The European Grand Prix sees Formula One’s second visit of the season to Spain and takes place around the city streets of Valencia on Sunday 27 June. The Valencia Street Circuit follows the water’s edge around the Juan Carlos I Marina, the base for the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007, using a specially constructed swing bridge to cross between the north and south sides of the marina.
Valencia Street Circuit Stats
Circuit Length: 5.419 km
Race Distance: 308.883 km
Number of Laps: 57
Full Throttle: 58%
Brake Wear: High
Tyre Compounds: Super Soft / Medium
Downforce Level: High 7/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 200kph (124mph)
NICO ROSBERG
“This will be Formula One’s third visit to Valencia and I’m really looking forward to the weekend. The city is pretty cool and the Spanish fans are always enthusiastic so there should be a good atmosphere around the marina. Valencia is a really good track and not what you would usually expect from a typical street circuit. There are a lot of corners but it’s quite fast and flowing which combined with the barriers that line the circuit means that you have to keep your concentration levels high. The last race weekend in Canada was quite a tough one for us but I was pleased to finish in sixth and score decent points after being in thirteenth place on the first lap. Our pace was quick in the race and I hope that the upgrades we have for Valencia will bring further improvements.”
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“Valencia is a track which I have never raced on before so it will be another new experience for me but one which I am very much looking forward to. I always have been quite good in adapting quickly to new situations and I strongly expect that to be the case in Valencia. I like going into new experiences like this and having detailed discussions with my engineers about the challenge. We will bring further updates for our car which should help to improve the performance. We have already seen that the car has improved steadily over the last few races and in Canada, the pace was better even if unfortunately that did not show in the results. That’s why I look forward to travelling to Spain a great deal.”
ROSS BRAWN
“Our car was well suited to the circuit in Montreal and our pace during the race was encouraging. Unfortunately qualifying was a disappointment and we placed well below our potential which compromised our weekend. Nico was clearly one of the quickest cars during the race and his climb from the midfield to sixth place was a very impressive performance. Michael showed good promise but damage to his front wing on the first lap and then the puncture put him out of the running and we were too ambitious with the use of the option tyres which left him struggling for pace. Looking ahead to Valencia, the circuit is similar to Montreal in many ways with long straights connected by slow corners which should suit our car. We have an upgrade package which will be another good step in our development towards competing at the front of the field. With the new points system this year, we are still within striking distance of the Championship leaders and we will continue with our efforts to become more competitive. We have a number of the basics right and the difference between winning and losing is small. We need to close that difference.”
NORBERT HAUG
“The track at Valencia’s harbour side, where the America’s Cup took place in 2007, is not a typical one on the Grand Prix calendar. It consists mainly of slower corners with the last sector then being quite fast and presenting some quicker turns. The lap is close to 5.5km which is above the average length of most circuits. We are planning to introduce some important upgrades to our cars in Valencia and are looking forward to making a step towards the top of the field.”
After finishing sixth at last week’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend Mercedes Grand Prix driver Nico Rosberg is keen on scoring more points at next week’s race in Valencia. Mercedes promised its drivers a number of improvements for Round 9 on the Formula 1 calendar.
“This will be Formula One’s third visit to Valencia and I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” Rosberg said. “The city is pretty cool and the Spanish fans are always enthusiastic so there should be a good atmosphere around the marina. Valencia is a really good track and not what you would usually expect from a typical street circuit. There are a lot of corners but it’s quite fast and flowing which combined with the barriers that line the circuit means that you have to keep your concentration levels high.
“The last race weekend in Canada was quite a tough one for us but I was pleased to finish in sixth and score decent points after being in thirteenth place on the first lap. Our pace was quick in the race and I hope that the upgrades we have for Valencia will bring further improvements.”
Mercedes GP insist they haven’t written off the 2010 season and will continue to develop the MGP W01.
After winning the double last year, the Brackley-based team were again expected to challenge for both titles. However, they have failed to live up to those expectations and are already a long way off the pace after eight races.
There have been suggestions that the team are ready to halt upgrades to this year’s car in order to speed up development on their 2011 challenger.
Team principal Ross Brawn, though, says the focus is still on “both at the moment”.
“I think everybody is looking at next year’s car now, all the teams, but we still have some pretty important things we want to do with this car over the next few races,” he said.
“Then we will have to reflect on the position for the second half of the season. We are not holding back on this car, for sure.”
He races for Mercedes GP, his best finish was second at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, he’s scored 149.5 points from 78 starts and he’s the 24 year-old son of a former world champion. These are just a few things we do know about Nico Rosberg. A driver, however, is more than his statistics, his team or even his famous father. We delve a little deeper to find out about Rosberg’s fear of heights, his love of backgammon and cycling, and his youthful obsession with The Lion King…
Q: Are you the kind of guy to have a ‘Plan-B’?
Nico Rosberg: Yes, sure. I’m very flexible so having a ‘Plan-B’ is the natural thing. If ‘Plan-A’ doesn’t work I don’t waste my time and move on to something else. (FIA president) Jean Todt once said that you have to be ahead of the problem and not behind it. I couldn’t agree more!
Q: Apart from driving a Formula One car, what is your favourite buzz?
NR: Playing soccer. And lately I’m into cycling. As for lazier things, it’s playing backgammon. I am a huge back backgammon fan - it’s our traditional family game.
Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
NR: I guess my engineers. We get along really well and it is always interesting to start the weekend together.
Q: Who is your dream date?
NR: My girlfriend would sound a bit boring, wouldn’t it? Someone I would like to meet is Lance Armstrong because I am into cycling myself at the moment. I would like to hear from him how to best enhance your performance.
Q: Which film last made you cry?
NR: It was The Lion King. I must have been seven years-old. A film that I’ve really enjoyed was Catch Me If You Can with Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s such a racy title! And Inside Man. Clive Owen is one of my favourite actors.
Q: What are you afraid of?
NR: Heights, and my nightmare would be to fall.
Q: What was the last book you read?
NR: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer about his 1996 ascent of Mount Everest that ended in catastrophe, with eight climbers killed. I read a lot and biographies are amongst my favourites.
Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
NR: Reading, doing sports, and chilling out with friends.
Q: Name five things that you hate?
NR: Being late - and I have the problem that I’m always late. I hate it. It has something to do with discipline. I’m working on it. What else? Arrogance, crookedness, crime.
Q: Have you ever dyed your hair?
NR: I’ve never done that, but maybe one day. Who knows…
Q: What was the first CD that you bought?
NR: Either Michael Jackson’s Thriller or probably Elton John’s Lion King soundtrack? I think it was The Lion King CD. I’d been whingeing after I saw the film until my mum took pity on me and bought it.
Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
NR: No. And I don’t plan to.
Q: What did your teachers say about you in your school report?
NR: Competent, but impatient. Some sort of Fidgety Philip.
Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
NR: Mika Hakkinen. Mika was a real hero of mine.
Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
NR: That I’m sometimes a smart alec.
Q: Do you collect anything?
NR: No.
Q: What do you miss most about home when you’re travelling?
NR: The privacy, my family, my friends and a sort of mundane daily routine.
Q: What was your worst buy?
NR: I’ve never had one.
Q: How do you take your coffee?
NR: I don’t drink coffee. The only caffeine I have is in the gel that I use for cycling.
Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
NR: Get up very early, go cycling for three hours and then have brunch at the beach with family and friends.
Q: What was your first car?
NR: That was quite something. It was an Audi RS6. My dad gave it to me because safety was very important to him and he didn’t want to see me in one of these micro cars.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made?
NR: Ha, this morning it popped up in my mind again. I cannot tell because it is so embarrassing!
Q: What is the best thing that you can cook?
NR: Fried eggs on toast.
Q: When was the last time you were really angry?
NR: I don’t tend to get really furious. I’m a very balanced person. If it happens then it always has something to do with the family, but then it is over in the next minute.
An action-packed Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal today saw Nico Rosberg come home in sixth place, making up four positions on his grid slot, with team-mate Michael Schumacher finishing in eleventh position after an eventful race which was compromised by a puncture.
In a race that was all about managing the tyres, Nico started on the option and recovered from a poor start which pushed him down into the midfield. He pitted early on lap five to switch to the harder prime tyres and set some quick lap times before his second stop on lap 27 for a further set of primes. From there, Nico drove well to manage his tyres and position, finishing in sixth place.
Starting on the prime tyres, Michael got away well off the line and was up to eighth place by the end of the first lap after starting in 13th position. He stopped on lap 12 for his second set of primes and was battling with Robert Kubica for seventh place before a front right puncture forced him back into the pits on lap 14. Michael made his third stop for option tyres on lap 33 and had to nurse his tyres to the end of the race before eventually finishing in 11th place.
NICO ROSBERG
“Sixth place was probably the best result that we could have achieved today so I’m pretty happy. It’s been a difficult weekend with a poor qualifying performance yesterday due to the tyres
not working properly and I was unlucky on the first lap today to lose so many places from the chaos in front of me. But from there, I was able to do some good overtaking and push to make up the positions and our pace was quick. We had a great strategy but it was really difficult to manage the tyres. I drove smoothly to control the graining but every time I looked in my mirrors, it was getting worse. Thankfully the primes held after my second stop so we were able to finish with sixth place and get some decent points moving me up to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.”
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“At the start, everything went great and we made up places as we had been hoping for. The first stop was perfectly timed so it was looking quite promising. Then I had a puncture on the front right tyre after my first pit stop, after I got together with Kubica, and that obviously decided my race. From there, I was stuck in traffic and there was nothing more to do because today our weapons were not very sharp. Towards the end, I was trying as hard as I could to defend myself but it was only possible to a certain degree and my tyres were just ruined after having done more than half the race distance. I was fighting cars with a good top speed which was quite tough. Otherwise I would have been in a good position I think so we have something to take away to the next races.”
ROSS BRAWN
“We had a messy start to the race which unfortunately is what happens when you start in the midfield. Nico was blocked and Michael was hit which broke part of his front wing. Nico then had a very good race to recover up to sixth place. We called the tyres perfectly, Nico was fast where he needed to be, looked after the car when required and generally had an excellent race. Michael was looking strong in the first phase of the race and was very well-placed. Unfortunately the incident with Kubica punctured the right front tyre and coming in for the extra stop meant we were out of phase with where we wanted to be with the tyres. With hindsight, it was over-ambitious to try and get the option to last as long as we did and Michael really struggled towards the end. We’ve come away with some points from the weekend but not as many as we would have hoped.”
