Watch Nico Rosberg´s latest video blog on YouTube about his seventh place in the Spanish GP 2012:
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QUALIFYING
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher will start the Spanish Grand Prix from ninth and seventh positions respectively following today’s qualifying hour at the Circuit de Catalunya.
• Today’s qualifying was dominated by a strategic use of tyre sets with a view to tomorrow’s race
• Just three teams got both their cars into the top ten shoot-out this afternoon, including MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS
• Tomorrow’s grid will see four different teams starting from the top four positions
• P2 to P6 on the grid were covered by less than two and a half tenths of a second
Nico Rosberg
“That was a tricky Qualifying session this afternoon, and seventh position was about the most that we could have achieved. It was a challenge to find the right set-up for the tyres and some of the others did that better than we did today. However with a good strategy tomorrow, we can hopefully gain some places. This has been a mixed up season so far and it’s interesting to see that there are some new guys on the front row tomorrow.”
Bob Bell
“We completed useful race preparation work this morning, showed some improvement and went into qualifying expecting an interesting session due to the desire to save tyres for the race. The story of qualifying indeed turned out to be one of managing tyre use, and it certainly delivered a unique session. From a team perspective, we got two cars into the top ten and both drivers will start from the cleaner side of the grid, while our positions were probably as good as we could have achieved with the way we chose to use the tyres. Tomorrow’s forecast is still for cooler temperatures, and with what we have seen both this weekend and this season so far, we know that a difference of several degrees in track temperature can make a huge difference to how different cars perform. We can expect a very interesting race.”
Norbert Haug
“A qualifying dominated by tyre saving which most of the teams did and we were no exception. Some sessions are tight, like Q2 when 0.048s separated P5 from P10, others are not, as Lewis’ impressive qualifying time more than half a second ahead of P2 proved. Having said that, it is most likely that we will see changes in the top ten order from today at the end of the race tomorrow. Our target will be to score points with both cars posting consistent lap times as Nico did during his long run at the end of the final practice session this morning.”
2012 SPANISH GRAND PRIX
BARCELONA
11 MAY
PRACTICE
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend got underway today with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg completing the two ninety-minute practice sessions in blazing sunshine at the Circuit de Catalunya.
· The pair completed a total of 112 laps today during practice, including 77 in the afternoon session
· The fastest first practice time was around 0.7s quicker than in 2011; the fastest in P2 just over 0.9s slower
· The top ten cars in second practice were covered by less than a second, with six different teams represented
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Practice One Practice Two
Nico Rosberg 8 F1 W03 / 03 20 laps 1:25.607 P14 41 laps 1:23.771 P3
Michael Schumacher 7 F1 W03 / 05 15 laps 1:25.187 P6 36 laps 1:24.080 P8
Weather Warm & sunny
Temperatures Air: 22-30°C Track: 24-45°C
Nico Rosberg
“Generally all worked well today, but there are also a few question marks after the two sessions. Tyre management will be a big challenge again this weekend, and that will be the key for success. We have got plenty of options to work though this evening to find the right set-up for the conditions out there tomorrow and on Sunday.”
Bob Bell
“The practice sessions went reasonably well for us today, and certainly the new parts that we have here this weekend worked as expected with no reliability issues. We also saw the benefit of the work that we did in Mugello last week, particularly the understanding of how the tyres need to be used. We weren’t quite as strong as we would have wanted to be in P1 this morning, however we made changes over the break and saw improvements this afternoon. Overall, a solid day’s work which has provided the data that we need to plan ahead for the weekend.”
Norbert Haug
“A challenging first day with changing track conditions. We worked through an intensive programme with lots of laps to evaluate the two tyre compounds available. Our team learned a lot today and the plan is to make a further step tomorrow as we did today from the first to the second practice session.”
Nico Rosberg completed the third and final day of the Mugello test for the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team today.
