MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Driver’s Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in eighth and ninth positions Sunday.

Michael Schumacher started the race from the 11th position and made up three places at the start of the race to run in eighth position with teammate Nico Rosberg shadowing him in ninth place. Schumacher made his only pit stop on lap 14 with Rosberg staying out longer and making his stop on lap 24. Despite the two quickest stops of the race, neither driver was able to jump Robert Kubica.  Nico was later able to overtake Michael to finish in eighth place and put Michael Schumacher back one position to finish in ninth.

NICO ROSBERG

“We made the best of our situation today but it is frustrating after being on the podium at the last race. Achieving eighth place is damage limitation really and we were able to minimise the loss to Robert in terms of points but it has generally been a struggle this weekend. My strategy was good and the guys made a fantastic effort with my pit stop being the quickest of the race. There are surely better times ahead in Hungary.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“I had a pretty good start today but from then onwards, there was not much more that we could do. We were targeting to stay out long but we changed the strategy to react to the circumstances and maybe I could have finished slightly higher. But in the end, that would not have changed much in a race where we had hoped to be more competitive. What we achieved after my stop was the maximum that was possible. Of course I would have wished for more, especially as our race performance tends to be better than qualifying, but it did not work out. We will certainly not get nervous but we have to sit down, analyse the reasons and put the right solutions in place.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We did a reasonable job today with the car that we currently have. It was a little bit frustrating, particularly for Nico, as he was in a very strong position to get past Robert Kubica with his strategy. Unfortunately he lost some time getting tangled up with Mark Webber and ended up coming out just behind Robert. The car was more consistent in the race than in qualifying but we have to find some more performance. The team and drivers did a great job, we have good reliability and the two fastest pit stops today, so all the foundations are in place for when we develop a better car.”

NORBERT HAUG

“After Nico´s podium at the last race in Silverstone, coming home in eighth and ninth places was not the result that we had been looking for at one of our home races. However our grid positions were not a good base for the race, so better than P8 for Nico and P9 for Michael were not really possible. We could not make our new upgrades work to the planned extent which compromised our speed and lap times. The team worked relentlessly to get the new parts ready for this race, so two points finishes are at least a small reward for their hard work, even if they were not the positions we were hoping for. A big thank you to all of our guys for their efforts, and now we will try to get better results next weekend in Hungary.”

In Saturday’s German Grand Prix qualifying session at Hockenheim, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, qualified in ninth and 11th positions for Sunday’s home race, the German Grand Prix.

Just 0.06s separated the pair at the end of Q2 with Nico progressing to the final session and Michael just missing out in 11th position. Nico went on to compete in Q3 with his quickest lap good enough for ninth place on the grid.

NICO ROSBERG

“I was hoping for a strong weekend here in Hockenheim in front of our fans but unfortunately I struggled a lot in qualifying today. It’s really disappointing and it seems that we are just not making our developments work as well as we hoped this weekend which we need to look into. I hope that we find the problem with the car otherwise it is difficult to explain why we are not closer to the front. I had a lot of oversteer and that made it really difficult as I had to keep coming down on the front wing levels which did not help. I will do my best tomorrow to achieve a good result but it will be difficult from this position.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“There isn’t much more to say about qualifying other than the result was what was achievable for us today. Clearly it was disappointing because we had expected to be able to fight for fifth or sixth place but from the difference between our two cars, you can see our results are what the potential was. If I want to find something positive, it is that at least I will be starting from the better side of the grid and in the end, I prefer 11th to 10th place because of that. I had some issues with my brakes during qualifying but I do not rate that a real factor for the performance today. We are a bit stronger in race pace than in qualifying but we clearly wanted to achieve more for our fans. Let’s hope that tomorrow the race will develop in a way that we can still show them something.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We obviously had a disappointing qualifying today at one of our home races, particularly considering the promise that we showed over the practice sessions. With the changeable weather conditions over the weekend and a new aero package on the car, clearly we haven’t understood how to get the best from it here. That’s eventually shown in qualifying today and the drivers were not able to extract any more performance from the car than their respective positions. We will look at all of the data available and understand what is happening to ensure that we make better use of the package in the future.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Ninth place for Nico and 11th place for Michael are not what we hoped to achieve for the home race of Mercedes-Benz. Our team has worked very hard to get the upgrades on our cars in time for Hockenheim but we must admit that after the limited amount of dry running, we could not make best use of them. But that is the price that sometimes you unfortunately have to pay when the team needs to accelerate its development process from race to race. We had a similar qualifying outcome in Valencia and a fortnight later, the upgrades delivered at Silverstone. I am convinced that with more running and more knowledge, we will make our latest development step work. Disappointment and frustration will not be in our minds right now but quite the opposite and let’s see what the race will bring tomorrow. Nico, Michael and everybody in the team will be fully focused on achieving the best possible result.”