NORBERT HAUG
“It was a great race today and fantastic for the sport and of course the spectators here in Montreal and worldwide in front of their televisions. Our speed looked much better today than in qualifying and it seemed like we were in for a good race with Michael as high as third place in the early phase of the race. Without the puncture, Michael could certainly have achieved a respectable result. For Nico, sixth place was a good result and posting the third fastest race lap shows that our speed compared to our competitors was better than yesterday in qualifying. However we need to improve our car further and we will. Congratulations to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes on their second one-two victory in a row. The victory marks the 72nd win powered by Mercedes-Benz in 224 races since 1997 which is an impressive score. Well done to McLaren and our committed engine guys in Brixworth and Stuttgart.”
Nico Rosberg has denied speculation that Mercedes has now stopped developing its 2010 car.
The German was about a second off the pace in Montreal qualifying, while in the sister W01 his teammate Michael Schumacher will line up on the grid a disappointing 13th.
It was reported recently that if the Brackley based team does not make rapid development progress, the entire focus would switch to next year’s car.
But Rosberg told Welt am Sonntag newspaper: “That’s not true.
“The development of the current car is running at full speed.”
The 24-year-old insists he is still in the hunt for the 2010 world championship, even if Schumacher admitted in Canada he is “not really in a position to win it”.
“It’s more about building up for next year,” said Schumacher.
But Rosberg said: “There are 12 races to go and I’m 27 points behind the leader. There’s still everything in it.”
However, he acknowledged that the W01 is “not yet capable of winning on our own”.
A below par qualifying performance from MERCEDES GP PETRONAS today saw Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher qualify in tenth and thirteenth places respectively for the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Using the prime tyre for their only run in Q1, Nico and Michael progressed easily to Q2. Michael missed the cut for Q3 for the first time this season with his fastest time, set on prime tyres on his second run, only quick enough for thirteenth place.
Nico went through in seventh position but struggled with the options on his quick laps in Q3 and qualified in tenth place.
NICO ROSBERG
“That wasn’t a great qualifying session for us today. We have a good car here this weekend but unfortunately we couldn’t get the tyres to work properly this afternoon. That was the big issue for us today. The harder tyre wasn’t too bad in Q1 but we struggled with the option later on and there was just no more lap time to be had. It is very disappointing to be starting in tenth place but anything can happen in the race so we can only look forward and take advantage where possible tomorrow.”
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“I am obviously disappointed after today’s qualifying. We simply did not have the balance or grip and overall we had a lot of problems with braking and handling. The car was just not performing as we expected. We had similar issues yesterday afternoon and we made some changes after second practice. This morning, the changes seemed to have made sense as our position was reasonable but this afternoon, I was facing similar issues again. It’s difficult to understand the reasons at the moment but we will look deeply into it now and find a good strategy for the race tomorrow.”
ROSS BRAWN
“A very disappointing qualifying session for us today, particularly as I was quite encouraged by our performance yesterday and this morning. However when it came to qualifying, we just weren’t able to put our laps together. We tried both the prime and option tyres but finding the performance seemed to get away from us. There was very little difference between the tyres and ultimately we struggled to get the best out of them.”
NORBERT HAUG
“Not the best possible result for us today. We certainly didn’t extract the maximum out of our cars and didn’t use the tyres in the best possible way. But tomorrow we will possibly be in a better position.”
Q: A question to all those of you who have been here before. Your thoughts on coming back to this circuit, to Canada and Lucas your first impressions of Canada as I don’t think you’ve been here before. So if you would like to start.
Nico ROSBERG: For me it is one of the best races of the year to come to Montreal. It is fantastic and I really enjoy the track. It is a great track. Lot of fun. Also the city, the spectators are great, very enthusiastic, so it is definitely a highlight.
Q: Nico, looking back at the last few races the performance has been very up and down. I know you hoped for better from Turkey. What about here?
NR: It is not going quite to plan recently. We haven’t quite managed to close the gap like we were hoping to yet, but we are really making good progress and we had the F-Duct in Turkey which gave us a good step. Here is a very different track. I am confident that we can do that little bit better here and really have a good opportunity to score some good points and with a bit of a luck maybe even a podium or something depending on the weather also which could be a bit of a mess. I think it will be an interesting weekend.
Q: Have you got small steps here or big steps in terms of development?
NR: We have a continuous development programme through the whole year. We are always going to be bringing smaller or bigger steps all the time.
Q: What about the huge braking here. How does that affect your car? Are you confident about that?
NR: I think in general our braking performance has been pretty good, so that should be one of our assets for this weekend. For me I really enjoy this track, so I think it can be good.
Q: If you put yourself in Sebastian’s (Vettel) place would you have gone for that gap?
NR: Same for me. In Istanbul for example it was try and overtake if you can but do it sensibly. That’s the main message.
Q: (Thierry Cerinato — L’Equipe) It’s also Le Mans this weekend; what does this race represent for you and would you like to race there one day or another in your career?
NR: I just always hear what a fantastic weekend it is, so I would really like to go as a spectator one day with some friends and just experience it. But driving? I don’t think so, no.
Q: (Jeff Pappone — The Globe and Mail) Question for Nico; Michael Schumacher won his first World Championship in 1994. You were a child at the time; there are five other German drivers on the grid today who are about the same age as you. Can you just talk a little bit about that effect on German motor sport, young kids growing up when Michael was the big star and how that may have changed things in your country?
