Mercedes GP

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2010 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews

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Post by Ed » Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:35 am

BARCELONA TEST - DAY THREE

Date Saturday 27 February 2010
Track Circuit de Catalunya
Driver Nico Rosberg

No of Laps 128 laps
Best Lap Time 1:20.686
Kilometres Covered 596 kms
Track Length 4.655 kms

Weather Overcast with intermittent rain showers
Ambient Temperature Maximum 14°C
Track Temperature Maximum 16°C

Nico Rosberg completed the third day of testing for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona today to bring his pre-season testing programme to its conclusion.

Nico spent the morning working on qualifying simulations and developing the car set-up before completing a race simulation exercise in the afternoon. Despite intermittent rain showers in the late morning and early afternoon, Nico was able to complete almost 600kms over 128 laps as he set the fastest time of the day, a 1:20.686, during the driest period this morning.

Michael Schumacher will take over the MGP W01 tomorrow for the fourth and final day of the test.

Nico Rosberg: "We had a good day today and made some significant progress in terms of set-up which was nice to see. We hadn't got the most out of the car in terms of performance over the last couple of days, but we made a step in the right direction today. We went through some big changes this morning step by step and found some good improvements. The longer runs this afternoon were interesting. We learnt a lot as there were other cars running similar programmes at the same time so we were able to do some comparisons. There is still plenty of room to improve but overall we're looking in pretty good shape."

TIMES (All timings are unofficial)

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Nico Rosberg MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 1:20.686 128
2. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:21.413 106
3. Jenson Button Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:21.450 105
4. Rubens Barrichello Williams 1:21.975 101
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:22.344 115
6. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:22.523 68
7. Adrian Sutil Force India 1:22.606 61
8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:23.123 51
9. Jarno Trulli Lotus 1:25.059 102
10. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber 1:26.216 105
11. Timo Glock Virgin Racing 1:26.305 31

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Post by Ed » Mon Mar 01, 2010 11:50 am

BARCELONA TEST - DAY FOUR

Date Sunday 28 February 2010
Track Circuit de Catalunya
Driver Michael Schumacher

No of Laps 123 laps
Best Lap Time 1:20.745
Kilometres Covered 573 kms
Track Length 4.655 kms

Total Test Laps 443 laps
Total Test Kms 2063 kms

Weather Cool and overcast
Ambient Temperature Maximum 19°C
Track Temperature Maximum 23°C

Michael Schumacher was at the wheel of the MGP W01 car today to conclude this week's four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona and complete his own on-track preparations for the new season.

Michael spent the morning focusing on qualifying simulations and developing the set-up of the car before working on race procedures throughout the afternoon. Michael completed 123 laps with a quickest time of 1:20.745.

Today's action brings the pre-season test programme to a conclusion after fifteen days of track action in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona during February. With the 2010 Formula One season getting underway in less than two weeks, Michael and Nico Rosberg will next be in action on Friday 12 March for the first practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher: "The four testing days here in Barcelona have helped us to make significant progress with the MGP W01 and I am feeling quite confident for the start of the season. It is always difficult to read too much into testing but knowing our programme, it is fair to say that the times did not always reflect the true picture. We have worked through many set-up and development evaluations this week and gained valuable information to study before Bahrain. We are heading the first race with a good feeling and we know that we will have our upgrades there. But most of all we know that our prospects for even the first races are looking very reasonable now."

Ross Brawn: "Today brings our pre-season testing programme to its conclusion and overall we are very pleased with the progress made with the MGP W01 and the integration of Michael and Nico into our team. In performance terms, we are not quite where we want to be yet but then again we are not far off. In testing, it is always difficult to be precise about your position relative to the competition, and we have our complete upgrade package due for the first race in Bahrain which should bring further improvements. Michael and Nico have both looked very good during the tests and they are working well together to improve the car."

TIMES (All timings are unofficial)

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:20.472 134
2. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:20.496 61
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.539 114
4. Adrian Sutil Force India 1:20.611 100
5. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:20.667 76
6. Michael Schumacher MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 1:20.745 123
7. Rubens Barrichello Williams 1:20.870 84
8. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber 1:20.911 67
9. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:22.135 88
10. Robert Kubica Renault 1:23.175 107
11. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:25.251 65
12. Lucas Di Grassi Virgin Racing 1:26.160 49

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Post by Ed » Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:26 pm

2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - SAKHIR
12 - 14 MARCH

PREVIEW

The much-anticipated 2010 Formula One Season gets underway in Bahrain next week and marks the return of a Mercedes-Benz works team to the sport for the first time in 55 years. The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team go into the season with the prestige of being the current Constructors' World Champions, led by Team Principal Ross Brawn, and with one of the most exciting driver line-ups on the grid as seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher returns to the sport to partner the talented Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes-Benz Stats

Bahrain Total (since 1954)
GP Starts 6 283
Wins - (Best Result: 2nd) 77
Podiums 3 215
Points Scoring Positions 8 378
GP Points 41 2018
Fastest Laps 2 (2005, 2008) 82
Pole Positions - 80

Bahrain International Circuit Stats

Circuit Length: 6.299 km
Race Distance: 308.405 km
Number of Laps: 49

Full Throttle: 65%
Brake Wear: Hard
Tyre Compounds: Super Soft / Medium
Downforce Level: Medium/High 8/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 205kph (127mph)

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It's funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely.
When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge. It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there."