Date Thursday 3 May 2012
Track Mugello
Drivers Nico Rosberg
No of Laps 129 laps
Best Lap Time 1:22.579
Kilometres Covered 677 km
Track Length 5.245 km
Total Test Kms 1715 km
Weather Dry
Nico and the team spent the day concentrating on further tyre and set-up evaluations with the F1 W03
A second very productive day saw Nico complete 129 laps, equal to over 670 km
The team completed 1715 kms over the three days, and will next be in action at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
Nico Rosberg:
“It has been a good testing programme for us here in Mugello, and I have been able to complete a lot of mileage in my Silver Arrow around this amazing track. Today, we learned a lot about tyre management, and this should help us at the next race in Barcelona. There is still a lot of work to do of course, and we do need to improve our car in fast corners, but overall I am pleased with the progress that we have made here this week.”
Ross Brawn:
“We have had a good week in Mugello, and been able to complete much of our planned test programme despite the loss of some track time on Tuesday due to the poor weather conditions. The first opportunity for in-season testing for some time has proved beneficial, particularly as it has enabled us to test some new development ideas and take a closer look at improving the car from things that we have identified over the first four races. Mugello is a great track and I know that both Nico and Michael have enjoyed the experience of driving there this week.”
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were both in action today as the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team began this week’s test programme with the F1 W03 car at the Mugello circuit in Italy.
Date Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Track Mugello
Drivers Nico Rosberg / Michael Schumacher
No of Laps 49 laps / 5 laps
Best Lap Time 1:24.100 / No time set
Kilometres Covered 257 km / 26 km
Track Length 5.245 km
Weather Wet
With poor weather hitting the circuit, Nico completed 49 laps in the morning session in changeable conditions
The team were able to use the time to work on set-up with the intermediate tyres, switching to dry hours for the last hour
Conditions deteriorated in the afternoon, and Michael was only able to use the wet tyres for limited data collection work
He completed only 5 laps and the team finished the programme early in order to prepare the car for tomorrow
Michael will continue at the wheel of the F1 W03 tomorrow, with Nico concluding the test on Thursday.
Nico Rosberg:
“It was a good session for me this morning and a positive start to our testing programme. It’s nice to see that we have some new parts for the car and that the ongoing process of in-season developments is working well. We were able to learn some things in the wet conditions this morning which is always useful, and we picked up a few lessons. Mugello is an impressive track which is very fast and good fun to drive. It’s also good preparation for the next race in Barcelona with the high-speed corners. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car again on Thursday and continuing our programme.”
MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg’s first Formula 1 win in the Chinese Grand Prix one week ago was also the first for a works Silver Arrow since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. The victory in Shanghai came precisely 20,671 days after five-time Formula 1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio won the world championship at Monza in his Mercedes-Benz W196. In the 55 years between 1955 and 2010, there was no such thing as a thoroughbred works Silver Arrow in Formula 1. Rosberg’s win came in the 41st Grand Prix of the new era.
To thank his German fans for their incredible support, Rosberg will be performing demonstration laps around the Hockenheimring in Juan Manuel Fangio’s race-winning Silver Arrow from the 1955 season.
This will be Rosberg’s second visit to the DTM season opener at Hockenheim: last year, he volunteered his services as a DTM ‘taxi driver’ at the wheel of the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C‑Class. Rosberg’s involvement in last season’s DTM extended to the first ever Show Event in Munich: on that occasion, he drove a Formula 1 Silver Arrow around the temporary circuit in the Olympic Stadium.
Nico will not be the only prominent guest at Hockenheim; his MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team-mate Michael Schumacher is also keen to be present for the opening race of the world’s most popular touring car series and will be in Hockenheim on Sunday 29th April.
