Sunday: Rosberg scores two points, Schumacher retires
Weekends come and go, and they look the same for Mercedes, which cannot capitalize on its status as the fifth team. For Rosberg, a poor strategy costs him some points, while for Schumacher, a reliability issue ended his race prematurely.
Nico Rosberg – 9th
I had a decent start today and gained three positions, which is encouraging. Mid-race, the soft tires lost grip as the conditions worsened, so we decided to switch to intermediates. Unfortunately, the rain wasn’t very strong, and we had to go back to slicks, which cost us a few positions. I pushed really hard to catch up to Buemi and Di Resta, but it was impossible to overtake them in the final corners. I only took two points, but it’s still more than last year. Now, I’m looking forward to the two races after the break. Spa and Monza are fast tracks where the Mercedes engine could be advantageous for us.
Michael Schumacher – withdrawal
« An unfortunate end to my race today. I had a gearbox problem. From what we know, it’s not related to the spin I did while battling with Felipe to avoid contact. At the start, we took some risks with tire pressure because we hoped the track would dry faster, but it was very slippery. I came back in to put on slick tires one lap too late, but it seems we can only deal with one car at a time. From there, the race returned to normal, but I wasn’t able to do much more than stay in the place where I was when I retired ».
Ross Brawn
« Our race started well with two good starts from the drivers and overall, it was encouraging, especially when we put on the soft tires at the right time. We were on a two-stop strategy, but a rain shower occurred and we thought it would be stronger. So, it was clearly the wrong choice and it ruined Nico’s race, who did everything to come back. Unfortunately, Michael experienced a gearbox problem which forced him to retire. It wasn’t a particularly good weekend for us, but we will learn many lessons from this race and work hard to have a better car ».