NICO ROSBERG
"The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all."

ROSS BRAWN
"Everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is proud to be representing the rich motorsport pedigree of Mercedes-Benz as we start the season as the first Mercedes works team for over half a century. In addition, knowing that we go into the new season as the reigning World Champions gives the team confidence and a fierce pride to defend our position. However this is a new season and a new challenge. We had a strong pre-season testing programme with the MGP W01 but we are not quite reached the level of preparation that we would have liked prior to Bahrain. The car shows promise and we have a strong development programme planned for the season but there is a lot of hard work ahead to ensure that we will be in the fight for the title. I am very pleased with how our new drivers Michael and Nico have settled into the team and developed a close working relationship. They have really pushed the development of the car throughout testing and they will push each other to achieve better results on the race track. This season should be a fantastic one for the fans with so many talented drivers competing and what is likely to be a very close fight for the title between the top teams and that can only be good for our sport."

NORBERT HAUG
"The Bahrain Grand Prix as the first race of the 2010 Formula One season marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz. 55 years after the last race of the Silver Arrows works team, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS will start to continue this tradition. In preparation for our first season, we have covered over 6300 kilometres during 15 test days from 1 to 28 February. Judging our competitiveness for the first couple of races, my impression is that we are not quite where we want to be and I would not see our team in the role of favourites. Having said that, I am fully convinced that the whole team and our drivers Nico and Michael are fully prepared to get on top of our job and fulfill our targets which are winning races and fighting for world championships."

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Post by Ed » Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:13 am

2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
SAKHIR

PRACTICE

The first practice sessions for the 2010 Formula One season got underway today in the searing heat of the desert at the Bahrain International Circuit. Taking to the track in the new Silver Arrows cars, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pairing of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher began their preparations for the first Grand Prix of the season.

The ninety-minute morning session gave both drivers the opportunity to try out the revised circuit layout with its eight new corners for the first time as they completed initial installation and set-up work on the MGP W01 cars. With both drivers experiencing some balance issues, the team worked hard on the solutions during the break and enjoyed a more positive second session, focusing on further set-up developments and tyre comparisons over runs of varying length.

Nico completed 38 laps over the course of the two sessions, setting a quickest time of 1:55.409 to top the timesheets. Michael completed 39 laps with a quickest time of 1:55.903 and finished in third position.

The pair will be back in action tomorrow morning for the final practice hour before qualifying begins at 14:00 local time.

STATS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 15 laps 1:57.199 P8 23 laps 1:55.409 P1
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 16 laps 1:57.662 P10 23 laps 1:55.903 P3

Weather Hot and sunny
Temperatures Air: 29-34°C Track: 36-48°C

NICO ROSBERG
"We improved the car over the course of the day but it didn't feel great initially with the new track, lower downforce and the conditions were very sandy this morning. So we had a few balance issues to work on but it came together very well this afternoon. There are areas where we can still improve but we have a good comparison with the tyre compounds and on the long runs. Overall we learnt a great deal today so it's a positive start to the weekend."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"We worked very well this afternoon after having a few issues with the balance this morning. The car felt much better in the second session although I am still a little rusty on one lap runs and need to get back into the routine. On the long runs, the car felt good and once you get into the rhythm, it feels very natural. I'm happy with our work today and feeling ready for the weekend."

ROSS BRAWN
"After the development and testing work over the winter months, it was good to see the cars in action here in Bahrain today. We worked well to overcome some initial balance concerns which Nico and Michael experienced and achieved some very valuable work this afternoon. I feel we still need to make some progress so we need to wait and see how we will match up to our competitors when qualifying gets underway tomorrow."

NORBERT HAUG
"The afternoon session went better than the first one this morning. We ran through our planned programme and the team, Nico and Michael got a good understanding of the two different tyre compounds. It looks like we are heading in the right direction but it is definitely too early to say how everybody will perform in tomorrow's first qualifying session of the new season and on Sunday during the race. I expect very strong competitors."

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Post by Ed » Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:10 am

2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX SAKHIR
13 MARCH

QUALIFYING

Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix got underway at 14:00 this afternoon to begin the competitive track action for the nineteen-race 2010 Formula One season.

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pairing of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher progressed through the first two sessions of qualifying before taking to the track again for a highly-competitive final session.

Nico and Michael completed just one run in Q3, using the softer compound option tyre, and qualified in fifth and seventh positions respectively for tomorrow's 49-lap race.

RESULTS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying 2 Qualifying 3
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P2 P7 1:55.463 P5 1:54.682 P5 1:55.241
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 P4 P9 1:55.593 P9 1:55.105 P7 1:55.524

Weather Hot and sunny
Temperatures Air: 34-36°C Air: 35-47°C

NICO ROSBERG
"To be honest, we were hoping for a bit more today although we were lacking the pace to challenge right at the front so I guess we should not be too disappointed. It was so difficult out there with the tyres overheating. If you made a small mistake and got oversteer, then you lost a lot of grip for the next few corners. It's going to be very important to look after the tyres tomorrow in the race. Overall it's a good start for me and with a bit of luck, we should be able to challenge for a podium place tomorrow."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"I am satisfied with seventh place today having been away from Formula One for such a long time. By coincidence, it's the same grid position that I had when I started my career at Spa in 1991. It was fun to work with my new team and I appreciate all their efforts to support me as I get back into the swing of things. The boys are really good and I feel that we've improved step-by-step over the weekend. I'm looking forward to the race and I expect even more to come."