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are headed to their home soil for the German Grand Prix set to take place this weekend at Hockenheim.  The track is well known to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher as he has won at Hockenheim three times since 2002 while driving for Ferrari.

Team McLaren Mercedes won two of the last three Grand Prix in Germany with Lewis Hamilton winning at Hockenheim and Fernando Alonso winning the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.  In addition to the positive past German races for Mercedes, Rosberg is also coming off a podium finish at Silverstone, hopefully setting the stage for an equally if not better showing from both Rosberg and Schumacher this weekend.

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are headed to Germany this weekend to race on the Hockenheim Circuit, origanlly built as a high-speed test track for Mercedes-Benz. Last year at the 2009 German Grand Prix, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS DRIVER Nico Rosberg finished the race in fourth while driving for Williams-Toyota and is aiming for a podium finish after a positive race at Silverstone.

NICO ROSBERG

“As a German driver, the German Grand Prix is always a very special weekend, and it will be even better this year to be racing there for Mercedes-Benz. I have great memories from Hockenheim as I won there in all the junior categories that I competed in, including my first single seater race win. There’s always a great atmosphere at the German Grand Prix and the fans are very enthusiastic with the huge grandstands in the stadium section creating so much noise! It’s fantastic to see their support for the German drivers. I love the track itself as it’s quite challenging with some good overtaking opportunities and the races here can often be quite exciting. Going into one of the team’s home weekends with the podium finish from Silverstone is a real boost for us, and we will be working hard to continue our improvement in performance and have a strong weekend.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“There is one thing for sure; no matter how long you are around, it is always something special to race in front of your home crowd. At Hockenheim, I will definitely try my best for my fans who give me such a lot of support, especially over the race weekend. But the German Grand Prix is very special for any German driver. There are very few areas on any race circuit worldwide comparable to the Motodrom, and as a driver you feel that energetic atmosphere when entering. It will be the first time for me to come to Hockenheim as a Mercedes driver and I am very much looking forward to the experience. Driving in front of our Grandstand and in front of all the employees, members and friends of Mercedes-Benz will be an emotional moment. I will therefore be extra motivated to give them a weekend to remember. We will have some updates for our car which we hope will give us a step forward so we can look forward to an exciting race.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The next race at Hockenheim will be our first German Grand Prix as the Mercedes-Benz works team and everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is looking forward to the occasion. Following two difficult races, we had a stronger weekend at Silverstone where we were able to extract most of the performance from our current package. It was important that we learnt from our experiences and made improvements with Nico’s podium finish being a fitting reward for the hard work by the team at Brackley and Brixworth prior to the race. The modifications which we made to our latest upgrades worked well and we will have a further step in Hockenheim which, with careful management, should also prove to be an improvement. Two home races in a row ensures a busy time for our team and drivers and we hope to demonstrate an equally good performance at Hockenheim in front of our German fans and colleagues as at Silverstone last weekend.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The German Grand Prix at Hockenheim is a classic for Mercedes-Benz, and with particular pleasure we remember the last race in 2008 when Lewis Hamilton won in a McLaren Mercedes. Now, two years later, we will race at home for the first time with our new Silver Arrows works team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We cannot assume to repeat our victory from the last Hockenheim race however we want to present our new team in the best possible way. Nico achieved this at Silverstone when he came home in third place for a podium finish, and it would be nice to repeat such a result at the Mercedes-Benz home race. At Hockenheim, we will have many fans who will keep their fingers crossed for Michael, Nico and the Silver Arrows. The 6500 tickets in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand have never sold out quicker than this year and we will have a fantastic programme around the grandstand for all Hockenheim visitors. Driver interviews, test drives with new Mercedes cars at the Safety Driving Centre and live music will all make for an entertaining weekend for our fans. Of course, we do not forget that what counts is what happens on the track and there we want to finish in the best possible way.”

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg finished third at the British Grand Prix today giving him his third podium finish of the season. Rosberg had a strong race with an excellent drive from fifth position on the grid moving up to take third place at the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team’s home race at Silverstone.

After an early pit stop, Michael Schumacher was also looking in a strong position when a small mistake on his out lap cost him valuable time and he came home in ninth place at the checkered flag.

NICO ROSBERG

“I had a good start today and was happy to be up to fourth place by the end of the first lap. Robert was holding me up and with Fernando pushing hard behind, it wasn’t easy to maintain the place. Our strategy was really strong today so thanks to the guys on the pit wall for their efforts and keeping me out on the options. I had a great lap and with the quick pit stop, it was enough to get me out ahead of Robert, and that made the podium possible. It’s been a good effort from the team to turn our situation around after Valencia. We have made a step forward and analysed where we went wrong and to come away with a podium today is fantastic. It’s a real turnaround and I am confident that there is more to come from us.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Again a race which I am not really happy about today. It was ok and seeing Nico on the podium is good for the team but my race was obviously less rewarding. I was in traffic for most of the race and did not really have a clear track. After the pit stop where I had to push really hard to make it in front of Rubens, I unfortunately made a mistake out of a slow corner which put me off the track. That cost me a lot of time plus two positions and that was it for today. We now look towards Hockenheim where we obviously will do everything to perform in the best possible way.”

ROSS BRAWN

“That was a very good performance from Nico and the team today. Nico had a great race and we got the maximum out of the car with a strong start, good strategy and impressive driving. Nico pushed as hard as he needed to and produced some great laps at the crucial time so his race went perfectly. Michael also had a good start and his position was looking interesting. We made an early pit stop to put him in fresh air, as he told us the guys around him were holding him up, but unfortunately he made a mistake and lost the advantage that we were gaining from the early stop. When the others made their stops, they were out in front of him, and with some damage to the car, that was really his race. Overall we’ve done a respectable job this weekend and now we just have to find some more pace. We’re all looking forward to going back to the factory this evening with the trophy to see our team and their families.”

NORBERT HAUG

“A great race from Nico and the team. Starting from fifth position, Nico came home in third place to finish on the podium for the third time in the last eight races. Our performance this weekend looked better than a fortnight ago in Valencia. I am very happy that the team has achieved a podium finish at our home race and this fits perfectly with the BBQ that we have this evening with all our team members in Brackley. Starting from tenth place, Michael drove a committed race and brought home points. I am absolutely sure that we will see similar results to Nico’s podium today sooner rather than later for Michael.”

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Driver’s Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished their practice sessions Friday finishing in fifth and sixth positions. In today’s qualifying for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS showed an improved performance from recent races with Nico Rosberg achieving fifth place on the grid and Michael Schumacher in tenth position after a mistake on his quick lap in Q3 compromised his chances of finishing higher up the field.

NICO ROSBERG

“I’m really pleased with fifth place today and it shows good progress after being so far back in Valencia at the last race. This is a positive step and important for us to know that we really understood what the problems were and how efficiently we have been able to turn the situation around. Everyone at the factory has worked really hard and this gives us a great chance for the race tomorrow at one of our home circuits. My lap was good today and it’s nice to be fighting back up there towards the front again. I’m looking forward to the race and if I get a good start, then we have every reason to expect a strong result.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Clearly I am disappointed after today’s qualifying as I couldn’t get my lap together in Q3. After the second session which was pretty good, I wasn’t able to maximise my performance and I am obviously unhappy about my grid position. I made a small mistake on my first quick lap so I slowed down to give the tyres the possibility to work again for the second fast lap. But there wasn’t much more to come and so I pushed harder and therefore made some mistakes. Now I will have to work hard for the race tomorrow which will be difficult from where I am starting as overtaking here is not really possible. I have to do a good start and see how far I can get. I will certainly try to make the most out of it.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Nico did a very good job today and his fifth place puts us in a decent position for the race. Michael looked quick after Q2 and we were expecting an equally strong Q3 however he made a mistake on his lap and unfortunately that was it. But we saw today what Michael is capable of and that’s encouraging for the future. This is an important weekend for the team as we focus on consolidating our position and today probably finds us in our natural position in the order right now. We have a fantastic team and I am pleased that they have had some modest reward today from the commitment and hours of hard work that went into our upgrades. Of course the race is what counts so we will wait and see what happens tomorrow.”

