MB e o GP da China

Dear Rui,

Looking ahead to Shanghai

The fourth round of the 2010 Championship will take the F1 circus to the Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday 18 April.

Nico enjoys the challenges that the Shanghai track represents for the drivers: "The two long straights provide some decent overtaking opportunities and there's a great mix of corners, particularly the high-speed sections. The fans in China are so enthusiastic and Shanghai itself is a great city so I always enjoy our annual visit. Achieving my first podium with the team in Malaysia at the last race was fantastic and I'm looking forward to continuing our consistent run of good results in China next weekend."

Michael also appreciates the enthusiasm and support of the fans in China: "We have an attractive race ahead of us in Shanghai and I am confident that the fans will not leave the race disappointed. We looked quite reasonable in Malaysia at the last race and maybe things will play into our hands again in Shanghai. I am looking forward to the race and fully enjoying the competition again. Admittedly the last two races have not been very fortunate for me but I am very much aware of the reasons for it. You can only improve step-by-step and I am confident that we are achieving this."

NICO ROSBERG

“Shanghai is a good track which is an enjoyable challenge for the drivers. The two long straights provide some decent overtaking opportunities and there’s a great mix of corners, particularly the high-speed sections. The weather will be colder in Shanghai than at the previous three races and can be quite unpredictable so it should be an interesting weekend. The fans in China are so enthusiastic and Shanghai itself is a great city so I always enjoy our annual visit. Achieving my first podium with the team in Malaysia at the last race was fantastic and I’m looking forward to continuing our consistent run of good results in China next weekend.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“The enthusiasm for Mercedes-Benz and the support of the fans is very big in China so we have an attractive race ahead of us in Shanghai next weekend. I am confident that the fans will not leave the race disappointed. We looked quite reasonable in Malaysia at the last race and maybe things will play into our hands again in Shanghai. I am looking forward to the race and fully enjoying the competition again. Admittedly the last two races have not been very fortunate for me but I am very much aware of the reasons for it. I know how things go in F1 and if you look into the detail of the two races, I think everything is still going according to plan. You can only improve step-by-step and I am confident that we are achieving this.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Achieving our first podium of the season with Nico was very rewarding in Malaysia at the home race of our title partner PETRONAS and a timely boost for the team. Michael also had a strong weekend and is getting more up to speed with every race although circumstances beyond his control limited his race performance in Melbourne and Sepang. We hope to continue these signs of improvement in China and it would be particularly good for Michael to be able to have a clean race and show the progress that he has made since the start of the season. On an operational level, the team has performed very well over the three races and did a good job during Nico’s race in Malaysia to record one of the quickest pit stops of the season. Our car has been reliable, with the exception of the wheel nut problem in Malaysia, and I am very pleased with the performance of our drivers. We’ve achieved a reasonable set of results which are in line with the car’s current pace but we have to be realistic and acknowledge that we are not quick enough to compete right at the front at the moment. This is obviously not a situation that we are happy with and we are working as hard as possible to close the gap.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The Chinese Grand Prix has taken place since 2004 and is one of the most recognised events on the Formula One calendar. China is a very important market for Mercedes-Benz as, for example, we sell more S-class cars there than in any other country of the world. The circuit located outside of Shanghai features lots of challenges for the car, drivers and team. There are fast curves as well as tight corners and two hairpins, one close to the start and finish of the lap. For Shanghai, the long-term weather forecast doesn’t predict a probability of rain as was the case for the last race in Malaysia. But one way or the other, we will try to achieve a good result and in addition to improve our technical package step by step for the next races.”

NT: Dois aspectos a se destacar nas observações da Mercedes Benz GP  para Shangai, o  primeiro que me salta aos olhos é que o nome Nico Rosberg estar sempre a frente de Schummi em todos comunicados da equipe, e o segundo são as palavras de Ross Brawn, que não estão confortáveis com a situação e estão buscando melhores resultados. 

GP da Austrália 2010

Nico testando em Barcelona.

Nico Rosberg

"O Grande Premio da Austrália em Melbourne tem sido sempre uma corrida bem sucedida para mim. Eu marquei pontos em minhas últimas três corridas e meu primeiro pódio foi lá em 2008, quando terminei em terceiro. Melbourne é uma cidade grande que eu realmente gosto de visitar e o circuito de rua de Albert Park é emocionante. É uma pista muito desafiadora, como as vias públicas são sempre sujas no começo  há um grande número de colisões a evitar. Com a mudança no tempo de corrida do ano passado, o sol baixo foi uma das coisas mais difíceis devido ao início da tarde. " Nico Rosberg.

Michael Schumacher.