ROSS BRAWN
"It was a reasonable qualifying session today although we hoped for more after this morning's practice. The balance of the car suffered between practice and qualifying, possibly due to the increasing track temperatures, and we lost some pace as a result. Nico drove very well today in all sessions and Michael, taking part in his first qualifying session since 2006, is getting back into the rhythm as he gets more miles in the car."

NORBERT HAUG
"Not a bad start to the first race weekend for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS in achieving fifth and seventh position in our first qualifying session. I think we looked stronger this morning - and it is our target to be better again during tomorrow's race. Nico has done a great job since lap one of the weekend and Michael, who is starting his first Formula One race after three and a half years, is one place ahead of reigning World Champion Jenson Button. The race tomorrow will be extremely tough for the drivers, the cars and their engines and we hope to be well prepared for the battle."

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Post by Ed » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:13 pm

2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
SAKHIR 14 MARCH

RACE

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher brought their MERCEDES GP PETRONAS cars home in fifth and sixth positions respectively at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix today.

Starting on the option tyres from fifth on the grid, Nico had a great start to overtake Lewis Hamilton into turn six to move up to fourth. Michael, starting from seventh on the grid, was running in sixth and also using the softer rubber.

The pair made only one stop during the race, Michael on lap 15 and Nico on lap 16, to switch to the prime tyres. Nico lost a position to Hamilton at the stops and they remained in fifth and sixth positions for the remainder of the 49-lap race. Nico chased down Sebastian Vettel at the end of the race but was unable to pass in the turbulent air.

Today's result puts MERCEDES GP PETRONAS in third position in the Constructors' Championship with 18 points.

RESULTS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Race Result / Fastest Lap
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P5 2:00.236
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 P6 2:00.204

Weather Hot and sunny
Temperatures Air: 35-36°C Track: 33-39°C

NICO ROSBERG
"I had a great start today and was happy to be running in fourth position by the end of the first lap. However I lacked pace on the option tyres in the first stint and struggled for pace. Lewis beat me on strategy in the pit stop which we need to analyse later and see what happened. I couldn't quite get Sebastian at the end as I lost grip in the dirty air when I got close. However fifth place is a good start for us and I am confident that we can develop well from here."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"After three years away, I'm happy to say that I had fun out there today, especially at the beginning with the good start that I had. I can live very well with sixth position and it gives both me and the team a good base to make progress. I have every confidence that we will improve the car. Working with the team for our first race together was very positive and the guys did a great job so I would like to thank them for their support in my comeback race. We all know that we have some way to go but we will get there. The season is long."

ROSS BRAWN
"Nico and Michael did a great job this weekend to finish in fifth and sixth positions and now we need to give them the car to improve on those placings. We were not quick enough today and our race pace was not there to finish further up the field and challenge for a podium position. We have some hard work ahead but I am confident that we can progress the car strongly in the next few races. The team performed extremely well this weekend and for our first race with our two new drivers, we achieved two strong points-scoring finishes."

NORBERT HAUG
"It was a difficult race weekend for our team with these extremely hot conditions in Manama. We looked better in the practice sessions than during the race and it appears that we could not handle the tyres as well as the teams ahead of us. Fifth position for Nico and sixth place for Michael was the best possible result today. We have some work to do and we are confident that we will catch up soon."

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Post by Ed » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:32 am

2010 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
MELBOURNE 26 - 28 MARCH

PREVIEW

The second race of the 2010 Formula One season will take place in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday 28 March. Albert Park, a street circuit which uses the public roads surrounding the man-made Albert Park lake just south of Melbourne city centre, hosts the Australian Grand Prix which is always one of the most atmospheric races on the calendar.

Mercedes-Benz Stats

Australia Total (since 1954)
GP Starts 16 284
Wins 4 (1997, 1998, 2003, 2008) 77
Podiums 12 215
Points Scoring Positions 19 380
GP Points 98 2036
Fastest Laps 5 82
Pole Positions 4 80

Albert Park Stats

Circuit Length: 5.303 km
Race Distance: 307.574 km
Number of Laps: 58

Full Throttle: 69%
Brake Wear: Medium/Hard
Tyre Compounds: Soft/Hard
Downforce Level: High 8/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 225kph (140mph)

NICO ROSBERG
"The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has always been a successful race for me. I have been in the points for my last three races and had my first podium finish there in 2008 when I finished third. Melbourne is a great city so I really enjoy visiting and the Albert Park street circuit is exciting. It's quite a challenging track as the public roads are always dirty to begin with and there are a lot of bumps to negotiate. With the change in the time of the race last year, the low sun was one of the most difficult things due to the late afternoon start."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"Australia has always been one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar and this has never changed for me in all my years of competing. As in previous times, I arrived on the continent quite early and have spent some nice days training, adapting and relaxing in order to be fit and rested for the race weekend. I have a lot of good memories from Melbourne and most of the time, we saw interesting races there. I am very happy with the outcome of the season opener in Bahrain. Sixth position was good for me, especially considering how few times I have driven an F1 car since my retirement. I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more and I am looking forward to it."

