secs)
Fahrer: Karl Wendlinger

Fahrzeug: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (more than 500bhp)
Fahrer: Bernd Schneider

Fahrzeug: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series (631bhp, 0-100 km/h: 3.6secs)
Fahrer: Nico Rosberg

Fahrzeug: MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W02 (approx. 750bhp, 0-100 km/h: 2.7secs)
Fahrer: Michael Schumacher

The Spanish Grand Prix, Round Five of the 2013 Formula One World Championship, sees the first of the season’s seven European races take place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona
At 730 metres, the run from the start to the first corner at Barcelona is the longest of the entire season
The past two Spanish Grands Prix run with DRS saw 57 (2012) and 83 (2011) in-race passes respectively
The 2011 (75) and 2012 (65) races featured a total of 140 pit-stops, more than in the previous four years combined (130)

Nico Rosberg
I’m looking forward to travelling to Spain next weekend. We know that the car went very well at the Circuit de Catalunya in pre-season testing so I am hopeful that we can have a strong weekend. We will have to wait and see how our pace compares however. I’ve been in the factory for a couple of days this week, on the simulator and meeting with the team, and everyone has been working hard to make progress on our race day performance. It will be an interesting weekend and once we see how everyone performs in Barcelona, it should give a good idea of how the rest of the season will look.

Ross Brawn
In the two weeks since we returned from Bahrain, there has been a lot of hard work taking place in Brackley and Brixworth to prepare for the start of the European season in Barcelona next weekend. We have focused our efforts in two key areas; finalising our upgrade package for Spain and understanding our comparative lack of race pace in Bahrain. We have made progress in the latter area and will evaluate some developments over the upcoming race weekends to help improve the situation. We’re not there yet but we are making progress and of course, performing in the race is what really counts. The Circuit de Catalunya is a circuit that we know well and we have a lot of data from the two pre-season tests to help prepare for the weekend. However in the late spring conditions, we can expect the track to be of a very different nature to what we experienced earlier this year. Overtaking is more difficult there than at some of the early season tracks and, of course, every team will be bringing new developments so the weekend should provide an interesting challenge.

Toto Wolff
The three-week break between the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix was welcome, as it gave us extra time to analyse in detail what happened at the last race. We have built a good picture of our varying levels of race performance and why we under-performed overall in Bahrain. In Barcelona, we will test some solutions aimed at improving our tyre management in addition to our planned upgrade package. The circuit itself is well known as a benchmark for aerodynamic performance and we performed strongly there at the end of winter testing. The track conditions and temperatures will be very different on the race weekend, though, so we must dial the car in to those circumstances. Our target is to improve our Sunday afternoon performance to match what we have delivered on Saturday in the past two races. It will certainly be interesting to see what gains everybody has made since the last time we were at the circuit and how the planned upgrade packages work from car to car.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg will be making a guest appearance in Hockenheim on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May. The Grand Prix winner knows the DTM well from his time in the Formula 3 Euro Series which forms part of the support programme for the DTM. The last time he attended a DTM event was the corresponding fixture in 2012 when the season also opened at Hockenheim. This was shortly after he had claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. He delighted fans at Hockenheim with demo laps in an historic Silver Arrow that had been driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955.

Rosberg has a new role this season as mentor to the Mercedes-Benz DTM Junior Team, offering the young drivers guidance and support. Mercedes-Benz has taken a deliberate policy decision to invest in promising young talent for the upcoming DTM season. Of the three premium marques contesting the DTM, the constructor with the three-pointed star has the youngest team with an average age of 23 years. When he makes his debut in Hockenheim at the age of 18 years and 188 days, DTM rookie Pascal Wehrlein will be the youngest driver ever in the 28-year history of the competition.

There will be a press conference at 10am on Sunday 5th May in the Baden-Württemberg Center at which Nico Rosberg – alongside Mercedes-Benz Juniors Daniel Juncadella, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris, Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens – will be taking questions from the floor.

Rosberg will also be performing some driving duties, this time as chauffeur in the Mercedes-Benz DTM ‘race taxi’. Mercedes-Benz is offering one lucky winner a very special experience: a lap of the Hockenheimring as a passenger in a DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé driven by Nico Rosberg. To enter the competition, visit the official Mercedes-Benz DTM website at www.mercedes-benz.com/dtm. With a bit of luck, you could be seeing the DTM from a completely new and unusual perspective – from the cockpit of a Mercedes-Benz racing car.