Nico Rosberg: “I have great memories of the DTM. The earliest date back to when my father was still racing. Then I started competing in the various junior classes that are staged as part of the DTM race weekend as I started out on my own motorsport career. A lot has happened in the meantime, and the highlight so far was obviously my win in China one week ago. I am absolutely delighted to be returning to Hockenheim as a Grand Prix winner. Last year, I was able to drive a classic Silver Arrow on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife, so now I’m really looking forward to climbing into the cockpit of Juan Manuel Fangio’s phenomenal W196 streamliner from Monza in 1955 and driving a few laps at Hockenheim. It means a lot to me that we have written a new chapter in the wonderful history of Mercedes in motorsport – and that there is plenty more still to come.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “DTM begins a new era this weekend in Hockenheim, with a brand-new and exciting generation of cars. To mark the occasion, we wanted to give the spectators at the circuit something extra, and both our F1 drivers were immediately right behind the idea. Following his victory at the Chinese Grand Prix ten days ago, Nico Rosberg will complete demonstration laps in the Silver Arrow W 196 streamliner, with which Juan Manuel Fangio won at Monza in 1955.”
Watch Nico Rosberg´s post-race message on YouTube after finishing 5th in Bahrain 2012: “The stewards judged that it was tough but okay.”
Nico had a hard-fought race, running in P9 through the opening stint, then gaining places as the race unfolded
He completed three stops on laps 8, 22 and 36 running an option/option/prime/prime tyre strategy
Nico Rosberg
“I had a pretty bad first lap today, but after that I was able to recover and get the most of our race. We had a good strategy and the pace of the car was pretty strong compared to the start of the season, although it was difficult to make progress as there were a lot of cars fighting for the same positions. Overall I’m happy with our weekend as fifth place gives me a few more points and I can see that we are making progress. Now we have a short break where we can work hard in the factory ready for the start of the European season. Before that, I’m looking forward to visiting the DTM opening race in Hockenheim next Saturday. It’s my first chance to return to Germany after two good weekends, particularly of course the win in China, and I look forward to celebrating that together with our fans.”
Ross Brawn
“That was a tough but ultimately rewarding race today. Nico didn’t get the best of starts and lost some positions which made the early part of the race difficult, but he had a very good drive to fight his way back up to fifth place. Michael did well to recover a point in 10th place, considering that he started at the back of the grid in 22nd. We saw again today that if you get the car right on the day, it makes a great deal of difference, with Red Bull and Lotus clearly getting their cars in better shape than we did. We will learn more lessons from today, however we made the best of what we had so I’m reasonably happy. Now we can look forward to some time back at the factory to improve the car before the next race.”
Norbert Haug
“Having started fifth, Nico was running in ninth by the end of lap one. More than to recover to fifth place was not possible afterwards. Following Nico’s victory in China, we handled the tyres quite well on this track in hotter temperatures, and we showed that we have a good base to work from. Michael came home in 10th place after starting in 22nd, which is a good result considering the extremely high level of competition this year. We are now looking forward to the next race in Barcelona where MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS will, like most of the teams, introduce upgrades which will be evaluated during the Mugello test.”
Nico´s post race video message will be uploaded by tomorrow morning.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from fifth and 18th places following today’s qualifying hour.
QUALIFYING
Nico qualified fifth and will start on the third row, having completed a single run in each qualifying session
Nico is the only top-five starter to have a fresh set of option tyres available for tomorrow’s race
Michael was knocked out in Q1 after a DRS failure on his quickest lap cost him around half a second
The top 18 cars in Q1 were separated by just 1.051s, and eight different teams are represented in the top ten for the race
Nico Rosberg
“In general, I felt very comfortable during qualifying today. However, as we have been focusing on our race pace, there is always a compromise in the qualifying set-up. I think that I’m in a good position for the race for tomorrow. I am the only driver in the top five who has a set of new option tyres which can be very useful at this circuit. It will be very important to drive carefully and find the right tyre management in the race, as the conditions are very tough out there.”