ROSS BRAWN
"The team did a good job in Bahrain but we accept that we were not competitive enough and that we have work to do to close the gap to the leaders. I was very pleased with the performance of Nico and Michael and the way that they worked together to provide clear and consistent feedback to develop the car over the weekend. Whilst our car is fundamentally strong, we have a development plan in place for the next few races which should bring the required performance improvements to compete at the front. Looking ahead to the next two races, the Australian Grand Prix is always a popular race with the teams and the fans so we hope to see a more exciting race at Albert Park next weekend.
We then head to Malaysia for the home race of our title partner PETRONAS. With an exciting programme of activities scheduled at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse fan zone in Kuala Lumpur, it will be a busy and enjoyable fortnight for the team."

NORBERT HAUG
"The forthcoming Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park is the first of two races within eight days. The layout of the traditional race track in Melbourne, which will host its 15th Formula One World Championship race since 1996, is quite different to Bahrain where the season-opener took place. I expect quite a challenging race for us. The base of our car is good and the team is working hard and focused to achieve the next development steps. It will take some time to close the gap but we will definitely close it sooner rather than later. Our spirit is first-class and the whole team is looking forward to the race weekend in Melbourne."

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Post by Ed » Fri Mar 26, 2010 6:45 pm

2010 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
MELBOURNE
26 MARCH

PRACTICE

The opening day of practice for the second race of the 2010 season, the Australian Grand Prix held at Albert Park in Melbourne, got underway today with the two practice sessions taking place in very different conditions.

The first session began at 12.30pm local time under blue skies and warm sunshine. Nico and Michael completed their installation laps and then remained in the garage until the track, which uses public roads, had cleaned up a little. With just over 30 minutes of the session gone, the pair headed back out to begin their set-up programme for the MGP W01.

The start of the second session at 16.30pm was greeted with a brief rain shower which kept the cars in the garage for the first fifteen minutes. A second shower arriving shortly afterwards limited the dry running available with Nico and Michael going out on the intermediate tyres to complete practice pit stops and track familiarisation. The conditions improved for the final quarter of an hour to allow for some dry running to end the day.

Michael completed 35 laps today, ending the day in P4 on the times, with Nico completing 40 laps in P10.

STATS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 19 laps 1:28.550 P12 16 laps 1:26.511 P4
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 18 laps 1:27.126 P2 22 laps 1:26.956 P10

Weather Sunny for first session & showers during second session
Temperatures Air: 21-28°C Track: 21-41°C

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"As often on Fridays, the performance is difficult to judge as everybody seemed to be on different programmes. Having said that, I am quite happy with today's sessions, even if we did not run too much overall. My first session was a bit handicapped by red flags, later we faced some rain in the second session. But all in all, we learned a lot and we could improve the set up of our car quite reasonably. In the end our times were competitive so I think we can look forward to the rest of the weekend."

NICO ROSBERG
"The first session was ok this morning and we learnt some good things. This afternoon was a bit frustrating with the weather interruptions but we were still able to learn a good amount on the tyres which gives us some preparation for tomorrow. There are still some set-up issues to look at and improvements to make on the car so we have plenty of work to do overnight."

ROSS BRAWN
"It was a frustrating afternoon with the weather but we were able to get some good work done this morning. However it's always very difficult to judge where you are on the first day. We made some progress on Michael's side and he was fairly happy with the car. Nico was not quite so happy and we may have gone the wrong way on some changes so there is still some work to do on the set-up of his car."

NORBERT HAUG
"There were quite challenging circumstances for the teams and drivers in the second session with the frequently changing weather conditions. Nico was amongst the quickest in the first session and Michael in the second. But it is difficult to judge our performance compared to our competitors and we have to wait until tomorrow to find out what our results of today mean. All in all it was a productive day and we should have a reasonable baseline for qualifying."

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Post by Ed » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:48 pm

2010 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
MELBOURNE

QUALIFYING

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher qualified their MGP W01 cars in sixth and seventh positions today ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne tomorrow.

Under grey skies with cooler temperatures than during today's practice, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pair progressed easily through Q1 with two runs on the prime tyre, and through Q2 using the softer option tyre for a further two runs.

With rain threatening in Q3, Nico and Michael went out right at the start of the session. Running on the option tyre, both were unable to find a clean lap with Nico making a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes and Michael caught up in some traffic. Their quickest laps put Nico in P6 and Michael in P7 and whilst both drivers came back into the pits to switch to the prime tyre for a final run, they were unable to improve their times.

STATS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying 2 Qualifying 3
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P5 P6 1:24.788 P5 1:24.788 P6 1:24.884
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 P3 P7 1:25.351 P6 1:24.871 P7 1:24.927

Weather Cool and breezy
Temperatures Air: 21-21°C Track: 21-24°C

NICO ROSBERG
"It was a disappointing qualifying today as I had made really good progress during practice with my engineers but didn't do the best job when it mattered. I made a couple of mistakes on my best lap on the option tyres which cost me three or four tenths. There was more in the car today so it's always frustrating when you don't get the most out of it. It's not typical for me to make such mistakes in qualifying. But that's the way it goes sometimes and sixth position is still a good place to start. We should be stronger in the race and anything can happen tomorrow."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"We had a reasonable qualifying session today and I am ok with the outcome even if I was a bit handicapped by traffic, especially on my final quick lap. We made some changes with the car after practice this morning which did not work out perfectly. But in general I would guess the ranking that we see now reflects the situation well and our performance is probably the maximum for our car at the moment. Anyhow, we still have a lot in hand for tomorrow's race, and I am on the clean side of the grid for the start. As we all know, a lot can happen over the course of a race."

ROSS BRAWN
"Whilst we weren't necessarily able to compete with the top three, I thought we might have done a bit better today, and certainly be fighting for fourth and fifth places. We didn't really seem to get smooth runs and whilst it's the same for everybody with the conditions and traffic, the little things just didn't quite come together for us today. The car is good so we're a little disappointed but we know what we've got to do. We've got to find some time to compete with the guys in the top two or three positions and that's our objective."

NORBERT HAUG
"It was not quite the optimum result that we could have achieved today but better than fourth place would not have been possible. We know that there is more work to be done in order to improve our technical package and catch up to the Red Bulls and Alonso's Ferrari which were out of reach. This will happen step by step and it will take some time. Nico and Michael did a good job within the possibilities that we currently have and are split by less than half a tenth of a second. We will try to do a better job tomorrow and improve our positions during the race."

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Post by Ed » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:51 pm

2010 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
MELBOURNE

RACE

An eventful race at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix saw Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher bring their MGP W01 cars home in the points for a second successive race with Nico in fifth position and Michael in 10th place.

Rain immediately before the start meant all cars began on intermediate tyres. Michael was hit by Fernando Alonso in the first corner and was forced to pit for a new nose, resuming the race at the back of the field. Nico was running in fifth place at the end of lap one.

With the track drying, both drivers pitted on lap eight to switch to slicks. With the soft option tyres suffering from degradation, Michael pitted for a fresh set on lap 29 with Nico following on lap 33, rejoining in 12th and 7th positions respectively.

An exciting end to the race saw Nico catch up to the closely-bunched group from Robert Kubica in second place to Mark Webber in sixth place. He was therefore in position to take advantage when Webber and Lewis Hamilton collided and move up to fifth place. Michael had a late surge to overtake Jaime Alguersuari and Pedro De La Rosa, collecting the final point for 10th place.

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS are currently in third position in the Constructors' Championship after two races.

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Race Result / Fastest Lap
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P5 1:28.489
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 P10 1:29.185

Weather Overcast with rain before the start
Temperatures Air: 25-26°C Track: 22-24°C

NICO ROSBERG
"Fifth place is a good result after a mixed-up race today. I had a bad start in the wet and after that we lacked pace and I struggled with the option tyre. The rear degradation was pretty bad so we decided to go for a second stop and get some fresh tyres to try to attack the group ahead. Even with the tyre advantage, it would have been difficult to pass once we caught up and therefore it was good to make up a couple of places when Mark and Lewis had an incident, so I'm pleased with that. We need to keep on taking the points whilst we improve the car so overall it was a decent weekend."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"I could have had a good race today so it was a pity that I was hit right after the start. That incident decided my race obviously. But things like that happen and you have to just say 'that's racing'. I had to take the remainder of the race from last position but I have to say that I was still having fun as our pace today was promising and for part of the race, we were going quicker than the top group. It was nice to pick up a point and we can take that good feeling into the next race where we will look forward to another challenge."

ROSS BRAWN
"Nico did a very good job today and pushed hard to get fifth place. He was in a reasonable position halfway through but we began to get concerned about his tyres. He had lost a position to Lewis and it looked like Mark would get past so we took the decision to bring him in. As expected with fresh tyres, he caught up with the pack towards the end and was able to take advantage of the ensuing incident with the cars ahead. Whether we gained from bringing him in or whether his original tyres could have held out is difficult to know. Michael had the first lap incident which made his race very difficult thereafter and he did a very good job to keep at it and score a point. Overall I'm pleased with how the team performed this weekend. We got the most out of the car but clearly need to find some more performance. It's not out of reach and we have a lot to look forward to over the next few races. Congratulations to Jenson on a great performance and victory today."

NORBERT HAUG
"A very entertaining race and indeed probably one of the best ever. The rain and the various tyre strategies mixed up the field and our drivers showed competitive speed. Better than fifth and tenth positions was possible but Michael was a victim of Button and Alonso coming together in the first corner which required a stop and nose change. Michael stopped three times in total so finishing in tenth position and in the points was the maximum that he could achieve after an excellent drive. Nico did a great job, finishing just over two seconds behind a podium position and in the same league with the fastest. Great job, Nico! We have scored points in all four starts and our speed in Melbourne was much better than in Bahrain. Congratulations to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and to Jenson Button. Their early tyre change was followed by a great and measured drive from Jenson. This was the 69th victory for Mercedes-Benz since Melbourne 1997 and I hope soon we will have a jubilee. Looking to the next race in Malaysia, everybody in the team is very dedicated to catching up and I am sure this will be achieved soon."

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Post by Ed » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:58 pm

2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
SEPANG
02 - 04 APRIL

PREVIEW

Just one week after the Australian Grand Prix, the third race of the 2010 Formula One season will take place at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on Sunday 4 April. The Malaysian Grand Prix is the home race for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team's title partner, PETRONAS, and the Malaysian company will be marking the occasion with a spectacular fan event, the PETRONAS Pit Pulse, in the centre of Kuala Lumpur throughout the week.