Nico Rosberg:
“I always take an interest in the DTM, because I’ve had some great times there with my father. I’m looking forward to watching those talented youngsters Daniel Juncadella, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris, Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens go about their business. The Mercedes-Benz Junior Team offers a marvellous opportunity to talented drivers, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I very much hope that one of the Mercedes drivers, whether a newcomer or a more experienced member of the squad, is able to bring the title back to Stuttgart after missing out so narrowly last year. And as a racer myself, I’m especially looking forward to driving the race taxi around the circuit. I’ve had the opportunity to drive a DTM car several times in the past, and it’s going to be great fun, not only for the fan who wins the ride but also for me, to share that very special feeling.”

Watch Nico Rosberg´s video message after Pole Position and P9 in the Bahrain GP 2013 now on YouTube:

Nico Rosberg took the second pole position of his career in Bahrain today with Lewis Hamilton qualifying in fourth place.
The result gave the team its first consecutive pole positions since the return of Mercedes-Benz as a works team in 2010
Lewis was forced to take a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change following the third practice session
A piece of debris on the circuit caused a left rear tyre failure which led to suspension and gearbox damage
He qualified in fourth place in spite of these setbacks and will start tomorrow’s race from ninth position

Nico Rosberg
For the first time this season everything went perfectly today and that’s a great feeling. Pole position feels like a kick start for me and it’s a great achievement from everyone in the team. We still had some work to do after the practice sessions yesterday and the team had a busy night to turn it around. Thanks to them for the quickest car out there today. The race tomorrow is a different story and we’re very aware of that. It will be difficult, especially with the rear tyres, and we know that other teams were stronger than us on the long runs on Friday. It will be a big challenge to stay ahead but starting from the front helps.

Ross Brawn
As a team, we recovered well from two difficult practice sessions yesterday. Neither driver was happy and, together with their engineers, they did a great job to put us in a much stronger position today. Nico produced a great lap to take pole. I said earlier in the season that I think we have the best driver pairing in Formula One and they are proving it with their performances. Lewis had some problems this morning but he coped with them well and recovered strongly to qualify fourth fastest. He will drop five places on the grid tomorrow but we can still expect him to deliver a strong race. We know tomorrow’s race could be very different and perhaps today’s slightly cooler conditions favoured us, so let’s see what it brings.

Toto Wolff
First and fourth places were a strong result this afternoon and we have to be very happy with Nico’s pole position. He did a great job and both of his timed laps in Q3 would have put him on pole position. Lewis has had a more difficult and disrupted weekend so far so qualifying was all about damage limitation for him, which he managed to do extremely well. However, we should be under no illusions about tomorrow. It will be a very tough race and it will be important for us to race hard in order to get both cars to the finish in strong positions.

Formula One heads straight from Shanghai in China to the Middle East this week with Round Four, the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on Sunday 21 April.

The Bahrain International Circuit sees the cars exceed 300 km/h on four separate occasions
11 of the circuit’s 15 corners are taken at 200 km/h or less, in fourth gear or lower
There are eight braking events around the lap, with five of them classed as heavy braking zones

Nico Rosberg
I’ll be really happy to get back in the car again on Friday after a tough weekend in Shanghai. The first three races haven’t quite worked out as we had hoped on my side but the positive is that we have a car that we can really work with. So I’m looking forward to getting on with this weekend and the circuit at Sakhir is one that I like very much. It’s going to be very tough on the rear tyres and our biggest challenge will be to make the most out of the situation. We’re better prepared than we were last year and we have shown that the car is much stronger so I really hope that we can achieve a great result in Bahrain.

Ross Brawn
With three race weekends under our belts, Bahrain will be the final race of the season-opening quartet. With very different track conditions at each venue, this should give us a good understanding of the car that we have to work with for the rest of the season. The performances so far have been pleasing and perhaps even beyond our pre-season expectations however there is work to be done. We have two main areas to focus on; we must improve the reliability and we have to lift our performance to find that extra couple of tenths to our fastest competitors. And of course, that’s a moving target to make the challenge even tougher. A strong two car finish will be our target this weekend, and we want to see both Nico and Lewis in a position to score not only points but podiums regularly. We’ve had a taste of success already this season and the slight feeling of disappointment with third place in China is our motivation.

Toto Wolff
After three races, we have an equal balance of reasons to be pleased and areas we need to improve. Two podium finishes in two races for Lewis represent a strong start to the season. That shows our car is competitive in different conditions and on different types of circuit. But two technical retirements for Nico in three races are not acceptable, and everybody is working flat out at the factory to make sure we hit our target of bringing both cars to the finish at every race. Inside the team, the atmosphere is calm and motivated, with Nico and Lewis pushing everybody forward with their strong performances. Bahrain will provide another new challenge, with the combination of high temperatures, dust conditions and heavy demands on the rear tyres. We will need a smooth and reliable weekend to collect the required data for making the right decisions on Sunday.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg recorded a video for his Fans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube: