2012 Airtel Indian Grand Prix - Results

Nico Rosberg finished the Indian Grand Prix in 11th place today with team-mate Michael Schumacher classified in P22.

• Nico completed a one-stop strategy, running soft then hard tyres, and made his pit stop on lap 27
• Michael suffered a first lap right-rear puncture after contact with another car at the first corner
• He made two stops on laps one and 33, starting the race on the hard tyre, then running two sets of soft tyres

Nico Rosberg
Finishing just outside of the points is always tough, and it was a hard afternoon for us out there. Starting with new tyres, I hoped to be able to make up a couple of places but we just didn’t have the pace so I had to keep fighting off the cars coming from behind me. It’s a difficult time for us but we are learning for next year so that’s one positive thing.

Michael Schumacher
That was a pretty unsatisfactory race today. It was effectively over just after the start; I lost so much time getting back to the pits with the puncture that any hope of scoring points was gone. In the meantime, the pace was pretty good but I was too far behind to make up more than a few positions. In the end, we had to retire the car for technical reasons.

Ross Brawn
We are racing in a closely-matched field this season, where a few tenths of a second in lap time make a significant difference to your position. At the moment, we are on the wrong end of those precious tenths and that once again left us outside the points this afternoon. Nico made his one-stop strategy work well, looking after his tyres so that he still had reasonable speed at the end of both stints, but otherwise he had a relatively quiet race. As for Michael, the contact at the first corner made it an uphill battle for him from turn two onwards, and left him at the back of the field. However, by running two stints on the option tyre, he was able to show respectable speed at some points of the race. We brought his car in before the end of the race as a precaution after we became aware of some gearbox concerns.

Norbert Haug
Michael suffered contact on the opening lap, which caused a puncture and put him to the back of the field after his pit stop. He retired the car with a gearbox issue five laps before the finish. As for Nico, his car didn´t have the speed to score points after starting from 10th position. We have a lot of work to do and everybody in the team is well aware of it.

2012 Spanish Grand Prix – Preview

Formula One's European season starts next week with the Spanish Grand Prix taking place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. A familiar testing venue, the 4.655 km circuit plays host to Round Five of the 2012 World Championship.

• The race has been won from pole in nine of the last 10 years; the exception was 2011, when Vettel won from P2
• At 730 metres, the run from the start-finish line to the apex of the first corner is the longest of the season
• Spain was one of just two races won on a four-stop strategy last season; the other was the Turkish Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher

“After completing our testing programme in Mugello, we are now heading to the start of the European season in Barcelona next week. The positive thing about the test was that we could really concentrate on the developments we were aiming to work on. This should give us a good basis for further developments, even if maybe not for the next race to come. Barcelona is a track we have driven extensively on, and this is why we know that its characteristics do not exactly play fully into our hands. But then, we will definitely go there and try our best and at the same time keep on working for the things to come.”

Nico Rosberg

“I am really looking forward to next weekend and racing in Europe again. It's quite unique to come to a track where we have done so many laps in winter testing, however the race weekend will be a completely different challenge. The test in Mugello this week was very positive for us, and I believe we will arrive in Barcelona with a much better understanding of the tyres and how we need to set our car up. Despite the familiarity of the track, there will still be a lot of work for us to do, and it should be a good challenge.” 

Ross Brawn, Team Principal

“After a hectic start to the season with four races and the test in Mugello, we are all looking forward to the European season getting underway and the familiarity that brings. The team had a good week in Italy for the test this week where we were able to work both on challenges that affected us during the initial races of the season, and evaluate a number of new developments planned for the forthcoming races. Spain plays host to the first European race, and although the Circuit de Catalunya is a very familiar venue for the team and our drivers, the weekend will bring its own challenges. I feel confident that we are continuing to make progress, and we will of course be working hard to continue that trend.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“The first four races of the 2012 season have offered great, thrilling sport for all fans of Formula One. Eight drivers from six teams on the podium in four races - one more driver than in the entire 2011 season - and four winners from four races for the first time in nearly 30 years; you couldn't ask for more in terms of on-track excitement and unpredictability. No team has yet produced winning form at more than one event and achieving this consistency will be key. Our MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team has registered a positive trend: after two difficult races at the start of the season, we were competitive and won in China then, in Bahrain, we were the third-fastest team on race day. We have been hard at work since then to further improve the competitiveness, consistency and reliability of our car. The Circuit de Catalunya will present a very different challenge next weekend to the ones in the first four races with track temperatures likely to be very different and with new developments on the cars. We will approach the race weekend in a focused manner in order to maximise our team performance with both drivers.”

Mercedes Track Day Contest!

Fans all over the world love two things about Formula 1 – the speed of the sport and the superb racing cars! Mercedes-Benz is offering you a unique opportunity to experience the thrill & fascination of the Formula 1 Race Track.

On 27th March 2012 the Sahara Force India Mercedes drivers Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, will be visiting India to drive one lucky fan around the Buddh International Circuit in a C63 AMG.

To participate in the contest, all you’ve got to do is:

• Tweet your wildest Mercedes-Benz F1 fascinating moment using the hashtag #Fascination and mention @mercedesbenzind along with your tweets.

• For Example your Tweet: My moment of #fascination is when i hear the sound of the roaring Mercedes-Benz engines @mercedesbenzind

Contest Starts 23rd March Friday – 12.00 P.M and ends on 25th March Sunday – 06.00 P.M

One Lucky Participant will grab the amazing opportunity to be driven around the Buddh International Circuit by Sahara Force India Mercedes drivers.

Terms & Conditions - This contest is only open to resident citizens of India 18 years & above in age. The winner will be chosen at the sole discretion of Mercedes-Benz India and will be final and binding.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W03 - It's coming!

The 2012 MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS car, the F1 W03, will be publicly unveiled at the Circuit de Catalunya on 21 February 2012.

The team will conduct a photo call with the car, drivers and top management in the pit lane at 08:20 for accredited photographers and rights-holding TV crews.

F1 W03

Media will then have a first opportunity to speak with Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug from 08:50 to 09:00, when the team’s test programme will commence.


During the lunch break, Norbert Haug and Nico Rosberg will be available for group interview sessions
Michael Schumacher will be driving the car throughout the day and will therefore conduct his media interview session at the close of running, followed by Ross Brawn.