Williams F1 Team has announced that Toto Wolff is to leave his role as an executive director of the team with immediate effect to take up a new position with Mercedes-Benz. Wolff is set to take up a senior management position in charge of Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport activities as replacement for the departed Norbert Haug.

As a shareholder and director at Williams, the new job would have led to a clash of interests, which is why he has stood down from his direct responsibilities with the outfit. He will retain his financial involvement, however.

Team principal Frank Williams praised the work that Wolff had done for his Grove-based outfit over recent years, and said it would have been wrong to stand in the way of the opportunity the Austrian had at Mercedes.

“I would like to thank Toto for his hard work, dedication and commitment to the team during his time as one of our executive directors,” explained Williams.

“He was a key support to me in this role last season, deputising at a number of races when I was unable to attend. However, positions such as the one offered to him by Mercedes do not come around often.

“Toto has a long history with them and I certainly was not going to stand in the way of him accepting this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Toto will retain his shareholding in Williams and will always have a place at Grove but make no mistake; we will fight him hard on the race track!

“I am sure he will be a strong asset for Mercedes and on behalf of the whole team I would like to wish him the best of luck in his new role.”

Wolff already had close ties with Mercedes through a 49 percent stake he had in the engineering company HWA, which helps run the German car manufacturer’s DTM program.

Wolff’s departure from Williams comes against the backdrop of other senior staff having left the outfit over the past year, including former chairman Adam Parr and chief operations engineer Mark Gillan.

Williams said that he had the utmost confidence that the current management structure of the team would continue to ensure that the outfit had a bright future.

“I’m lucky to have a very professional group of people around me and the company’s executive committee will continue the work they have been doing to ensure a successful future for the business,” he said.

British based Williams F1 team looks set to be the only team to miss getting its cars ready for the first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain, however. Its new challenger will be launched before the second test in Barcelona.

After more than 22 years as Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Daimler AG Vice President Norbert Haug will conclude his career at the end of 2012. His contract will come to an end by mutual agreement with the Board of Management. Preparations for the forthcoming season continue as planned.

Norbert Haug began in the Motorsport division of Mercedes-Benz on October 1, 1990 with the intent to revive their motorsport credentials. And he did revive their program and so much more.  In Haug’s 22 years, Mercedes-Benz and its partners won six Formula One world championship titles and took 87 Formula One victories. In the DTM, Mercedes teams won a total of 32 titles under Haug’s leadership. Since the first title win in 1992, Mercedes-Benz has won 54% of all DTM races and about 60% of all DTM titles (drivers/manufacturers/teams). During that period of time Mercedes-Benz has competed in 986 races in total (Formula One, Champ Car, GT, Group C, Formula 3) under Haug’s leadership and won 439 of them (45.4%).

“Norbert Haug was the face of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for more than 20 years. For me, he put his stamp on a whole era and, as a highlight, he was responsible for the successful comeback of the Silver Arrows to Formula One. In the name of the Board of Management and the whole motorsport family, I would like to thank Norbert for his extraordinary commitment to the three-pointed star,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and CEO of Daimler AG.

“I would like to thank the best car company in the world for more than 22 years, which never had a single moment without passion for me. I particularly wish to thank the Board for the trust and freedom they have always given me with all my activities. Since 1991, we had tremendous achievements and wins, for which I want to thank all of my colleagues. Unfortunately, with one victory in 2012 since founding our own Formula One works team in 2010, we couldn’t fulfil our own expectations. However, we have taken the right steps to be successful in the future. Our team and our drivers will do everything to achieve these goals,” said Norbert Haug.

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished the Turkish Grand Prix in fifth and twelfth places Sunday. Starting from third on the grid, Rosberg ran a clean race to finish fifth.  Nico Rosberg was running with high tire degradation in the early stages preventing him from finishing higher. Michael started strongly and was running in seventh when a collision with Vitaly Petrov at turn 12 damaged his front wing and forced him to pit. He was then out of sequence and fought hard from last place on lap three to finish in 12th position.

Nico completed four stops on laps 10, 22, 33 and 44. His tyre strategy was: option; prime; prime; option; option.