NR: Well, I’m sure that the fact that Michael was so successful is one of the causes for us having so many German drivers now because the sport just became so big in Germany, so amongst other things, thanks to him and as a result there’s much more interest, many more young kids want to try and start go-karting, there’s much more money available from companies to support these young kids and everything. That’s definitely one of the reasons why we now have so many German drivers. Even I’m very thankful because there’s a lot of interest from my home country too, so it’s great.
Q: (Michael Schmidt — Auto, Motor und Sport) Coming back to the situation where you have to fight your team-mate, do you feel more comfortable to be in a defending position or in the attacking position, compared to a situation where you have to fight a driver from a different team?
NR: It’s the same being in front or behind. What’s important is that when you do make a move on your team-mate that you feel that it’s safe to do it and you’re not taking a big risk, that’s the main thing. I don’t have a particular problem with it.
Q: (Livio Oricchio — O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all drivers: which do you prefer, a circuit like Istanbul Park with big run-off areas, or the same circuit with the run-off areas of Suzuka? Maybe it’s more exciting.
NR: If you take turn eight, for example, in Turkey, there were a lot of people who went off there and if there had been sand and then the wall very close there would have been massive shunts during the weekend, and especially if you clip the sand in a wrong way, you can start rolling or whatever and it would have been extremely dangerous, so for sure it’s a good development to have asphalt run-off areas on those corners.
Nico Rosberg has admitted he is cautious about the news that Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has fixed its track surface problems.
On F1’s most recent visits to Canada, in 2007 and 2008, the asphalt broke up on the racing line in several sections.
The FIA announced on Wednesday that “the track has been resurfaced in the areas affected by degradation” in 2008.
“We must be cautious,” the Mercedes driver said, “because there have been improvements every year, and every year was a disaster.
“But I’m still confident, as I have spoken with FIA officials.
“The FIA has said it has paid close attention, so it should be fine,” German Rosberg said in fluent French at a pre-race event in downtown Montreal, according to La Presse newspaper.
Nico Rosberg is expecting to make another step forward to close the gap with Red Bull and McLaren at next week’s Canadian Grand prix. The Mercedes Grand Prix team will introduce a number of upgrades for the race weekend according to the German.
Speaking about the Canadian Grand Prix Nico Rosberg said: “Montreal is a great race venue and I always like to get there a few days early to get used to the time difference and have the chance to relax. The city really comes alive for the Grand Prix weekend and the atmosphere is fantastic so I’m pleased that we’re heading back there again this season.
“The circuit is technically challenging and fun to drive with the very long straight combined with short and slow corners. Our Mercedes-Benz engine will certainly be a big help on the main straight. We will have some further upgrades for the race weekend and the fact that the circuit characteristics are quite different from Istanbul Park makes me go there with high hopes. I think we might just put in a great result.”
(Note: visit the forum to view the gallery of the said event)
On Tuesday, June 1, Nico Rosberg visited the German national football team who are preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup at their training camp in Eppan, South Tyrol.
A keen football player and supporter, Nico met the team’s manager Joachim Löw and had a kick-about on the training pitch with captain Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Peer Mertesacker. He also met Wolfgang Hochfellner, the man who drives the team around in their Mercedes-Benz coach. The side panels of the team bus advertise the German team’s 4. Stern für Deutschland (Fourth Star for Germany) campaign.
The partnership between the DFB (German Football Association) and Mercedes-Benz began in 1972 and the World Cup campaign organised by Mercedes-Benz offers all fans of the national team two ways of showing their support: firstly by wearing the official badge and secondly by registering on the campaign website at www.der-vierte-stern-fuer-deutschland.de
Mercedes GP may be making progress with the development of its car, but motorsport boss Norbert Haug says the outfit will not be satisfied until it is winning.
Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg delivered a fourth and fifth-placed finishes for Mercedes GP in Istanbul, as the outfit led the chasing pack behind Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
But despite having edged clear of Ferrari in Turkey, and the longer wheelbase upgrade package having helped deliver a better car, Haug says the team is still hungry to improve.
“I would hope for more,” Haug told AUTOSPORT. “We want to be a winning team, but we need to be patient and we need to keep working hard.
“The car is very reliable, all the ingredients are there, and regularly we do the best pit-stops. We need to just realise that and close the gap to the front.
“Ferrari is a question mark as we don’t know if they could have been faster, and they certainly did not have a very strong weekend, but it is still not good enough. Having said that, we were good as a team, we are composed, concentrated, but we need a lot more speed.”
Haug has said that despite Mercedes GP not winning the race, he still took satisfaction from McLaren’s 1-2 finish.
“All in all we need to improve our speed and we are working on that, but generally speaking it is fine for us if McLaren wins,” he said. “If we cannot win, it is good. And I think even if the Red Bulls would not have crashed the race was not over.
“It was the 71st victory for us since 1997, which is quite a number, and I think that statistically it is every fourth race that we have won.”
( erm…am not sure if the phone he’s holding is a blackberry, doesnt really look like it, but according to the news it is…oh well….)