NORBERT HAUG

“A step forward compared to our performance at the last race in Valencia. The gap to the best placed ‘non Red Bulls’ is not too big today and Nico extracted everything possible from our car. It’s a pity for Michael who was in fifth place in Q2 and in a position to repeat that result in Q3 if it had not been for a slight mistake on his only run. However Michael is a good starter and can make up places. For Nico, a respectable result is possible tomorrow and this would be the best reward for all of our hard-working team members at Brackley and Brixworth. Many of them will watch their home race from the grandstands in Silverstone hoping for a good result for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS.”

The British Grand Prix in Silverstone is a home race for Mercedes-Benz, as the factories of both the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One team and Mercedes HPE are only a few miles away.

Out of the 18 British Grands Prix Mercedes took part in, Mercedes won six which is – sta- tistically – every third race. The first highlight was the race at Aintree in 1995 when the Sil- ver Arrows achieved a quadruple victory with Stirling Moss ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Piero Taruffi.

The most recent win was in 2008 when Vo- dafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Ham- ilton started his home Grand Prix fourth on the grid and won more than a minute ahead of the field.

The Silverstone circuit was built on a former World War II airfield of the Royal Air Force.

The first Grand Prix after the war – still with- out world championship status – was organ- ised here in October 1948; the route itself was marked by bales of straw.

The British Grand Prix on 13th May 1950 marked the beginning of Formula One World Championship history. In the early days, 70 laps (329 kilometres) were run on a 4.7 kil- ometre long circuit. The first race was won by Giuseppe Farina at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo, at an average speed of 152.983 kph on his fastest lap.

Alongside Monza and the former Spa-Fran- corchamps and Spielberg circuits, Silver- stone was one of the fastest GP circuits until 1990. The fastest lap ever was achieved in 1987: Nigel Mansell reached 246.325 kph in a Williams Honda. In 1991 and again this year, the circuit was made longer and slower by additional chicanes.

For the 2010 grand prix, the circuit has been extended from 5.141 kms to 5.901 kms. The additional corners in the last sector will de- crease the average speed from about 230 kph to an estimated 220 kph.

• Lap record (old circuit)- Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1m18.739 (2004)
• Fastest lap 2009- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Renault) 1m20.715
• Pole Position 2009- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Renault) 1m19.509sec

Round 10 of the 2010 Formula One World Championship, the British Grand Prix, takes place next weekend at the remodelled Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire. Venue for the first World Championship Grand Prix held sixty years ago in May 1950, Silverstone will be the second home race of the season for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS whose factory in Brackley is just eight miles from the track with Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth 20 miles away.

NICO ROSBERG

“Silverstone is a great circuit and one of those tracks which provides a real challenge for you as a driver. I think every driver loves to race there. The layout is demanding with the very quick corners and it will be interesting to see the new changes in the Arena complex for this year. The atmosphere and the fans are always fantastic at Silverstone and it will be even better this year with our factories just down the road and the support of everyone at the team. We will be going back to Brackley after the race to see everyone and it would be nice to get a good result to reward their hard work. It’s been tough for us over the last few races but we are working hard to improve and I am confident we will get there.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Silverstone represents a special race for us as it is so close to everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth who are all working like hell to make up the quite difficult start into the season that we have experienced. We would like to give them and all of our supporters a good performance this coming weekend, even if we seem to struggle a bit at the moment. We have to face the fact that we were less competitive in Valencia than we had hoped for which makes it difficult to predict how we can perform at the British Grand Prix. Our race pace has been quite promising but our qualifying speed is not yet ideal and we still do not understand the full picture about the tyres. This clearly is something that we will keep working on intensively. I have a lot of different and mostly nice memories of Silverstone and therefore I am obviously very much looking forward to travelling there. We will certainly try to do our best there.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The British Grand Prix is always a very important and special weekend for our team with Silverstone situated between our factories in Brackley and Brixworth and as one of our home races. We are delighted that the British Grand Prix is secure for the foreseeable future and look forward to experiencing the new track layout at Silverstone next weekend. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the improvement plans and Silverstone will be a venue to be proud of for both the organisers and the thousands of fans who visit over the weekend. Our team has had a challenging time over the recent race weekends in Montreal and Valencia but we retain our motivation and are working hard to improve our performance and maximise the potential which can be taken from our latest upgrades. It’s a long hard road ahead but we are confident that we will get there.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The race at Silverstone is a classic and it is good for Formula One that this traditional Grand Prix has remained on the calendar. After substantial modifications to the circuit, parts of the track layout will be new for all teams and drivers. With the remodelling, there are slower sections added to the predominantly fast layout of the track. Our MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team will have two of our home races in a row this month with the German Grand Prix following just two weeks after Silverstone. It is very important for us to show an upward curve of performance as we did not achieve the best possible results for us in the two previous races in Montreal and Valencia. Our hard working and totally motivated team will be giving their all for these improvements.”