Michael completed four stops on laps 2, 14, 30 and 45. His tyre strategy was: option; option; prime; option; option.

In his final stint, Michael re-used the set of options on which he had started the race.

NICO ROSBERG

“My start today was fantastic to overtake Mark and be running in second place on the first lap, but from there I was struggling with my tyres on the first stint. Our strategy worked out well to bring me back into a decent position so we can be reasonably satisfied, and I’m happy to be in front of Jenson and just a few seconds behind Lewis in the McLarens. There is still a gap to the top but we have continued to improve the car this weekend. We don’t know exactly why we are better in qualifying than in the race but we will work on this. Overall I had another good weekend and I’m looking forward to Barcelona.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“A lot of fighting and action today, and that was probably the positive part of my race. Obviously I am not very happy with my weekend, but I’m responsible myself for the result. The incident with Petrov kind of dictated my race: we were very close and I was surprised that we touched but it was mostly my mistake. After making such an early stop, the way the race played out was given from there. What we can take away from this weekend in Turkey is that we have confirmed our good trend and we still have things to come to help us deliver more of our potential.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The race balance that we gave Nico wasn’t as good as we had hoped and on high fuel, the car was too hard on its tyres. That spoiled the first half of the race but in the second half, our pace was more respectable. Nico began climbing back through the field towards where we had hoped to be racing; however we were too far back by then. Fifth place is still a respectable result taking everything into account, but fine-tuning our race set-up will be a particular priority for the next races, especially at circuits where the tyres are delicate to manage. Michael got out of phase because of his unplanned stop on lap two and that left him with a difficult task, especially as a number of other events in the race cost him time. Overall, we are moving forward from where we began the season, but we’re still not where we want to be. We will keep on pushing hard.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Of course, everybody was expecting another good result from us today after Nico qualified third yesterday. In reality he was a few thousandths ahead of Lewis yesterday, and today Lewis was quicker. Alonso in the Ferrari had a great drive from fifth whilst the Red Bulls are still clearly in front. To beat one McLaren Mercedes and one Ferrari was the maximum that Nico could achieve after a great drive with our current car. We have made improvements over the last two races, and closed the gap to the best which shows that we are heading in the right direction. Michael had an eventful weekend and was very committed from lap one in the wet practice of Friday. His clash with another car dictated the outcome of his race and cost him the time missing to finish in the points. We now look forward to Barcelona where we will try to improve our position further.”

The opening practice sessions for the Turkish Grand Prix took place in contrasting conditions at Istanbul Park Friday. Morning rain saw the teams using Pirelli wet tyres throughout P1 before the track dried out sufficiently for slicks in P2.

• P1 gave Michael and Nico a valuable opportunity to evaluate the car on the wet tyres for the first time since winter testing

• With a dry track in P2, the team completed initial dry tyre evaluations with the hard and soft compounds

• Nico completed 43 laps and finished the day in second place, with Michael completing 39 laps in fourth position

NICO ROSBERG

“We have made a decent start to the weekend and I am optimistic for tomorrow. We had a productive afternoon and tried a lot of things with the car. I didn’t have too many problems with the tyres on the long run and I was quite surprised by the grip levels, which were higher than I expected. The wet tyres had a lot of grip this morning too. I’m happy with what we learned and expecting a very interesting time tomorrow and on Sunday.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“We had quite a positive Friday, and it was especially good that we were able to test both wet and dry tyres. I hadn’t really driven the wets so I am pleased I finally had some opportunity to use them. Also, my sessions were quite eventful with three spins in Turn 11. All in all, our car confirmed the performance improvement from China, so we can look forward to the rest of the weekend. We still have some questions relating to the set-up but I am confident we will sort them out tomorrow.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We had a reasonably good day and it was nice to get a lot of work done. We had a good opportunity this morning to see what the car was like in the wet conditions. It was also the first time that Michael had really driven the car in the wet, so that’s useful as the conditions this weekend could still be mixed. Then we had a nice dry session this afternoon and completed a lot of work on low and high fuel. The balance of the car isn’t there yet and there is a lot of work ahead, but the team and drivers have worked very well today.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The morning session in the wet saw Nico and Michael complete 32 laps and the lap times on wet tyres looked quite good. In dry conditions this afternoon, we ran 50 laps and worked through our planned programme. I would not read too much into today’s positions in both sessions; there is more work to do for tomorrow.”