It looks like Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg is a loyal BlackBerry user. Here he is seen trucking along with his BlackBerry in hand. Nico drives for the Mercedes GP Formula One team, and this image was snapped during preparations for the Turkish Grand Prix taking place this weekend. We’re glad to have him on our team of BlackBerry users, and here’s to hoping he isn’t a fan of texting while driving
The Canadian Grand Prix is just a couple weeks a way now and our own CrackBerry Kevin will be on location to watch the racing action. I’m sure he’ll have his new DSLR fired up to catch every celebrity BlackBerry sighting shot he can snap. Stay tuned for that!
Nico Rosberg insists that he is happy with the way life at Mercedes is treating him - even if he is yet to win a grand prix.
Nico Rosberg has played down suggestions that not having won a grand prix will continue to be a handicap as he seeks to gain the upper hand in the Mercedes team, and admits that he is happy with the way he has handled team-mate Michael Schumacher so far this season.
Speaking to the official F1 website, the young German reflected on team principal Ross Brawn’s pre-season assessment of his experience, and the fact that he had not won a race in three seasons in the top flight with Williams, but insisted that, not only was he unconcerned about not having made the breakthrough, he felt that he would join the elite club of F1 winners in due course.
“I understand why [Brawn] said that in the first place, because the first win is always a sort of breakthrough, but, on the other hand, I don’t think that it makes such a big difference,” he claimed, “It’s just a step in a career and, to be fair, our car is not a winning car at the moment. In Monaco, I think we were the closest we’ve been to having a winning car, but the Red Bulls again were faster. However, my gut feeling is that we will be there very soon. We are working in the right direction and it is just a matter of time.”
Rosberg finished fifth in last year’s Turkish Grand Prix, exceeding expectations for the Williams team, and enjoys the challenge of racing at the Istanbul Park circuit. With the Mercedes now equipped with the team’s latest version of the controversial F-duct, he remains confident of being a threat for the podium on raceday.
“Last year was really good for me - I was fourth before losing that position to [Jarno] Trulli in the pits,” he reflected, “We have brought some new developments, notably the new F-duct, but everybody has that now, not only us, so it is difficult to say what will happen on Sunday afternoon. [In Friday practice], the feeling was quite positive and, with more mileage in practice three, we should be able to wrap-up a good lap in qualifying and have a good race.”
The inaugural GP2 Series champion also played down suggestions that, despite his own strong start to the season, the Mercedes team was starting to develop the WO1 towards team-mate Schumacher’s driving style.
“Ross is absolutely right about that,” he said, referring to Brawn’s recent denials on the same subject, “It is not possible to build a car around Michael and, if it was true, it would benefit me as well, but a rumour in the media is very difficult to stop.
“I am very involved with the car in general, so we often communicate with Michael at the meetings, debriefs and all that - and Ross as well. He is a very typical, honest English person to whom it is important to have things in balance. Yes, he has a good relationship with Michael and likes him a lot, but I think I have built a relationship with him too over the last couple of months, so I would say that we three work very well together.”
The media has become a more intrusive part of life in F1 for Rosberg this season, with the German press in particular hanging on every word that comes out of Brackley in the hope of detecting a rift between the team-mates.
“It was very clear from the beginning that the media would sneak around and give weight to every word,” the youngster admitted, “They were very excited when Michael was angry in Monaco in qualifying but, at the moment, there are no problems whatsoever - and I don’t think one will come.
“Sure, I have to watch what I say much more carefully than when I was racing with Williams. It is quite a change, but I have learned that lesson to a certain degree since being in F1. This year, it’s just a bit more [and] you have to be careful, for sure, but I also understand the media. It’s their job to get the best possible story.”
The press have been especially keen to detect problems stemming from the fact that Schumacher has taken time to readjust to the rigours of life in F1 after returning from a three-year lay-off, with Rosberg currently enjoying the confidence boost that comes from holding a 34-point advantage over the seven-time champion, having twice appeared on the podium in 2010.
“I came into the team when the idea of Michael joining hadn’t been considered,” he reminded, “I was prepared to race with Jenson Button - the reigning world champion - and, when it became clear that Michael would come out of retirement, I felt very fortunate to have him as a team-mate.
“It is such an interesting experience but, at the same time, you start to have some doubts, because you’ve heard so many bad things about this person. For a moment, you start to think ‘whoa!’, but it turned out that it is not true what everybody says, and the situation is a good one for me.
“[Leading Schumacher is] a nice position to be in, knowing that I’ve handled my team-mate - for now. But that’s not the priority. We want to be in front with the car and not having a team-mate race. We are racing as a team, on an equal level, and we are in that mode for the whole year. It probably has consequences for me as I feel that my position in the team has grown, and that is important for me. Obviously, starting the season alongside Michael Schumacher, and still having a strong standing in the team, is great to see.”
Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will share the third row of the grid for the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park on Sunday after qualifying their MGP W01 cars in fifth and sixth places respectively today.
With temperatures slightly cooler than for the practice sessions on Friday, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pair progressed easily through Q1 with just one run each on the harder prime tyres. An initial run on the prime and a second run on the option tyres saw Nico and Michael through Q2 in fourth and tenth positions.