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished the European Grand Prix in Valencia in 12th and 16th positions Sunday.  The frustrating race at the Valencia Street Circuit proved to be  a difficult track for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team.

The safety car following Mark Webber’s dramatic accident changed the course of the race for the pair with Nico losing the advantage of an early pit stop on lap eight and Michael being held in the pits by a red light when making his stop on lap 11.

An uneventful and frustrating remainder of the race left Nico and Michael unable to make progress on a circuit where overtaking opportunities are minimal and they finished the 57 lap race outside of the points.

NICO ROSBERG

“It wasn’t a great race for me today and not much fun out there. I struggled for grip throughout and had to work really hard to save my brakes which completely took away the ability to challenge and try to make up positions. But we tried to look for the positives and learn something because you can always learn from any situation and use the experiences later. It’s been a poor weekend from us all round and we have to try to resolve our issues and improve from here.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“What a race. We would like to have clarification about the safety car situation as the red light on the exit from my first pit stop destroyed a race which otherwise would have offered us very good possibilities. Our point of view is that as the safety car had passed the pits without having the cars lined up behind it, there should not have been a red light. There was a green light for a moment and then suddenly it went red again. We believe that this was not correct. Our strategy was right in that context as we took the opportunity which could have given us a finish even close to the podium.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Today’s race was a disappointing outcome to our weekend in Valencia. The car was reasonable today but again we suffered from our qualifying performance which is an issue that we need to get on top of quickly. Nico got caught up at the start therefore we made an early pit stop which was unfortunately compromised when the safety car came out and we lost any benefit. From there, Nico’s race was about consolidating his position as we had some concerns over brake wear which he did an excellent job to manage. With Michael, we were looking to benefit strongly from the safety car. As the leaders had not been picked up, Michael was waved through and that gave us a golden opportunity to make his pit stop as our predictions were that the option tyre would hold up for the remainder of the race. However, when Michael came to exit the pits, the red light was showing which cost him a significant amount of time. In our view, the regulations are clear that the exit light should not go red until the line of cars has formed behind the safety car, and we would like the FIA to look into this. There was no line formed and over 18 seconds between Hamilton and Kobayashi when Michael came in. It was a good effort from Michael to try and recover from there but ultimately a very frustrating afternoon.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Michael could have finished quite high today if the red light at the pit exit had not been switched on. This happened contrary to our understanding of the rules which say the pit exit remains open until a line has formed behind the safety car. That clearly was not the case as there was a gap of over 18 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton whilst Michael was in the pits. He would have fitted in this gap if the red light had not have made this impossible. So Michael´s race was ruined even though he posted quick lap times throughout the afternoon. Despite three pit stops and a long wait at the pit exit, he finished 6.5 seconds outside of the points. Nico had to look after his brakes throughout and was therefore handicapped. It’s been a weekend to forget for our team but we will be stronger soon.”

After a promising start to the European Grand Prix weekend, there was disappointment for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team in Valencia today as Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher qualified in 12th and 15th positions for tomorrow’s race.

In the first qualifying session, Nico completed one run with Michael having two outings on the prime tyre for the pair to progress in ninth and 12th places respectively. Both drivers started on the option tyre in Q2 but switched to the prime for their second run where Nico’s lap was quick enough only for 12th place whilst Michael hit traffic and finished in 15th position.

