Mercedes Benz

Showing posts with label mbamgf1. Show all posts

Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2012: Race Report - Nico Rosberg comes 2nd as Michael Schumacher retires

By Adji | Published Monday, 28 May 2012

Nico Rosberg converted second place on the grid into a second-place finish this afternoon at the 70th Monaco Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher retired from seventh position following a fuel pressure problem.

• Nico ran a one-stop strategy from P2 on the grid, starting on super-soft tyres and changing to softs on lap 27
• Michael was forced to retire on lap 64, owing to a fuel pressure problem that began to slow him on lap 58
• Nico has scored 59 points in the last four races, the most of any driver in the field

Nico Rosberg
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be on the podium at my home race in Monaco today in front of all my family and friends. The team have done a really good job this weekend to get the car working so well. Although we thought this track would suit our car, it’s been better than we expected. I had a clean start but Mark drove a very controlled race today. I could keep in touch with him but we all know how difficult it is to overtake around the streets here and there just wasn’t a way past. Still I’m more than happy with second place, and it’s great to get another podium for the boys here, and everyone back at Brackley and Brixworth. I can’t wait to get to Canada now and keep the momentum going.”

Michael Schumacher
“What can I say? It was simply a pity to end the race in this way. In any case, the fuel pressure problem had nothing to do with the incident at the start. But it made it doubly disappointing because I had secretly been hoping for a podium finish today. I will take the boost from the high points of this weekend with me to Canada. The track should suit us and I’m hoping to have a normal, clean race.”

Ross Brawn
“Nico ran a very good race today and did all he needed to do. I think we made the right calls but nothing opened up for us. It was a race that was about managing gaps and finding the right windows in the traffic; the team did a great job on that. Nico was the first of the front-runners to stop, but the harder tyre took a lap or two to come in and it wasn’t enough to jump Mark. As for Michael, he was hit on the run to the opening corner which cost him positions, but was very quick when a fuel pressure problem started to slow him later in the race. We tried to continue but it was costing him too much time, dropped him out of the points and forced us to retire the car. It was very disappointing because he put in a great performance this weekend and he was still on course to score useful points. We need to make sure we eliminate the problems for him, starting in Canada.”

Norbert Haug
“It was a strong race for Nico and our team, and we were in with a chance of winning until the chequered flag, but Mark did not put a foot wrong all afternoon ahead of Nico. Looking at the results today, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton - who lead Nico in the championship- all finished behind him, and this helped him close the gap at the top of the standings to 17 points. That translates to an average of fewer than three points a race separating Nico from the championship lead after six rounds of the championship. It was a pity for Michael: he clearly demonstrated this weekend that he has the speed to win races but his time will come again, like yesterday when he posted the pole position time.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS ~

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in 2012, f1, grand prix, mbamgf1, mercedes amg petronas, monaco, race, report, sunday | Leave a comment

Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2012: Qualifying Report - Michael Schumacher achieves 69th pole position of his career

By Adji | Published Saturday, 26 May 2012

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg qualified in first and third positions during this afternoon’s qualifying session for the 70th Monaco Grand Prix. Following a 5-place grid penalty, Michael will start from sixth position on the grid tomorrow, while Nico will line up in second place.

• Michael qualified on pole for the first time since the 2006 French Grand Prix but will start from P6 after a grid penalty
• Nico’s third place in qualifying will translated to a front row start for tomorrow’s race
• Last year, Sebastian Vettel qualified on pole by 0.441s; today, the same gap covered the top five qualifiers!

Michael Schumacher
“It is simply a wonderful feeling to set pole after such a long time, and particularly here in Monaco. Okay, it has taken a little bit longer than I might have wanted in the second chapter of my career, but that makes it even sweeter. It’s just beautiful. We already thought that this circuit should suit us, and it’s the perfect confirmation of all the work from every team member in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart - a big thank you to every one of them, because this is a team result. Of course, it’s unfortunate that I won’t start from the very front but that’s how it is. I will do as well as I can. We know that overtaking is tough but with DRS and KERS, you might as well try it - and you can be sure I will.”

Nico Rosberg
“I am pleased with the result today and especially for what we have shown as a team in the past few weeks. We have had a couple of difficult races since the win in China but there has been a lot of hard work to turn it round, and today we were on top as a team which is great to see. Thank you to everybody back at base who has brought us back to the front again. I had a pretty smooth qualifying session, and managed to save two sets of new super soft tyres for the race, but it was just so close out there this afternoon, it’s incredible and fantastic for Formula One. Congratulations to Michael, he did a fantastic job. Of course, I am sorry for him that he must take the penalty, but that means I will be on the front row in Monaco. And at a race where overtaking can be so difficult, that’s a great place to start.”

Ross Brawn
“It was a wonderful qualifying session and we are obviously delighted. Michael will take a five-place penalty tomorrow, but today he was the quickest guy out there - congratulations to him. Nico did a fantastic job as well, and was in the hunt for pole throughout the session. Having both drivers in the top three shows that the team has done a superb job this weekend to dial in the car and follow the evolution of the track. But it was a real team effort today and my thanks also to everyone back at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth. Now, we have one more step to make. Last year, we suffered big problems with the tyres at the beginning of the race. That is something we must avoid tomorrow.”

Norbert Haug
“What a phenomenal performance from Michael. He was the fastest man on track today when it counted and Michael truly deserves this P1 result. His five-place penalty puts him back on the third row while Nico will start from the front row tomorrow. Thank you to everybody in our team for a great effort today. Inside our team, our belief in Michael was never in danger and this has paid off big time.”