Both drivers had two sets of new option tyres saved for Q3 and set their fastest times on the first of their two three-lap runs. Michael ran wide on the exit of turn eight on his second run and ended the session in the gravel.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“I am quite happy with my qualifying today and I really think that we have made a step forward. If you consider that this is a track which is aerodynamically demanding, you can clearly say the hard work of our guys paid off and I would really say thank you to them. What happened in turn eight was that it was my last go, the fast lap before was a good one, so obviously you try to push even more, especially as on this lap you can win time. I went out a bit wide and off it went. In my view, the side I am starting from tomorrow is an advantage as it is much cleaner. I have tried practice starts from both sides and felt my side was the better one. As for tomorrow’s race, I will certainly try to have a good start and try to achieve the best result possible.”
NICO ROSBERG
“It was a decent performance today and sixth place gives us a good opportunity for the race and we will aim to move up the field from there. I would have liked to have been a little further ahead of course. The car is feeling reasonable this weekend and although there is a very narrow set-up window, we have pretty much got there. It’s clear that we have made some progress with our aero upgrades and everyone at the factory has done a good job, so thanks for all their hard work. I am on the dirty side of the grid for the race tomorrow but it should have cleaned up now and it’s only a short run to the first corner. If I can have a good start and first lap, then we have the potential for a strong race.”
ROSS BRAWN
“A good qualifying performance from the team today after a lot of hard work here at the track and back at the factory on the latest developments for our car. Michael and Nico have been very evenly matched throughout the weekend and have worked well together to ensure that we have been able to get the new parts functioning and extract the maximum performance. Fifth and sixth positions on the grid gives us the potential to have a strong race tomorrow and we look forward to seeing what Nico and Michael can achieve. We’ve seen just how challenging the Istanbul Park track can be with turn eight catching out many drivers over the course of the day and Michael was no exception but thankfully there is no damage done.”
NORBERT HAUG
“That was a step in the right direction with Michael achieving P5, less than a tenth of a second behind P3, and Nico posting the sixth fastest time, less than two-tenths behind P3. Having said that, we are very aware that we are still almost six-tenths behind the superb pole time of Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing. However our speed compared to the front looks better than at the last ‘normal’ race track that we competed on in Barcelona. The step forward since then has only been possible through hard work, dedication and our aggressive development process. Thank you and well done to everybody in our team. We are not yet where we want to be but we are heading in the right direction.”
The first of the practice sessions for the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix got underway today at the Istanbul Park circuit.
The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, spent the two ninety-minute sessions focusing on the evaluation of the team’s new developments for their MGP W01 cars and working on the balance, set-up and tyres around the challenging 5.338km circuit.
Nico completed 47 laps finishing the day in sixth position with Michael completing 46 laps in seventh place.
NICO ROSBERG
“We made some good progress today and have been working hard with our updates for the car. It wasn’t a perfect day as we lost some time in the process of evaluating the new developments, particularly in the second session, so I was playing catch-up this afternoon. However we achieved a lot of interesting work and arrived at a decent balance by the end of the day so I am reasonably happy. We have a few question marks remaining and it will be a busy final practice session tomorrow. The early indications are that we have made a decent step forward and although we don’t know how much yet, it is a good job from the guys at the factory and at the track to get everything here and working.”
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“It’s really difficult to judge what the current picture is after today’s practice sessions, especially as we don’t know who was running on what fuel loads. We certainly have some improvements on the car which you can notice but it is very difficult to quantify the full effects coming from Monaco to here and thus not having a clear reference and comparison. Clearly the improvements are in the right direction but as always it is a matter of how quick we develop compared to our competitors. Turn eight is still a nice challenge here. It has small surprises in terms of bumps and it is fun to drive obviously. It is exciting and technical at the same time. Let’s wait and see what is going to happen tomorrow.”
ROSS BRAWN
“Today’s two practice sessions were particularly busy for the team as we had our first opportunity to evaluate our new developments on the track. Without track testing it is always a challenge to bring new parts directly onto the car but we were able to achieve some good work today. Both drivers are reasonably happy but as always, we will not be able to make a valid judgement on our progress until the end of the weekend.”
NORBERT HAUG
“Quite a busy start into the weekend for us. The team evaluated different aero options and in the end our long run pace in race conditions looked quite promising.”
Last year’s Turkish Grand Prix went well for Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg. With a far-from-front running Williams he managed to bring home four points. It suggests the Istanbul Park Circuit suits Rosberg quite well, despite the dreaded Turn Eight. With his car equipped with a new F-duct, the young German clocked some good laps in both Friday practice sessions, even though he’s not sure whether more will be possible in Saturday’s qualifying…
Q: Nico, at the start of the season your team principal Ross Brawn identified your lack of experience of winning in F1 as a sort of handicap that has to be overcome. After six races you still haven’t won…
Nico Rosberg: Well, I understand why he said that in the first place because the first win is always a sort of breakthrough. But on the other hand I don’t think that it makes such a big difference. It’s just a step in a career. And to be fair, our car is not a winning car at the moment. At the last race in Monaco I think we were the closest we’ve been to having a winning car, but the Red Bulls again were faster. My gut feeling is that we will be there very soon. We are working in the right direction and it is just a matter of time.
Q: You are 22 points behind the Red Bull duo, while your team mate Michael Schumacher is 56 points adrift. Are you very aware of that?