Mercedes-Benz Stats (including customer teams)

Malaysia Total (since 1954)
GP Starts 11 285
Wins 3 (2003, 2007, 2009) 78
Podiums 12 217
Points Scoring Positions 16 382
GP Points 85 2097
Fastest Laps 5 82
Pole Positions 1 80

Sepang International Circuit

Circuit Length: 5.543 km
Race Distance: 310.408 km
Number of Laps: 56

Full Throttle: 65%
Brake Wear: Medium
Tyre Compounds: Soft/Hard
Downforce Level: Medium/High 8/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 205kph (127mph)

NICO ROSBERG
"Malaysia is one of my favourite circuits on the Formula One calendar. It's fast and challenging with a nice layout and a real variation of corners which makes Sepang an exciting track to drive. I have generally qualified well there, starting from fourth on the grid last year and third in 2006. Although we didn't quite achieve the qualifying and race results that were our full potential in Australia, we made good progress on the set-up of our car over the weekend. Sepang is a different type of track to Albert Park but these developments should benefit us and it's a good circuit to see exactly how quick each team is at the moment. We will hope to continue our run of points-scoring finishes and stay within reach of the leaders in the Championship. It's the home Grand Prix for our title partner PETRONAS and before the race weekend gets underway, I'm looking forward to our demo runs at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse on Wednesday."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"I have taken a lot of positives from the race weekend in Melbourne. Whilst that might not be evident at first sight, when you look into the weekend more deeply, we did make some real improvements and have good reasons to be satisfied, just not from the actual result obviously. Analysing qualifying, both Nico and I could have been two or three places higher and with hindsight, my set-up was too conservative and too much focused on the race. Those better positions would have enabled us to fight closer to the front on Sunday. All of this means that we are not too far away and I am quite confident that there will be more to come. Going to Malaysia this weekend, we know that we have clearly improved our pace since Bahrain which is a good feeling. It was a lot of fun fighting it out on the track in Melbourne, even if it was just for one point, and I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang."

ROSS BRAWN
"Malaysia will be a very special week for the team as the home race of our title partner PETRONAS, who are also the official sponsors of the Malaysian Grand Prix. In the first year of our partnership together, we are looking forward to working together here in Malaysia this week and it would be very nice to achieve a special result at one of our home Grands Prix. Before the race weekend gets underway, our drivers will be performing demo runs at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse site close to the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and making various appearances at the event. The Pit Pulse programme looks set to be spectacular and we hope to welcome many of the team's fans there over the next few days. Looking ahead to the race, the team performed well in Melbourne, even though we do not yet have the pace to be competing right at the front of the field. Four points finishes from the first two races puts us in third place in the Constructors' Championship and we need to keep this momentum going and keep scoring points whilst we work on improvements to the car."

NORBERT HAUG
"The race in Malaysia will be the second Grand Prix within eight days and for our team, a really special event. Malaysia, with its capital in Kuala Lumpur, is the headquarters and the home of our title partner PETRONAS and thus the Malaysian Grand Prix is a new 'home race' for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. The track layout at the Sepang International Circuit is significantly different from Albert Park in Melbourne which hosted an extremely thrilling Formula One race last weekend. The circuit, just outside the Kuala Lumpur city limits, features long and fast corners, tight hairpins and long straights. As usual for this race, we have to expect extremely hot and humid conditions, usually accompanied by torrential rain showers every now and then - a race in sauna conditions, virtually. This climate is the greatest challenge for the teams, cars and drivers. It is our target to score more points in Malaysia and to create the basis forfurther technical improvements. It would be particularly nice to achieve a good result at PETRONAS's home race."

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Post by Ed » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:05 am

2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
SEPANG
2 APRIL

PRACTICE

The opening two practice sessions for the 2010 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix got underway today at the Sepang International Circuit, located just outside the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pairing of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher ran consistently in the top six throughout the day, ending the morning session in second and fourth places respectively, and the afternoon session with Nico again in second place and Michael in fifth position.

The focus for the team's running today was to evaluate the Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds available for Sunday's race, the soft option tyre and the hard prime tyre, alongside setting up the MGP W01 cars for the specific demands of the fast and challenging Sepang circuit.

STATS

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 19 laps 1:35.106 P2 30 laps 1:34.443 P3
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 14 laps 1:35.225 P4 30 laps 1:34.674 P5

Weather Hot and humid
Temperatures Air: 27-33°C Track: 40-52°C

NICO ROSBERG
"Our programme went according to plan today and we made progress over the two practice sessions. The tyre work which we completed was particularly useful so we have a lot to go through this evening to see if we can continue to improve the car prior to qualifying. It's always tough here in Malaysia with the heat and humidity but Sepang is one of my favourite circuits to drive."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"I am quite happy overall with our work today and the practice sessions went very much as we expected. We did have a an issue with the brakes this morning so I did not start running right away but once we were out on track, I felt we had good pace. However we have to be realistic about our performance here and we might still be lacking a little compared to the front runners. The good thing is that you can play with the lines a bit to find time as the track here is quite wide. But in the end, as usual, we will have to wait and see how qualifying and the weather evolve."

ROSS BRAWN
"It has been a busy Friday for the team here in Malaysia for the start of our first 'home' race. The two dry sessions have enabled us to complete the majority of the planned programme for Nico and Michael, although the track conditions did change this afternoon following the rain shower. The priority today was to evaluate the prime and option tyres. Whilst all of the teams were running different tyre programmes, which makes it difficult to predict our relative pace, we are reasonably satisfied with what we achieved and are looking forward to the challenge of the weekend."

NORBERT HAUG
"This is going to be a very challenging race with extreme stress on the drivers, cars and tyres, and particularly all of the team members who have to work in real sauna conditions. The heat and humidity is almost guaranteed and rises in the afternoon. It's difficult to estimate where we are today but generally we are not where we need to be just yet."

