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.”

China-Gewinner Nico Rosberg hat zum ersten Mal seine deutschen Fans nach dem ersten Formel-1-Sieg besucht. Den Samstag verbrachte der Mercedes-Pilot in Hockenheim bei der DTM. Quali ansehen, Foto-Termine, Interviews und jede Menge Autogramme standen auf dem Programm. Doch der Höhepunkt war eindeutig die Fahrt in Juan Manuel Fangios Silberpfeil. Nico: „Es ist ein unfassbares Gefühl, in Fangio Auto zu sitzen, mit dem er zuletzt 1955 gewonnen hat. Es macht richtig Spaß, und es war damals ganz schön mutig, denn die Sicherheit ist heute in unseren Autos um vieles höher. Es war ein ganz toller Tag heute hier. Ich bin als kleiner Junge beim letzten DTM-Rennen meines Vaters auf dem Dach mit ihm durch das Motodrom gefahren. Das Erlebnis hat sich in meinem Kopf festgesetzt. Ab da wollte ich auch Rennfahrer werden. Ich bin sehr glücklich, jetzt als GP-Sieger hier hin zurückzukehren, wo ich auch in den Nachwuchsserien viele schöne Erinnerungen gesammelt habe. Die DTM ist eine tolle Familie, und es macht dieses Jahr richtig Spaß mit den drei Marken, ich verfolge das genau.“

Am Sonntag absolvierte Nico den Triathlon in Cannes, wo ihn im Mittelfeld liegend ein Plattfuß an seinem Fahrrad vorzeitig zum stoppen brachte und er denn Wettbewerb aufgeben musste. Am kommenden Montag geht es für Nico weiter zu den Test mit seinem Silberpfeil nach Mugello, wo er am Dienstag vormittag auf der Strecke ist.

TV-Tipp: Nico ist Montag Abend im “Heimspiel”-Interview mit Volker Hirt im Hessischen Rundfunk zu sehen (ab 22:45 Uhr)

Zur großen Bilder-Galerie hier entlang

Mit seinem ersten Grand Prix-Sieg beim Großen Preis von China vor einer Woche erzielte MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formel 1-Fahrer Nico Rosberg den ersten Sieg eines Werks-Silberpfeils seit dem Italien GP 1955. Exakt 20.671 Tage vor Rosbergs Siegesfahrt in Schanghai gewann der fünffache Formel 1-Champion Juan Manuel Fangio in einem Mercedes-Benz W196 das Rennen in Monza. 55 Jahre, von 1955 bis 2010, hatte es keinen reinrassigen Werks-Silberpfeil in der Formel 1 gegeben. Rosberg siegte im 41. Grand Prix der neuen Ära.

Als Dankeschön für die Unterstützung des deutschen Publikums nimmt Rosberg im Rahmen des DTM-Saisonauftakts am Samstag, 28. April in Fangios siegreichem Silberpfeil aus dem Jahr 1955 Platz und fährt einige Demonstrationsrunden auf dem Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg.

Bereits in der vergangenen Saison war Rosberg beim DTM-Auftakt in Hockenheim zu Gast – damals saß er bei DTM-Taxifahrten am Steuer der THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Klasse. Außerdem fuhr Rosberg im letzten Jahr beim ersten DTM Show-Event in München einen modernen Formel 1-Silberpfeil über den asphaltierten Kurs inmitten des Münchner Olympiastadions.

Rosberg ist nicht der einzige prominente Gast in Hockenheim. Auch sein MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Teamkollege Michael Schumacher lässt sich den Saisonstart der populärsten Tourenwagenserie der Welt nicht entgehen und besucht am Sonntag, 29. April die DTM in Hockenheim.

Nico Rosberg: „Ich verbinde schöne Erinnerungen mit der DTM, zunächst an die Zeiten als mein Vater noch aktiv war, dann bin ich selbst in den verschiedenen Nachwuchsklassen im DTM-Rahmenprogramm mitgefahren und so in den Motorsport reingewachsen. Mittlerweile ist viel passiert, das schönste Ereignis zuletzt in China. Ich freue mich sehr, jetzt als GP-Sieger nach Hockenheim zurückkehren. Ich durfte im letzten Jahr schon einmal ein paar Kilometer mit einem historischen Silberpfeil auf der Nordschleife fahren und kann es kaum erwarten, in Juan Manuel Fangios erfolgreichen W196 aus Monza von 1955 einzusteigen und ein paar Runden in Hockenheim zu fahren. Mir hat es sehr viel bedeutet, dass wir zusammen jetzt diese tolle Mercedes-Geschichte nach fast sechs Jahrzehnten Rennsportgeschichte geschrieben haben und sie weiter schreiben.“

Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsportchef: „Die DTM startet in Hockenheim mit einer neuen und faszinierenden Fahrzeuggeneration in eine neue Ära. Wir wollten zu diesem Anlass den Zuschauern vor Ort zusätzliche Attraktionen bieten und unsere beiden Formel 1-Fahrer waren sofort Feuer und Flamme für diese Idee: Nico Rosberg wird nach seinem Sieg beim Großen Preis von China vorletztes Wochenende am kommenden Samstag den Silberpfeil W 196 Stromlinie, wie er 1955 mit Juan Manuel Fangio in Monza gewann, bei Demonstrationsrunden fahren. Wir freuen uns, dem Publikum diese zusätzlichen Attraktionen bieten zu können und Nico und Michael sind mit großer Begeisterung an einem ihrer wenigen freien Wochenenden dabei, wofür ich beiden herzlich danke.“

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.”