Sunday: Zero points for Mercedes with crash and puncture
The races for the two Mercedes were not easy: after a first-lap contact with Romain Grosjean, Nico Rosberg saw his race end in an accident where he collided with Narain Karthikeyan's HRT, which was already moving slowly due to damage; for Michael Schumacher, a puncture caused by debris prevented him from scoring points. The German team now sees Sauber closing in to 12 points in the battle for 5th place in the constructors' standings.
Michael Schumacher – 11th:
Unfortunately, we have to say that we suffered from bad luck again today. Because of a puncture, I had to make another pit stop very late in the race, which cost me a position in the points. Of course, that’s part of the game and there’s nothing you can do about it, but it was really a shame since we had a reasonable pace and could have scored some points. Towards the end of the race, I was hoping to close the gap to the Top 10, and we were making good progress, but it didn’t work out.
Nico Rosberg – Retirement [Accident]:
« My car seemed competitive today, so it’s really a shame not to finish the race and score some points. Unfortunately, this opportunity vanished after the first lap incident with Romain [Grosjean], after which I had to pit to change the nose. And then there was the accident that caused my retirement. Narain [Karthikeyan, whom I collided with] told me that his steering broke and he needed to brake, which I did not expect in this high-speed corner [Turn 16, flat out and blind]. I didn’t have time to react, and I am very relieved that we are both okay. I went to the medical center for routine checks, but everything is fine. I will look forward now and hope to have two better races to finish the season. »