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Post by Ed » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:05 am

2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
SEPANG
3 APRIL

QUALIFYING

Nico Rosberg achieved his best ever grid placing today in a rain-soaked and eventful qualifying session for the 2010 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit as he put his MGP W01 on the front row of the grid in second position. Team-mate Michael Schumacher qualified in eighth place after the rain-interrupted Q3.

With rain arriving prior to the start of qualifying, Nico and Michael waited in the garage for the opening minutes of Q1. They completed one run on intermediate tyres and headed straight back into the pits for wets as the rain intensified, leaving their best laps quick enough to go through in 16th and 14th positions respectively. With a lessening of the rain, intermediates were the right choice for Q2 where Nico and Michael finished in 5th and 10th places to progress.

Q3 began in heavy rain which quickly brought out the red flag. Once the action had resumed, Nico and Michael completed three flying laps on wet tyres, setting their quickest times on the first lap before the tyres began to degrade. Nico had a great lap for second place, bringing the first front row grid slot for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team, with Michael finishing in eighth position.

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice Qualifying 1 Qualifying 2 Qualifying 3
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P6 P16 1:52.560 P5 1:47.417 P2 1:50.673
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 P5 P14 1:52.239 P10 1:48.400 P8 1:51.717

Weather Wet
Temperatures Air: 26-30°C Track: 23-32°C

NICO ROSBERG
"I'm really pleased with my first front row start and it's great for me, the whole team and PETRONAS to have such a good qualifying result in Sepang for one of our home races. It was very difficult out there today and hard to keep it on the road at times. My run in Q3 was definitely my best of the day and I put in a good time on the first quick lap. By the second lap, the tyres started to degrade so it just wasn't possible to go any quicker from there. As soon as we went out, I thought intermediates were the way to go and maybe I should have come in but in the end it worked out well for us. I'm confident that we can have a strong race from here tomorrow, if it is wet or dry, and I'm looking forward to it."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"I am obviously a little disappointed with my result today as it was evident from the earlier qualifying sessions that we looked pretty good and I clearly could have achieved more. On my last run in Q3, I wanted to secure a lap time and then go for the second lap but after I finished my first quick lap, the tyres were already gone so I could not go for it anymore. Though it is good to know the limits of the wet tyres for tomorrow, now I have to concentrate fully on the race. Congratulations to Nico today for scoring our first front row qualifying result."

ROSS BRAWN
"An excellent performance from Nico today to achieve his first front row grid start in what were very challenging conditions for all of the drivers. In these situations, it is important to keep a cool and calm head and I'm very pleased with how the team worked together to ensure that we competed in all three sessions. It was a bit close on occasion but we reacted well and the drivers did the most important job of keeping the car on the track. In Q3, Nico had a great first lap to achieve his time for second position, however the wet tyres degraded very quickly and Michael suffered particularly on his second quick lap and was not able to improve. It's very pleasing to have achieved our best grid position of the season here in Sepang for PETRONAS's home race."

NORBERT HAUG
"Today was a qualifying session where anything was possible and we saw some surprising results like three World Champions starting the race from 17th, 19th and 20th positions. Michael did the best job amongst the Champions finishing in eighth place whilst Nico was superb in posting the fastest time of the drivers on wet tyres in Q3 and finishing the session in second position on the front row. Michael decided to do a 'safe' lap and wanted to push hard on the lap afterwards but the wet tyres unfortunately only lasted one lap at their peak. I am particularly pleased that five German drivers finished this thrilling and challenging qualifying session in the top eight. All of them have, in one form or another, been supported by Mercedes-Benz during their junior careers, be it in karting like Nico and sportcars like Michael, or in the Formula 3 Euro Series. Well done to all of them! It gives everybody in our team great pleasure to start from the front row for the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix and our target is to achieve a similar result tomorrow."

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Post by Ed » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:07 am

2010 MALYASIAN GRAND PRIX
SEPANG
4 APRIL

RACE

Nico Rosberg achieved the first podium finish for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia today, capping a strong weekend at the home Grand Prix of the team's title partner, PETRONAS.

Starting from second place on the grid, Nico lost a place at the start and was running in third position at the end of the first lap. He made his sole pit stop on lap 22 where superb work from the team enabled Nico to gain over a second on the chasing Robert Kubica. From there, Nico drove a composed race to the chequered flag to secure third position and his third podium finish,

Michael Schumacher was out of the race when a wheel nut came off one of the rear wheels and forced Michael to retire on lap ten.

Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Race Result / Fastest Lap
Nico Rosberg 4 MGP W01 / 02 P3 1:38.129
Michael Schumacher 3 MGP W01 / 03 DNF

Weather Hot and humid
Temperatures Air: 31-32°C Track: 38-45°C

NICO ROSBERG
"It's a fantastic result today to achieve our team's first podium at the home race for our title partner, PETRONAS. I want to thank the whole team for all of their hard work this weekend and over the winter. This result is the start of the reward for our efforts. It's a great feeling to be back up on the podium again and to have so much support from the Malaysian fans here. My start didn't go that well today as I had a bit too much wheelspin and once I was in third place, I knew it would be difficult to follow the leading cars. I struggled a little with the options in the first stint which allowed Robert to stay quite close but once we switched to the primes, I felt really comfortable and we could manage the race home to third place. This is a great end to a strong weekend for us. We're not quite where we want to be yet so we need to push on but I'm confident that we'll get there soon."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"It was a shame that I could not finish the race but unfortunately the wheel nut on the left rear wheel was lost. The car suddenly became very unstable in turn six and I could hardly steer and had no drive left. I initially thought it was something to do with the suspension but after I stopped and had a look, it was evident that was a wheel nut missing. It is something very unusual to happen and in testing we never had problems so we have to look it. I would have obviously wanted to finish the race and I think it could have worked out quite reasonably well. But in the end that is motor racing, I remember that very well. It makes no sense to get angry about it, you have to accept it as part of the game and look ahead. At least Nico scored our first podium finish and I am happy for him and the team."