NR: Of course I am aware of that and believe me it’s a nice position to be in - that I’ve handled my team mate for now - but that’s not the priority. We want to be in front with the car and not having a team-mate race. We are racing as a team on an equal level and we are in that mode for the whole year. Probably it has consequences for me as I feel that my position in the team has grown and that is important for me. Obviously starting the season alongside Michael Schumacher, and still having a strong standing in the team, is great to see.
Q: It seems like the German media in particular are interested in everything you and Michael say. After your somewhat carefree time at Williams, is it difficult to handle?
NR: Well, it was very clear from the beginning that the media would sneak around and give weight to every word. They were very excited when Michael was angry in Monaco in qualifying, but at the moment there are no problems whatsoever and I don’t think one will come. Sure, I have to watch what I say much more carefully than when I was racing with Williams. It is quite a change, but I have learned that lesson to a certain degree since being in Formula One. This year it’s just a bit more. You have to be careful, for sure. But I also understand the media. It’s their job to get the best possible story.
Q: Watching from the sidelines it seems you’ve grown in self confidence. Have you had to, given your team mate?
NR: No, not really. I came into the team when the idea of Michael joining hadn’t been considered. I was prepared to race with Jenson Button - the reigning world champion - and when it became clear that Michael would come out of retirement I felt very fortunate to have him as a team mate. It is such an interesting experience, but at the same time you start to have some doubts, because you’ve heard so many bad things abut this person that, for a moment, you start to think… whoa! But it turned out that it is not true what everybody says, and the situation is a good one for me.
Q: How does it work between Ross Brawn, Michael and yourself?
NR: I am very involved with the car in general so we often communicate with Michael at the meetings, debriefs and all that, and Ross as well. He is a very typical, honest English person to whom it is important to have things in balance. Yes, he has a good relationship with Michael and likes him a lot, but I think I have built a relationship with him too over the last couple of months, so I would say that we three work very well together.
Q: It’s been said that the car is being developed according to Michael’s tastes. Is that true, even though Ross has said you can’t build a car around somebody…
NR: It is not true. Ross is absolutely right about that. It is not possible to build a car around Michael - and if it was true, it would benefit me as well. But a rumour in the media is very difficult to stop.
Q: You’ve been on the podium twice, and ran well here last year. What are you expecting this weekend?
NR: Yes, last year was really good for me. I was fourth before losing that position to Trulli in the pits. We have brought some new developments, notably the new ‘F-duct’. But everybody has that now, not only us, so it is difficult to say on Friday what will happen on Sunday afternoon. For today the feeling was quite positive, and with more mileage in Practice Three we should be able to wrap-up a good lap in qualifying and have a good race.
NOTE: Translation is provided (by bild) but it is not very good, I could not find a better website to translate the whole interview.
He is the son of a champion, a world champion team mate and myself will be a time. Nico Rosberg (24).
BILD.de he told of his glamorous home of his childhood and his relationship with Schumacher.
BILD.de: You are born in Wiesbaden, and grew up in Monaco. Would you like to live in Germany?
Nico Rosberg: I am here at home. I love Monaco and southern France. I can ride a bicycle to make in the wild sport go out at night and got the sea on your doorstep. I recently made my boat license for 7-meter boats. I can grab my girlfriend and me, then drive out to the boat, somewhere to create, go eat something. Just great.
It sounds to life after summer, but what about in winter?
In winter it is a bit quiet, but the state makes a lot of Monaco. Here come from the best singers, there are all of sports events of international appeal.
Do you know Prince Albert II in person?
I met the prince already had him shaking his hand. Surely he knows that I am a Formula 1 driver. But I do not think he knows that I grew up in Monaco and it is my home.
… A very rich, but very tiny home …
Monaco is only four miles long. I’m all moved into the vicinity of my parents, not because I’m on it. I’m never there anyway. But it’s nice to go in the evening times to my mother over to eat with her soup. Unfortunately, it is so that my friends all moved away. They come here than on the weekend.
They have grown up with the Grand Prix.
It is grad like a return to my childhood. If I am going to the track, I take my old school. I went to the floor above the current press center for primary school.
Note that millionaire’s paradise of Monaco, the economic crisis has struck, too?
There are many examples. A quite banal: My father Keke was last year to sell his Bentley. This is a status symbol. Do you own a Bentley , have you made it. And you’ll sell him all the time. ! But no one wanted to have the Bentley!
What is your luxury?
I love good food and good restaurants. Recently I cook with a chef at the Hotel de Paris for two hours allowed. Lauter asparagus dishes.
What have you learned?
For a creamy asparagus soup, the chef has cooked asparagus in the water a piece of raw ham. Super Great for the taste.
From enjoying the work. You are in Barcelona with the new Mercedes not coped well.
Barcelona was a shock. After China, I am here went there and thought: you can win. II wanted to tell me that too.Because only if you believe firmly in something you can do it too. And then this: eight-tenths per lap gap on Red Bull That was a shock. We were poor in comparison with those and no one knew why.
But Schumi came with the car after all, clearly better than you.
Michael and I have the same driving style. Even if Michael Schumacher would have it, Ross Brawn could build him not a car that would only vote for him. It would always fit me.
Why was it then?
I like - like Michael - no understeer. Obviously he does so but now more clearly than I do. By comparison, I shall be able to live.
Was nun? What now?
I felt in Barcelona in the car just not good. We have analyzed with the engineers and also found something that we can improve.