NICO ROSBERG

“It’s very frustrating to be so far back on the grid although my lap was good today. There was just no more performance to get out of the car. We had a few issues this morning so we had to make a compromise on our upgrade package and that made the difference of being in the top ten. It’s not easy to understand what happened as we hoped to take a step forward here but we haven’t got the best of our updates yet and we need to understand the tyres quickly. The car will be stronger in the race so we stay positive and see what will happen.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Obviously I am disappointed with my position today and it is certainly not where I want to be. I had to fight with two things. Firstly, as in Canada we have a general problem with the tyres and we can’t get them to work in qualifying. Secondly, I had some difficulties with the brakes and I was locking the front right all the time. This made things extra difficult and is something we need to understand. However our new updates are definitely an advantage, although this was not evident in the performance. I could have gone maybe three-tenths quicker on my last lap if Buemi had not been in the way but it would still not have been enough for Q3. But we are fighters and we know this sport long enough. Our starts are good and with more fuel on board, things do not look so bad. We will certainly try to make the best out of our situation tomorrow.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Clearly that was a difficult qualifying session. After Montreal, we thought that we understood our issues with the tyres but they are still proving to be a challenge. The team and drivers did as well as they could today but we do not have the pace at the moment and we are not making the tyres work well, particularly in qualifying. We are pushing very hard to develop the car and sometimes in pushing so hard, you trip over. We need to reflect, assess and see what our next steps should be.”

NORBERT HAUG

“It is a disappointing qualifying result today for our team. Of course it was very tight, but if you are six-tenths slower than the best lap time, then you end up in twelfth place like Nico. Michael hit traffic in the last sector of his fastest lap which prevented him from improving further. We will certainly not give up on improving our package as we have done continuously since the season began but our competitors have been doing the same. Our race pace tomorrow should be better.”

The first practice sessions for the European Grand Prix got underway today at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain. Driving the track for the first time, Michael Schumacher and teammate Nico Rosberg, who has taken part in the two races previously held at the Marina circuit, had their first opportunity to evaluate the latest developments on the MGP W01.

Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets this morning and was fourth quickest in the afternoon with Michael Schumacher ending the day in 11th place.

NICO ROSBERG

“We’ve had a productive day and I am feeling comfortable in the car although the tyres were a challenge again with graining and various issues. The option didn’t seem to work well but it was the same for everyone and we made the most of it. The team has done a good job on our upgrades and I’m sure that they have improved our competitiveness. We have a few bits and pieces to resolve overnight but we are on the right track which is nice to see. We know that our race pace is better than our qualifying performance at the moment so if we can get our qualifying right, we should make good progress this weekend.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“It was exciting to drive the track for the first time today, probably even to a bigger extent than I had anticipated yesterday after checking it. So this morning for me was mostly about getting a feeling for the track. You need to get used to it but I found it quite comfortable to drive even if some of the corners are blind. However it’s demanding to get the real rhythm which I have not totally found over one lap yet. The long runs went okay and all in all it was not too bad today, depending on the fuel loads obviously which we need to look into more deeply now. Regarding Lewis, I must apologise as I did not see him and was not informed that he was there. As I was planning my lap at that moment and looking ahead, I was unfortunately in his way.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We had a great deal of work to achieve today with our new developments and it was essential that the cars ran reliably to give us as much track time as possible. Therefore I’m very pleased that this was the case and we have been able to carry out our planned programme. It’s a good start to the weekend but as always, there is a long way to go and we have a few issues to get to grips with overnight before qualifying. From our experiences in Canada, we know that we have to qualify well to avoid compromising our race performance so that will be the focus of our attention this evening and tomorrow morning.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Today was not a bad start to the weekend with our heavily upgraded car which the team has worked very hard on over the last couple of weeks. I would really like to thank them for their relentless efforts. With low fuel, our lap times could have been quicker today however Nico and Michael both had traffic on their fastest laps, as happened to other drivers. Our lap times in race trim with very heavy fuel loads have been quick and consistent today. If everything comes together as planned, Nico and Michael will be able to show in qualifying and on Sunday during the race that we have made a step forward.”

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS website offered us another look at the very complex F1 steering wheel used by their driver’s Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. With speeds upwards of 200 mph, there is little time to make adjustments to the race car. With this highly technical piece of equipment, the driver has the information that he needs to drive the car and tune it for various situations with the push of select buttons.

What is on the reverse of the wheel?

The front of the steering wheel contains all the buttons and switches, but the parts fitted on the back are equally as important.

Starting from the top, there are the gear selector paddles which the driver uses to shift the gears up and down. He goes up a gear with his right hand and down with the left. A single gear shift takes only milliseconds and can be initiated with a quick flick to the paddles.

The next two smaller paddles functions are software configurable and allow the driver to ‘fast forward’ to a particular map position, for example a specific differential map that he might need in a corner.