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) will start the first race of the 2011 DTM season in Hockenheim on Sunday from pole position. (Start: 13:00 BST, broadcast live on ARD TV commencing at 12:45 BST). Bruno set a time of 1:34.270 on the final lap of single-lap qualifying. This is his eighth DTM pole and his second at Hockenheim since the start of the 2007 season. For the 106th time in DTM, a Mercedes-Benz driver is on pole position.

In the first single-lap qualifying of the season Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), set a time of 1:34.577, which placed him third, and he will start from the second row of the grid.

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) qualified seventh for the season opener in 1:34.386. DTM rookie Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) will start ninth with a time of 1:34.445 in his first DTM qualifying session. His time during the second part of qualifying was just two tenths slower than eighth-placed Maro Engel.

Qualifying, part 1: the first part of qualifying was suspended after seven minutes following a spin by Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class). The winner of the 2010 DTM season opener was unable to continue with qualifying and will start from 18th position on the grid. All the remaining drivers progressed automatically to the second qualifying segment.

Qualifying, part 2: Ralf Schumacher was best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in P4 in a time of 1:34.220 minutes. The two newcomers to DTM, Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class, 1:34.475 minutes), finished their first DTM qualifying in P9 and P11 respectively. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in 13th place in a time of 1:34.698 minutes. Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) was 14th in 1:34.720 minutes, and Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in 16th position with a time of 1:34.778 minutes.

Quotes about qualifying:

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) pole position (1:34.270):

“Pole position is brilliant. After practice, I wouldn’t have thought it possible because I did so little running this morning. Pole is a great reward for the crew’s fabulous work. Let’s hope it continues for the race.

Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) third (1:34.577):

“So far, this weekend has gone very well for me. I almost managed to get on the front row, but didn’t quite pull it off. The guys in the team have worked well. It was a long, hard winter but it appears to have paid off.”

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) seventh (1:34.386):

“The team did a great job, simply brilliant. Perhaps there was another tenth of a second to be had, but I’m very happy with P7. I can’t wait for the race.”

Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) ninth (1:34.445):

“Ninth position is a good way to start in DTM, but it’s a pity that I just missed going through to the third part of qualifying. I was only two tenths adrift. I’m very pleased with my first DTM qualifying.”

Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) eleventh (1:34.475):

“On the whole, I’m very happy with my first DTM qualifying, although I think I could have done a bit better. Unfortunately, I made a mistake otherwise I could have made the top eight perhaps.”

David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in 13th place in a time of 1:34.698 minutes.

“All in all, I’m very satisfied. During qualifying, we improved the car’s balance, and I posted a reasonable time. It wasn’t possible to do much more today.”

Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th (1:34.720):

“This isn’t the grid position that I expected. Last year in qualifying, I was nowhere, but despite that I was in the top eight in the race. I’ve got the same goal for tomorrow.

Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 16th (1:34.778):

“I was unlucky in qualifying. My hot lap was interrupted by another car in the final sector. I hope now I can have a good race from 16th place on the grid. Last year, in the second round at Hockenheim, I moved up from 17th to 7th.”

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Cass) 18th (no lap time set):

“What happened in the first part of qualifying was a big disappointment for me. Unfortunately I selected the wrong gear and went off into the gravel trap. My THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class was running very well and I was going for pole. It’s a shame that I must now start from last position. I’ll do everything I can to fight my way up to the front.”

Nico Rosberg (MERCEDES GP PETRONAS) guest driver at Hockenheim.

