Saturday: Mercedes on a 2012 note
Mercedes loves China. In 2012, they had their best weekend of the season there with the pole position and victory of Nico Rosberg. This year, it's once again a silver car that will start from pole, thanks to Lewis Hamilton who is ideally positioned for a third victory on this circuit. Fourth, Nico Rosberg is counting on the strong race pace of the F1W04 to climb up the hierarchy.
Lewis Hamilton – 3rd and 1st:
« Signing the pole position is a great result for us, and achieving it in my third race for the team is really a nice feeling. I had to cut the radio after my engineer told me I had the pole because I was so excited. No one expected this level of performance at this stage of the season, and it’s a real bonus. The guys just did an amazing job. I’m really happy for everyone at the factory and here on the track. It would be great to convert this position into a race win tomorrow, but it’s going to be a real challenge, and we are aware that it will be a tough race. The soft tires don’t last long, and with fast guys starting on mediums, it will be interesting to see how the race unfolds. I’m looking forward to it and will do my best. »
Nico Rosberg – 14th and 4th:
« A great result for the team today and 4th is a good position for me. I couldn’t do my qualifying simulation this morning due to a hydraulic issue, so I had to find my bearings during the qualifying session. I used Lewis’s settings which worked quite well. I made a small mistake in the last corner of my Q3 lap, costing me probably a tenth and a few places. But I’m in a good position for the race, and we’ve worked a lot on the race setup this weekend, so hopefully, we can gain a few positions tomorrow. It will be an interesting race with some drivers starting on medium tires. We’ll see what happens. »