The lower larger paddles are the clutch paddles. There is no clutch pedal in the car, just a brake and accelerator, so when the driver leaves the garage he will pull in one of these paddles, select first gear and then release the paddle like he would lift his foot on a pedal in a regular road car. After this, the clutch paddles are not used and the software in the car controls the clutch during gearshifts.

The only other times that the driver uses these paddles is during the race start if he needs to select reverse or to select first gear after being in neutral during a pit stop. There are two clutch paddles to make it easier for the driver when driving out of the garage. At some circuits, the pit lane runs right to left, and some circuits are left to right, therefore this means the driver will use different hands to actuate the paddles, hence two paddles.

The steering wheel connects to the electronics system of the car using a connector mounted into the centre of the quick release mechanism. These carry all the signals from the electronics mounted inside the wheel back to the main control unit of the car.

Team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Driver’s Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are preparing for the upcoming European Grand Prix this week.  The European Grand Prix takes place around the city streets of Valencia, Spain on Sunday 27 June and is Formula One’s second visit of the season to Spain. 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. It consists mainly of slower corners with the last sector then being quite fast and presenting some quicker turns.

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.”

With the World Cup kicking off over the weekend, what video could be better than watching your favorite F1 team getting in on the action?  Demonstrating the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team’s love of the World Cup, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfield show off their football skills in the pit. Of course, the F1 stars also take the opportunity to wish good luck to the German national team and give a little extra incentive for Germany’s world championship push.  Finally, Nico takes the German football players Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG for a bit of a joy ride around the countryside.  And, in case you missed it, Germany beat Australia 4-0, and their next match is June 18th against Serbia (the U.S. team tied England 1-1).

You can watch the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS football video in its entirety below.

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.”

A poor performance from MERCEDES GP PETRONAS during qualifying 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.”

The sound of Formula One cars returned to Montreal today after a two-year absence as the practice sessions for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix got underway at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Ile Notre-Dame.

Two busy sessions for Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher saw the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pair complete 110 laps over the course of the day as they developed the set-up of their MGP W01 cars to the high speed and low downforce demands of the 4.361km circuit. With the best of the weekend’s weather expected today, the team also focused on tyre evaluations with the super soft and medium Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds for this weekend.

Nico completed 57 laps and ended the day in third place with Michael completing 53 laps in ninth position.

NICO ROSBERG

“I’m generally pleased with the progress that we made today although conditions were difficult because it was very slippery out there on the track. We made some good set-up changes to help the car around this circuit and spent a lot of time working with the tyres to understand their performance. The soft option tyre was particularly difficult and we were struggling a little there, like many teams. But overall it was a good start and we have a lot of information to look at tonight before qualifying.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“My sessions today were a bit mixed. In the morning, we were making progress but towards the end we carried over some issues into the second session which we could not solve. The main focus this afternoon was to get the tyres together. The track is pretty green with not much rubber which means the tyres are getting a hard time and everybody was struggling with graining. If it rains, the track will remain green and it will probably be difficult to hold the tyres together again, even the harder compound. For tomorrow, it is difficult to predict what we will be able to achieve. My feeling is that we will perform according to our expectations which is around the third quickest of the teams.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We’re reasonably happy with where we are today in terms of performance and were able to achieve some good longer runs this afternoon in preparation for the race. The key consideration for the weekend looks to be the tyre strategies and managing the levels of graining, particularly on the options and to a lesser extent the prime, as was evident from the struggles faced by most of the teams this afternoon. With the predicted weather conditions for the weekend, this could all change, but for now we are in a decent position and looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.”

NORBERT HAUG

“We had quite a constructive first day today and are all working hard to improve our pace. If it stays dry, the key issue will be how to use the tyres, particularly the softer options, in the best possible way. We saw long runs from various teams today where lap times varied up to five seconds or more through the runs. Having said that, there will be more grip tomorrow and on Sunday, of course only if it stays dry, and the tyre situation could change. The forecast predicts rain for the weekend, so it will be interesting to see who can do the best job if that is the case. Our experience and performance in the rain has been reasonable at the wet qualifying and races that we have had so far this season.”

Next weekend’s Formula One race will be held in Canada at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal – after a one year absense, it is back on the schedule. The eighth round of the 2010 World Championship and the 41st Formula One race to be hosted in Canada takes place on Sunday, June 13.