“I feel very much at home – altogether, I’ve spent three years here with DTM and ADAC Junior Formula 3. Of course, I’m really pleased with the performance of my Mercedes DTM team-mates. A brilliant performance from Bruno with this pole position, and I’m particularly pleased for Ralf. He was wrongly criticized but Mercedes, Norbert and Ralf’s HWA-Team stuck by him and he stood by them. That’s our spirit, and that’s how we do it in Formula One too.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

“What an incredible pole for Bruno. This morning, owing to the damage to his floor, he didn’t get a proper lap in; then this afternoon, he put the car on pole. For his part, Ralf produced a response where it matters most: on the track, with a strong lap. Our young drivers also performed well: Maro Engel will start seventh, with Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande ninth and eleventh.”

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg finished in ninth and 12th positions in the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit Sunday.

Michael’s ninth place finish helped to scor the team’s first points of the 2011 F1 season.  Schumacher stopped on laps 14, 28 and 42 with an option/option/option/prime strategy.

Nico Rosberg stopped on laps 15, 29, and 40 and also followed an option/option/option/prime strategy.

Both Nico and Michael’s cars ran reliably to the finish, with full availability of KERS and the adjustable rear wing throughout the race.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“I had a straightforward race today which was even a bit exciting towards the end but really full of ups and downs before. The start was quite good and then it was mainly about managing the tyres. We probably couldn’t have expected to take more than two points today and we certainly have to work on our race pace which is not yet where we want it to be. We are all aware of that and we are more than ready to keep working hard to make the necessary steps forward. Over one lap, we can already be at a good level when the car is working well, but we need to continue to work on our race performance.”

NICO ROSBERG

“It was not my race today and it’s been a tough weekend. I had a poor start and lost positions which made it very difficult to try and get into the points. Our race pace was not good enough, and it was very difficult to push, so unfortunately we could not perform at the level that we wanted to here. Looking at my qualifying laps, we can take heart from a small step forward from Melbourne so we will keep the hard work up to make further improvements.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The team and drivers did a great job today but obviously we are not fast enough at the moment. We had a couple of stints which proved to be a little too long, as we stayed out to see if the weather might bring an opportunity. That was our decision, and when it didn’t rain as had been predicted, we paid the price with the loss of perhaps a position or two. Overall, the work from the team was strong today with good pit stops and the cars were reliable in very challenging conditions. We will continue to work at it and I look forward to having a more competitive car and being able to mix it where we want to be.”

NORBERT HAUG

“After a difficult weekend, the first points are a small reward for all our team members. Of course, we know that there is a lot of work ahead of us, and that we have to improve the speed of our cars by quite a margin. Clearly we are not satisfied but the positive is that we recovered today from very difficult circumstances and I would like to thank everybody for their relentless efforts. Michael drove a good race, gaining three places at the start. We speculated on rain and stretched the first stints of both drivers as long as possible. Nico’s race for points was basically over going into the first corner. If you lose four places with our current technical package, it is difficult to recover. But Nico made some very committed overtaking manoeuvres and his lap times looked better today than they did a fortnight ago, compared to the quickest cars on the same strategy. A lot of work lies ahead of us, but we all are fully motivated to get the job done. We are now looking ahead to next weekend in China and our aim is to improve a further step.”

The two former Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher will once again be racing the AMG Mercedes C-Class for the 2011 season. They are the best-known members of the DTM Mercedes-Benz teams. Both drivers each have more than twenty years’ motor racing experience, and from a joint total of 426 Grand Prix starts they secured 19 Formula One wins between them. David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher have quickly become fan-favourites in the DTM.

David Coulthard, 40, Scotland, made his DTM debut in 2010. He marked the end of his first year by securing his best result of the season at the final race in Shangai (8th place) and by posting the fastest lap. In 2011, the Scotsman will line up on the grid once more for Team Mücke Motorsport in the Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class.

From 1994 to 2008, Coulthard contested 246 Formula One races, 150 of them for McLaren-Mercedes. Between 1996 and 2004, he posted twelve of his thirteen Grand Prix wins for the Silver Arrows team and, in 1997, gained the first victory for McLaren-Mercedes in Australia. Jointly with Mika Häkkinen, Formula One world champion in 1998 and 1999, (Mercedes-Benz DTM driver from 2005-2007), Coulthard won the constructors’ world championship for McLaren-Mercedes in 1998. In 2001, he was world championship runner-up.