"A Austrália sempre foi um dos destaques no calendário da Fórmula e isso nunca mudou para mim em todos os meus anos de corridas. Como em vezes anteriores, eu cheguei no continente muito cedo e passei alguns dias de treinamento agradável, adaptando-me e relaxando a fim de estar apto e descansado no fim de semana da corrida. Tenho um monte de boas memórias de Melbourne e na maioria das vezes vimos corridas interessantes. Estou muito feliz com o resultado da abertura da temporada no Bahrain. A sexta posição foi bom para mim, especialmente considerando quão poucas vezes eu dirigi um carro de F1 desde a minha aposentadoria. Estou certo de que Melbourne vai me ajudar a entrar no ritmo ainda mais e eu estou ansioso por isso. " Michael Schumacher.

Dear Rui,

Formula One goes down under

The second race of the season takes place this weekend in the Australian city of Melbourne. Hosted at Albert Park and using public roads surrounding the lake, the Australian Grand Prix is always one of the most popular races on the calendar with drivers, teams and fan alike.

ROSS BRAWN

“The team did a good job in Bahrain but we accept that we were not competitive enough and that we have work to do to close the gap to the leaders. I was very pleased with the performance of Nico and Michael and the way that they worked together to provide clear and consistent feedback to develop the car over the weekend. Whilst our car is fundamentally strong, we have a development plan in place for the next few races which should bring the required performance improvements to compete at the front. Looking ahead to the next two races, the Australian Grand Prix is always a popular race with the teams and the fans so we hope to see a more exciting race at Albert Park next weekend. We then head to Malaysia for the home race of our title partner PETRONAS. With an exciting programme of activities scheduled at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse fan zone in Kuala Lumpur, it will be a busy and enjoyable fortnight for the team.”

NORBERT HAUG


“The forthcoming Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park is the first of two races within eight days. The layout of the traditional race track in Melbourne, which will host its 15th Formula One World Championship race since 1996, is quite different to Bahrain where the season-opener took place. I expect quite a challenging race for us. The base of our car is good and the team is working hard and focused to achieve the next development steps. It will take some time to close the gap but we will definitely close it sooner rather than later. Our spirit is first-class and the whole team is looking forward to the race weekend in Melbourne.”

Mercedes Benz GP Petronas no Bahrain

Nico estava feliz com seu primeiro Grand Prix com a equipe: "Eu tive um ótimo começo de corrida e fiquei feliz de ser quarto no final da primeira volta, após ter ultrapassado Lewis na curva seis. No entanto, faltava-me  ritmo com os pneus de opção dura e me esforçei para manter o ritmo no primeiro turno. Lewis bateu-me sobre a estratégia no pit stop o que é preciso analisar para ver o que aconteceu. O quinto lugar é um bom começo para nós e nós podemos realmente construir a partir daqui."

Em seu retorno as corridas, Michael ficou satisfeita com o seu ritmo de corrida, e confiante que a equipa vai continuar a insistir: "Após três anos afastado, estou feliz em dizer que me diverti lá fora hoje. Posso viver muito bem com a sexta posição e dá a mim e à equipe uma boa base para progredir. Tenho toda a confiança de que vamos melhorar o carro. Os caras fizeram um grande trabalho e eu gostaria de agradecer-lhes por seu apoio na minha corrida retorno. Todos nós sabemos que temos um caminho a percorrer, mas vamos chegar lá. A temporada é longa."

Dear Rui,

Double points finish in Bahrain

Nico and Michael brought their Silver Arrows cars home in fifth and sixth positions at the season-opening race in the scorching heat of the Bahrain desert on Sunday afternoon. The result sees MERCEDES GP PETRONAS in third position in the Constructors' Championship with 18 points.

Nico was happy with his first Grand Prix with the team: "I had a great start in the race and was happy to be running in fourth by the end of the first lap, having overtaken Lewis into turn six. However I lacked pace on the option tyres and struggled for pace on the first stint. Lewis beat me on strategy in the pit stop which we need to analyse and see what happened. Fifth place is a good start for us and we can really build from here."

At his comeback race, Michael was satisfied by his race pace and confident that the team will keep pushing: "After three years away, I'm happy to say that I had fun out there today. I can live very well with sixth position and it gives both me and the team a good base to make progress. I have every confidence that we will improve the car. The guys did a great job so I would like to thank them for their support in my comeback race. We all know that we have some way to go but we will get there. The season is long."

TEMPORADA 2010

Schummi em Barcelona.

Dear Rui,

Countdown to Bahrain

The 2010 Formula One season finally gets underway in Bahrain next week and marks the return of a Mercedes-Benz works team to the sport for the first time in 55 years. The Silver Arrows will make their competitive debut on Sunday 14 March with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg at the wheel of the two MGP W01 cars.

Michael is looking forward to his return to F1: "Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there."

Nico is also keen for the racing to start: "The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well. We have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all."

NICO ROSBERG

“The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It’s funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge. It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It’s important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there.”