ROSS BRAWN
"That was an excellent drive from Nico today and a first-class performance to secure his third career podium and the first podium for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. We are delighted to have achieved the first podium for the Silver Arrows here in Malaysia and to be able to share the rewards of our hard work with our title partner PETRONAS at their home Grand Prix. My compliments to Nico for an assured performance today and over the weekend. Michael was in a good position after the start and we were looking forward to having a good race on his side but unfortunately it wasn't to be. The car lost a wheel nut which is a problem that we haven't experienced before. The wheel nuts are double-checked on the grid so we will investigate and put in place the necessary solutions."

NORBERT HAUG
"A great drive from Nico and our first podium after starting from the first row in our third race. The team had a first-class strategy and Nico did not put one foot wrong and secured this first and for us historic podium finish, at the home race of our title partner PETRONAS. Our gap to the two Red Bull-Renaults in front of Nico was still considerable and we all know there is more work to be done in order to catch up. However it looks like we are heading in the right direction and the point standings after three races don't look too bad. Sorry for Michael who had a great start and was positioned sixth when a wheel nut came loose which stopped his race. We will work hard and concentrated to make sure that our car will be fully reliable in the future and get quicker step by step. After Melbourne, Nico and the team performed again the quickest pit stop which is very rewarding for our guys and sometimes very important to get the right amount of World Championship points. Last but certainly not least congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing for their first and well deserved victory in 2010. Seb was the class of the field today."

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Post by Ed » Fri May 07, 2010 1:40 pm

2010 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
SHANGHAI
16-18 APRIL

PREVIEW

The 2010 Formula One World Championship continues next weekend with the fourth round, the Chinese Grand Prix, taking place at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday 18 April.

Mercedes-Benz Stats (including customer teams)

China Total (since 1954)
GP Starts 6 286
Wins 1 (2008) 78
Podiums 6 218
Points Scoring Positions 9 386
GP Points 54 2134
Fastest Laps 3 82
Pole Positions 2 80

Shanghai International Circuit Stats

Circuit Length: 5.451 km
Race Distance: 305.066 km
Number of Laps: 56

Full Throttle: 55%
Brake Wear: Medium
Tyre Compounds: Soft / Hard
Downforce Level: Medium 7/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 203kph (126mph)

NICO ROSBERG
"Shanghai is a good track which is an enjoyable challenge for the drivers. The two long straights provide some decent overtaking opportunities and there's a great mix of corners, particularly the high-speed sections. The weather will be colder in Shanghai than at the previous three races and can be quite unpredictable so it should be an interesting weekend. The fans in China are so enthusiastic and Shanghai itself is a great city so I always enjoy our annual visit. Achieving my first podium with the team in Malaysia at the last race was fantastic and I'm looking forward to continuing our consistent run of good results in China next weekend."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"The enthusiasm for Mercedes-Benz and the support of the fans is very big in China so we have an attractive race ahead of us in Shanghai next weekend. I am confident that the fans will not leave the race disappointed. We looked quite reasonable in Malaysia at the last race and maybe things will play into our hands again in Shanghai. I am looking forward to the race and fully enjoying the competition again.
Admittedly the last two races have not been very fortunate for me but I am very much aware of the reasons for it. I know how things go in F1 and if you look into the detail of the two races, I think everything is still going according to plan. You can only improve step-by-step and I am confident that we are achieving this."

ROSS BRAWN
"Achieving our first podium of the season with Nico was very rewarding in Malaysia at the home race of our title partner PETRONAS and a timely boost for the team. Michael also had a strong weekend and is getting more up to speed with every race although circumstances beyond his control limited his race performance in Melbourne and Sepang. We hope to continue these signs of improvement in China and it would be particularly good for Michael to be able to have a clean race and show the progress that he has made since the start of the season. On an operational level, the team has performed very well over the three races and did a good job during Nico's race in Malaysia to record one of the quickest pit stops of the season. Our car has been reliable, with the exception of the wheel nut problem in Malaysia, and I am very pleased with the performance of our drivers. We've achieved a reasonable set of results which are in line with the car's current pace but we have to be realistic and acknowledge that we are not quick enough to compete right at the front at the moment. This is obviously not a situation that we are happy with and we are working as hard as possible to close the gap."

NORBERT HAUG
"The Chinese Grand Prix has taken place since 2004 and is one of the most recognised events on the Formula One calendar. China is a very important market for Mercedes-Benz as, for example, we sell more S-class cars there than in any other country of the world. The circuit located outside of Shanghai features lots of challenges for the car, drivers and team. There are fast curves as well as tight corners and two hairpins, one close to the start and finish of the lap. For Shanghai, the long-term weather forecast doesn't predict a probability of rain as was the case for the last race in Malaysia. But one way or the other, we will try to achieve a good result and in addition to improve our technical package step by step for the next races."

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