As an ambassador of ‘Wings for Life’, David Coulthard is keen to make the public more aware of this charitable foundation for paraplegics. The Scotsman hopes that his efforts will help the charity with its research into treatment for people suffering from spinal injuries. By agreement with team sponsor Deutsche Post, Mercedes-Benz are also making display space available on the bodywork of Coulthard’s car to publicise ‘Wings for Life’ and the work that he does for the organisation.

Ralf Schumacher, 35, Germany, began his DTM career on 13th April 2008 in Hockenheim and quickly became one of the most popular drivers in the championship. 2011 will be his fourth DTM season and his first in the AMG Mercedes C-Class with his new title sponsor Salzgitter.

Schumacher concluded his Formula One career at the end of 2007 after eleven seasons and 180 Grand Prix races. Having secured six Grand Prix victories, he is the third most successful German Formula One driver in history after his brother, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher, and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

David Coulthard: “I’m very pleased to be contesting the DTM series once more in 2011 for Mercedes-Benz. My year of apprenticeship is over – now I’m looking to make some real progress. DTM motor racing is a close-fought championship and is characterised by the fans’ enthusiasm and the direct contact between drivers and spectators. That’s something that I wasn’t familiar with in Formula One. For me, DTM is also an excellent platform for raising public awareness of the ‘Wings for Life’ charity. I learnt a lot last year, and have laid good foundations for my second season. After gaining my first DTM point at the final race of the season in Shanghai in 2010, I would like to make my fans happier this season by scoring points more often.”

Ralf Schumacher: “I really like being a part of DTM and the Mercedes-Benz family. Subtle nuances are important in this hard-fought series. If you can just improve the car’s setup by a fraction, then you can reduce your lap times significantly. After three years in the DTM and two seasons with the HWA team, I feel at ease in the AMG Mercedes C-Class and I’m ready, together with my new sponsor Salzgitter, to make the next move in my fourth DTM season.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “We’ve got two of the DTM fans’ favourites, David and Ralf, in our team again for 2011. David adjusted quickly to DTM racing and improved continually during his first season – finally securing his first point and posting the fastest lap time in Shanghai. I trust that he will continue to improve in his second DTM season. It’s Ralf’s fourth DTM year and he’s already got a lot of DTM experience, and I’m certain that he can do even better. Ralf’s pole position at the Norisring proves that he’s got the potential.”

The watch and jewellery company THOMAS SABO headquartered in Lauf an der Pregnitz will become a partner of Mercedes-Benz in the DTM. 30 year-old Briton Gary Paffett, DTM champion in 2005, will enter his eighth DTM season at the wheel of the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class in 2011.

Paffett started his DTM career with Mercedes-Benz in 2003 and graduated to a new C-Class for his second season. The Englishman has scored a total of 17 DTM victories out of 70 races (more than any other active DTM driver), finished three times as runner-up in the championship (2004, 2009 and 2010) and won the title in 2005. He has also been a test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team since 2006.

Thomas Sabo founded his eponymous jewellery company in 1984. Since then, it has developed into a strong, internationally recognised brand. The lifestyle label is also a personal sponsor of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg.

Gary Paffett: “Racing with THOMAS SABO as the new title sponsor on my AMG Mercedes C-Class is a real pleasure for me and, above all, it gives me a few brownie points with my wife before a wheel has even turned in the new DTM season! THOMAS SABO is also a fashionable brand in the UK. I think it’s a great move by the company’s management to fly the flag and compete in the DTM. The 2011 DTM season brings new challenges, most notably with a new tyre partner in Hankook. Our tests with the new tyres were promising and I am fully motivated to start the new season with our new partner. My target, if possible, is to improve by one position over last year.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “We are very pleased to welcome such a renowned new title sponsor as THOMAS SABO to our team and to the DTM. The THOMAS SABO brand perfectly matches the dynamic lifestyle of motorsport and the DTM. THOMAS SABO and Mercedes-Benz Motorsport will share the DTM stage and we want to be present in an enthusiastic way on and around the racetrack. With Gary Paffett, one of the best established drivers, and the most successful of the current DTM, sits behind the wheel of the new THOMAS SABO Mercedes C-Class. The combination of Gary Paffett-THOMAS SABO-Mercedes-Benz aims to compete with the best in the DTM.”