Ross Brawn
“A session of mixed fortunes for the team this afternoon. In Q3, we made the strategic decision for Nico to do just one lap and, although his starting position is not optimum, he is the only driver in the top five to have a new set of option tyres available. This could prove valuable in the race, and we will learn tomorrow if our strategic decision pays off. Looking to Michael, he experienced a failure of the DRS rear wing flap, just before he entered the back straight on what would have been his quickest lap. This cost him around half a second, and with little more than a second separating the top 17 cars in Q1, that proved decisive. Unfortunately, we were unable to repair the system in time for him to run again, and he was bumped down to P18 at the very last moment. It will be a long and interesting race tomorrow, in demanding conditions, and we will look to make the most of our opportunities to achieve the strongest possible team result.”
Norbert Haug
“From the outset, our focus at this circuit, where tyre usage and availability of new tyres are crucial, was to be in a good position in that respect during the race on Sunday. We think this is even more important here than on the three circuits that we have already raced at this year. As a consequence, Nico completed just one run in Q3 in order to save a set of fresh options for tomorrow. We knew that this strategy would likely compromise his position on the grid. However, knowing that we will be well-placed tomorrow on the tyre front, I am convinced that this was the right thing to do. Last year, there were occasions when we were more than one and a half seconds behind pole position. Today, with one attempt compared to the two made by the teams ahead of us, we are behind pole by not quite four tenths. We are heading in the right direction, and our team is working in a focused and systematic way in order to achieve our targets. I feel sorry for Michael who had the pace for a good starting position, as he has proven with a fourth place and two third places in Q3 at the previous races. A problem with the rear wing mechanism prevented him from getting a good result – but he can achieve this tomorrow. Michael showed good pace during our long runs and he will be well equipped with fresh tyres. After our great result last weekend with Nico securing pole on Saturday and victory on Sunday, I am quite happy with our performance this weekend so far. Our team has demonstrated that we can be competitive in quite different circumstances. Well done Sebastian on your pole today.”
Take a look at the full gallery
Read what Nico said in the FIA press conference in Bahrain:
Nico, sadly only a few days to enjoy the win from last weekend but very interesting, this is a circuit that you’ve done very well on in F3, in GP2, made your F1 debut here and had fastest lap – you must be looking forward to this weekend?
Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, for sure. This is a track I really enjoy, I’ve had some very good memories here but again it’s just difficult to know where we’re going to be exactly. In Shanghai of course we did very well but previously we did have a few issues in the races, so it’s possible it’s going to be a bit more difficult here.
You mentioned those issues, which were tyre-related, and yet you seemed to get it absolutely right in China, can it just go back to square one again here? Is that how difficult it is to get it right?
NR: Well at the same time the engineers and everybody have really been making some good progress on the car, setup-wise and things like that. So we’re learning very quickly, so it wasn’t a coincidence that we were fast in Shanghai. No, we did a good job and got the best out of it – but the situation could be different here with the temperatures and that might prove a little bit more of a challenge but I don’t know.
The emphasis more on setup than it used to be?
NR: Tyre management is more of a problem in the races than it used to be. That’s definitely the case and that can be influenced with setup and various other things.
Q: (Gary Meenaghan – The National) Nico, now that you’ve tasted the taste of success, do you think it’s going to be harder for you to cope if you’re not racing… if you’re not fighting for the win at every race?
NR: Niki Lauda said right after the race, ‘Nico, believe me, the first win is by the far the most difficult and after that it becomes much easier.’ So I’ll go for that, he should know.
HK: I got a message from Bernie (Ecclestone) after the first race (win) which said that ‘now it’s downhill’, so there’s also that option.
Q: (Alex Popov – RTR) Nico, after qualifying in Shanghai you explained the huge gap of half a second by the drop in temperature by a few degrees, that you had changed the set-up between Q2 and Q3 etc etc, but in the race itself, after the first ten laps, the gap was five seconds, so it never reached the same half a second, so how do you explain that? Was that you?
NR: No, definitely not. It was just that everything came together. I was on top of my game for the weekend in qualifying and the race, but also the set-up – the car was working very well still, I think, in qualifying. Even in Shanghai, we were stronger eventually in the race but of course it was enough to win by some margin. All in all, it was a really strong weekend.