NICO ROSBERG

“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.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Canada is definitely one of the places on the Formula One calendar which everyone is keen to visit, myself included of course. I have always had nice weekends in Montreal and enjoyed flying over to North America. I will combine this trip with some days off and I am sure that once I enter the paddock, I will very much be looking forward to starting the race weekend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is all about top speed so we have worked very hard on this, especially as we know that we are not right at the top in that area. However I am convinced that we will be able to get the best out of our package.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Looking back at our last race in Turkey, the team and drivers performed well throughout the weekend to achieve our highest points score of the season however we are simply not yet quick enough. We know the solution, the continuation of our hard work and application, and we will keep pushing until we are back to competing right at the front of the field. Looking ahead, we are delighted to be returning to Canada next week and the race is always one of the most popular weekends on the calendar with the city of Montreal putting on a great show. This year will be no exception and we hope that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve produces its usual standard of exciting racing and the weekend is a success for our sport in the important North American market. The circuit is an interesting one from an engineering perspective and should be a track where our slow to medium speed performance, good braking stability and strong engine performance will be an asset.”

NORBERT HAUG

“First of all, it is great news that the Canadian Grand Prix is back on the Formula One calendar in 2010. This is a very unique event on the Ile Notre-Dame in Montreal where the Olympic Games took place in 1976. The track is very different to the purpose-built circuits and requires high-speed, very good braking and of course strong engine power. Our team has achieved 100 points in the seven races so far this season which is roughly one-third of the points available if you do an absolutely perfect job. We are certainly not where we want to be yet, namely in a position to challenge for victories on a regular basis, however we are dedicated and have a very good spirit to achieve our targets. It is difficult to predict where we could end up in Canada but we will certainly try as hard as we can.”

Team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver’s Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg finished in fourth and fifth places at the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park on Sunday. Their final standings were an improvement of one position from their grid placings.

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS teammates had a fairly quiet race with Michael Schumacher moving up to fourth briefly after a first lap battle with Jenson Button but he was unable to hold the position that he took in turn one. Schumacher made his only pit stop of the race on lap 14 with Nico Rosberg following one lap later where a quick in-lap and excellent work from the pit crew kept him ahead of the chasing Robert Kubica.

Rain threatened in the middle of the race but only a few light spots eventually fell around the circuit. The collision of the two Red Bulls on lap 40 promoted Michael to fourth place and Nico to fifth position where they remained until the chequered flag.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“My race started as I had hoped when I was able to catch Jenson right at the start. Unfortunately I did not have a lot of grip with the tyres as the formation lap was quite slow and the pressures had gone down which combined with the top speed of the McLarens meant that I could not hold Jenson behind me for long. I was even struggling to keep the car on the track during the first lap. From there onwards, I was in my starting position and when Sebastian retired, we were able to pick up a place. That was about it. It was a straightforward race for me without any more possibilities. I understand at the front there was quite a bit happening so for the fans, it was a good show. All in all, I think we had a positive race and we clearly made a step forward towards Red Bull and in front of Ferrari, so we can be quite happy about that.”

NICO ROSBERG

“I am reasonably happy with fifth place today although it was an uneventful race for me. I was slightly faster than Michael for much of the race but it was not possible to overtake and I had to be careful as Robert was pushing hard behind me. For me, the most exciting part of the race were the in and out laps for my pit stop which were pretty fast and together with the great work from the team, that enabled me to stay ahead of the cars just behind me on track. Although our general pace still has to be improved, I’m satisfied that we have taken what we could from this weekend.”

ROSS BRAWN

“A solid performance today in which we achieved the potential of the car with both drivers. We had a purposefully quiet early part of race as we were unable to challenge the leading group and therefore decided to save our tyres for the second half. Michael, Nico and the team did an extremely good job with the car that we had and once again our pit stops were very impressive. Compliments to them all today. We have made reasonable progress with our latest set of upgrades thanks for the hard work of everyone at the factory but clearly we have a lot of work still to do.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Fourth and fifth positions for Michael and Nico were the best results we could achieve today as our pace was only ok in the last third of the race. We are aware that we need further improvements and we definitely will get them. Congratulations to McLaren Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton for achieving the 71st victory for Mercedes-Benz since our first win with David Coulthard in a McLaren Mercedes in Melbourne 1997. Four Mercedes-powered cars came home in the top five today which is a remarkable result, especially for our hard-working engine guys, so well done to you all.”

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 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.”