The Australian Grand Prix, which was the first race of the 2011 Formula One season, ended in complete disappointment for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were forced to retire from the race.

• Michael was hit on the first lap and had to pit with a puncture to the right rear tyre which dropped him to last place

• The collision caused damage to the floor of the car which eventually forced his retirement on lap 19

• Nico had made his first pit stop and was in P8 when he was hit from behind by Rubens Barrichello at turn three

• With a loss of water pressure from the impact, Nico pulled over to retire the car at turn thirteen on lap 22

The 2011 Formula One World Championship begins next weekend in Melbourne with Round One, the Australian Grand Prix, on Sunday March, 27th. Albert Park, a street circuit which uses the public roads surrounding the man-made lake south of Melbourne city center, hosts one of the most atmospheric races on the calendar.

Michael Schumacher

How do you feel about Australia being the first race of the season?

“Australia has always been one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar in all my years of competing. It is the atmosphere which makes Albert Park so special, and when you see all of the fans having fun, that just gives you a great feeling of how motorsport can be. I am lucky enough to have a lot of good memories from Melbourne: it’s a venue where I have won four times and those races will always be very special. I’m sure it will be a great weekend, and an exciting season-opener. I’m looking forward to getting to the paddock on Thursday.”

How well prepared are you and the team for the new season?

“We are well prepared. All of the hard work over the winter will start to come together over the first few races and then we will know more about the position we are in, and what still needs to be achieved as Formula One never stands still of course. I feel very ‘at home’ with the team after one year of working together and this experience has really benefited our pre-season preparations.”

Nico Rosberg

Are you looking forward to the trip to Australia?

“I love visiting Australia and Melbourne is one of the most chilled-out cities on the calendar so it’s a cool venue for the first race of the season. I’m travelling out early to get acclimatised to the time zone and am looking forward to training by the beach and relaxing in St Kilda in the evenings. The Australian fans are so enthusiastic which is great to see and it makes the atmosphere around Albert Park very special. The circuit holds some great memories for me from achieving my first podium here in 2008, and I have finished in the points in the last four races.”

What are your thoughts going into the first race of the season?

“We’re in good shape. The team and car have progressed a lot over the winter, we’re pleased with the performance from our upgrades and the car is handling well. Our aim is to make a good step forward from last season and I am confident that we will be able to achieve this.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal

“This year marks our second season as MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, and the team has made real progress over this period. With the support of Daimler, Aabar and our team partners, we are gaining strength from being a single entity and building the team that we want for the future.

“Our pre-season programme has gone as well as we could have wanted. However, as always, the first race will be the real measure of where we are in terms of competitiveness. Everyone is eagerly waiting to see how the grid shakes out in Melbourne, and wherever we find ourselves, we will respond accordingly. Our ability to react strongly has improved considerably over the past twelve months and we have a robust development plan in place for the season. 2011 will be the second season with our drivers, Michael and Nico, and this continuity, together with our well-established relationships, has enabled both the drivers and team to prepare well for the challenges ahead.

“I believe that we can expect a very exciting season in 2011. The strategic battle is going to be fascinating with the Pirelli tyres, combined with the new adjustable rear wing and the return of KERS, increasing the challenges for the teams and drivers, and hopefully providing lots of track action for the fans.

“The Australian Grand Prix is always a fantastic motorsport weekend, and with the added excitement of being the first race of the season this year, we are all looking forward to the racing starting again next week.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President – Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“It has been an intensive winter for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We covered more than 5700 km during a total of 15 test days, which is the equivalent of more than 18 Grand Prix distances. The final test in Barcelona with our planned technical updates saw us take a step forward which is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of our whole team. There are still a lot of question marks about how the racing will unfold in 2011 with the new Pirelli tyres, the adjustable rear wing and the reintroduction of KERS. These are demanding challenges for the drivers, and Michael and Nico have done a good job mastering the new systems and understanding how to get the most out of the tyres.