Fear that Red Bull has gone ahead uncatchable?
Do not worry. We have Ross Brawn. He is one of the biggest in Formula 1. The question is how long it takes until we catch up.
He was and is Schumis friend and fan
No question, but Ross also knows by now that I can give the engineers a great feedback. When we sit together in meetings, it is often the case that Michael and I give the same comments. The same information.I have earned respect.
That sounds like a great self-confidence.
Formula 1 takes place very much in mind. It’s rubbish, I only keep his body fit. This must be done also with his spirit. I read a lot about psychology. This is because not only sports, also other things you need to master in life. Every problem that a person can have, has had one other before that time. As can be informed.
What is going on now for you in your home?
Here’s what. We have devised something. I’ll be in front
source: www.bild.de
The Turkish Grand Prix, held at Istanbul Park on Sunday 30 May, will be the seventh round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship. The Hermann Tilke designed track hosted its first Grand Prix in 2005 and Mercedes-Benz Formula One engines have powered two of the five winning cars to date, at the inaugural race and in June 2009.
Istanbul Park Stats
Circuit Length: 5.338 km
Race Distance: 309.396 km
Number of Laps: 58
Full Throttle: 62%
Brake Wear: Medium
Tyre Compounds: Soft/Hard
Downforce Level: Medium 6/10
Tyre Usage: Medium/Hard
Average Speed: 220kph (137mph)
NICO ROSBERG
“Istanbul Park is a great circuit and one of the best of the newer tracks that we visit. From a drivers’ point of view, the layout provides some good opportunities for overtaking with a very wide track, lots of late braking zones and gradient changes. Turn Eight is the corner that everyone talks about. The triple apex is probably one of the longest corners that we drive and it has very high G levels. It’s great fun to drive and you can make up a lot of time there if you get it just right. I’ve had some decent results at Istanbul Park and we will be working very hard to get back on form after two disappointing races in Spain and Monaco where we didn’t make the full use of our potential. We’ll be back to our fully upgraded car, plus some more new developments that the team have been working on, so there will be a lot to achieve in the practice sessions and I believe that we can have a good weekend.”
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“The Turkish fans have always been very kind to me therefore it will be a pleasure to be racing at Istanbul Park again in front of a crowd which will hopefully support us enthusiastically. From our side, we will obviously try to give them something to cheer about and we hope that we can make further progress in Turkey, after we have already seen some improvements in Barcelona and Monaco. The Istanbul Park track is a special one. It’s anti-clockwise, a bit hilly and with a lot of different corner layouts so it’s quite nice to drive. I am definitely looking forward to the weekend, especially as our guys back at the factory have worked immensely hard recently to provide us again with an upgraded car. It is clear that we want their efforts to pay off.”
ROSS BRAWN
“Monaco was a frustrating race for the team where we did not achieve our potential. We had a competitive and reliable car which proved to be the quickest in the race at various stages, we performed two excellent pit stops, one of which was the quickest of the race, but ultimately we did not deliver the results that we would have hoped for. However I am encouraged that we have made progress over the last two races and that we have identified our areas of weakness which we are working hard to rectify. We have some major and very challenging upgrades for the next few races which have been made possible by the commitment and hard work of everyone at the factory over the past weeks. In Turkey, we will return to our previous suspension system and longer wheelbase car, we have the latest iteration of our ‘F-duct’ rear wing plus further aerodynamic developments. It’s a long road ahead to achieve the level of competitiveness that we are aiming for but each race is a step along the way and I am confident that we will get there.”
NORBERT HAUG
“The Grand Prix in Istanbul takes place on a race track with some very quick corners which are the type of corners where we struggled at Barcelona some weeks ago. The 5.34km circuit also has seven quite tight corners, mainly in the last sector, and this combination presents a real challenge for the drivers, cars and tyres. We were quick in Monaco at the last race and mechanically our car works well, therefore with the further improvements that we are bringing for this race, we hope to make a step forward in Istanbul.”
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - Mercedes GP Petronas F1 driver Nico Rosberg was photographed last Sunday evening as he arrived with his girlfriend Vivian Sibold to party at the VIP nightclub Amber Lounge Monaco. Many other F1 drivers and A-list celebrities were also at the party and the English pop group the Sugababes performed for those in attendance. Amber Lounge follows the F1 races around the world as a celebrity venue, restaurant and nightclub.
At Sunday’s 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, Rosberg finished 7th in his Mercedes GP Petronas F1 car with the race won by Mark Webber in the Red Bull Racing F1 car. Currently in the 2010 F1 Driver’s Championship, Nico Rosberg is in eighth position with 56 points. Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are currently tied in the driver’s standings with 78 points each the Monaco race result. The top eight drivers are actually very close in points with the F1 Driver’s championship still up for grabs.
Nico Rosberg was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1985 and he has interests that include football, snowboarding, tennis, cycling and music. Nico’s debut in Formula 1 was at the Bahrain Grand Prix (12 March 2006). For the 2009 F1 season, Nico finished 9th in the Driver’s Championship and thus far in his career he has had 4 podium finishes. Nico Rosberg is a high calibre driver and very quick in qualifying, with an excellent potential to become a future F1 World Champion.
(Data courtesy of 2010 FIA Monaco Press Release and 2010 Daimler AG Media)
source:www.theirearth.com
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