“Melbourne holds many good memories for Mercedes-Benz, as the venue for our first modern era victory in 1997 with David Coulthard in a McLaren-Mercedes, and Albert Park has the knack of producing exciting races. Making predictions before the first Grand Prix of the season is certainly not what I want to do, but our target is clear from the first race: to improve on the position in which we finished our first season as MERCEDES GP PETRONAS.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our hard-working team members in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart for their relentless efforts since the final chequered flag of last season. The best reward for all of us would be to start the new season in a stronger position compared to 2010.”

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 team announced Thursday the appointment of Bob Bell in the position of Technical Director effective April 1, 2011, further strengthening the team’s engineering expertise.

Reporting to Team Principal Ross Brawn, Bob’s role will primarily be based at the team’s factory in Brackley with overall responsibility for the technical operations of the chassis group. Bob’s appointment will allow Ross Brawn greater freedom to oversee the full programme between the team’s chassis group in Brackley and the engine group at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth.

Bob began his career in motorsport as an aerodynamicist almost 30 years ago, working at McLaren, Benetton and Jordan, before becoming Deputy Technical Director at Renault in 2001. Bob was promoted to Technical Director in 2003 and played a key role in the team’s double championship-winning successes of 2005 and 2006. Bob remained at Renault, becoming Acting Team Principal in September 2009 and Managing Director in 2010, until his departure from the team in October of last year.

Bob Bell said: “I am both delighted and honored to be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team as Technical Director. It will be a privilege to be a part of such a strong and determined organisation, and to be able to contribute to furthering the enviable heritage of Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Bob to the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team in the position of Technical Director. Bob’s appointment is a key step in the strengthening of our excellent technical team and we are pleased to have recruited one of the most experienced engineers in the sport. Bob will be an important asset to our team, bringing with him a wealth of Formula One knowledge and championship-winning experience, and we look forward to welcoming him at the start of April.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, concluded: “Mercedes-Benz is fully committed to providing our Formula One team with the personnel and resources to compete at the forefront of the sport. Bob’s track record speaks for itself and I know he will be a valuable addition to our team as Technical Director. He shares our passion for competition and our vision for establishing long-term success with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS.”

Bob Bell Biography

Nationality: British

Date of birth: April 10, 1958

Place of birth: County Down, UK

Lives: South Warwickshire, UK

Marital status: Separated

Hobbies: Motorcycling, Hill Walking, Appreciating the Arts

Work:

• 2011 Technical Director, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team
• 2010 Managing Director, Renault F1 Team
• 2009 Team Principal & Chief Technical Officer, Renault F1 Team
• 2003 Technical Director, Renault F1 Team
• 2001 Deputy Technical Director, Renault F1 Team
• 1999 Head of Vehicle Technology, Jordan Grand Prix
• 1997 Senior Aerodynamicist, Benetton F1
• 1995 Future Projects Manager, McLaren
• 1990 Project Technical Director, MAVerick Land Speed Record Vehicle, McLaren
• 1988 Head of Research & Development, McLaren
• 1982 Aerodynamicist, McLaren

Education: PhD in Aeronautical Engineering, Queen’s University, Belfast

The debut of the MGP W02, the new Silver Arrow for the 2011 Formula One World Championship, took place this morning at the Valencia Circuit in Spain with the new challenger unveiled in front of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team garage by Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

The result of twelve months intense design and development work, the MGP W02 is the second Silver Arrows car to be launched by MERCEDES GP PETRONAS since the team became the first Mercedes-Benz works outfit since 1955.

The car’s livery is an evolution from its predecessor with a striking high-gloss airbrush effect highlighting the shape of the car. The interaction between the Silver Arrows heritage and the green shading representing the team’s title partner PETRONAS evokes memories of the first Silver Arrow car of 1934 with a modern touch added by 3D partner logos.

The technical specification of the MGP W02 includes the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery) system which returns to the sport after a one-year absence. The Mercedes KERS system was the first to win a Grand Prix during the 2009 season when KERS made its debut in Formula One. Also new on the car for this season is the adjustable rear wing, operated by the driver to aid overtaking, and Pirelli tyres as the Italian manufacturer becomes the sport’s official tyre supplier.

The team’s driver line-up remains unchanged with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, who achieved the team’s three podiums in 2010, forming one of the most exciting and talented pairings on the grid.

Michael Schumacher

“Finally the waiting is over and things get started. For us drivers, the break every year is hard to take because the gap between the last race and the first time out on track seems to be never-ending. Even if I have been involved and updated all winter on the developments, and even if I know the improvements are significant, it is still different to see the new car literally for the first time in front of you. You automatically build up this nice pre-start tension. I very much look forward to the new season. We have said it several times already but again, we are really to building up something big together. I am very confident that this season we will be standing on the podium much more regularly; ideally in the middle!”

Nico Rosberg

“It is always a very exciting time of year to drive the new car for the first time and feel how it performs out on track. This year we have the added challenge of not having an immediate reference due to the change in tyre manufacturer to the new Pirelli tyres, which felt good during our first try-out at the Abu Dhabi test last year. I am very much looking forward to having a much stronger season than last year and as always, our targets are aggressive. We want to be competing at the front and challenging for race wins. Everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard on the new Silver Arrow and we are all looking forward to seeing how it performs.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal

“It is always a thrill to see a new car ready to take the track for the first time and this year is no exception. After our first year as the Mercedes-Benz works team, we are now seeing the benefits of our chassis and engine groups working well together. With a good technical structure and a strengthened race engineering organisation, both at the factory and the race track, I am confident that we have done and will continue to do a better job this year in all key areas.

“The concept development for the MGP W02 started early and we have set challenging targets for the design, combined with a robust plan to ensure that the pace of development can continue throughout the long 2011 season. We have two excellent drivers in Michael and Nico, both of whom capable of winning races in a good car, and we look forward to seeing them push each other and the development of the new Silver Arrow during the season. We want to be setting the standard right from the start but if we are not, we will respond very strongly to get ourselves into the game. Everyone is excitedly waiting to see what the new season will reveal.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President – Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“The new Silver Arrow for the 2011 season has little in common with its immediate predecessor. Our chassis engineers have taken a fairly ruthless approach and were determined to shave off every superfluous gram and millimetre. What emerged from this process is a compact and exquisitely shaped vehicle that introduces a host of sophisticated solutions and truly reflects the enormous dedication of its constructors. We have given it a brand new coat of paint, and we aim to see a smile on the faces of our hard-working drivers and team members that is as bright as our new silver livery.

“Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher are top drivers who can win races for us, provided we build them the right car. At the same time, our team, like all the other teams, has to deal with complex new tasks. The new generation of tyres from Pirelli, and the extent to which the cars and drivers adapt to them, will play a vital role in deciding wins and defeats.

“The rear wing flap, which can be adjusted under specified conditions, will boost top speed and facilitate overtaking which should open up a new and interesting chapter for Formula One. And there is the return of KERS following a one-year absence at the end of the 2009 season when our Mercedes system recorded a historic first race win. This will play a massive role amongst all of the performance-related components, both for the additional power and for the strategic options it makes available. As in 2009, it is our ambition that Mercedes-Benz builds and runs the best hybrid system and that all three teams which use it benefit significantly from this.

“After I have spoken at length here on the many new issues, our target can be described in one short sentence: The new Silver Arrow should not only look first class, but should also be developed to be at the top step-by-step.”

The final race of the 2010 Formula One World Championship takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, November 14. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the home race of Aabar, shareholders in the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team, is Formula One’s only twilight race with the floodlights at the spectacular 5.5km Yas Marina Circuit allowing the race to start at 17:00hrs.

Mercedes-Benz Stats (including customer teams)

Yas Marina Circuit Stats

NICO ROSBERG

“I really enjoyed our first visit to the Yas Marina Circuit at the end of last season. The track is interesting to drive with a unique layout with the unusual pit lane exit and the day/night programme makes a change from the usual format of a race weekend. It was good to be back in the points in Brazil last Sunday and we hope to finish the season with another good result here before looking ahead to next season which will definitely be stronger for us.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“We had quite an encouraging weekend in Sao Paulo, even if it did not show too much to the outside, as our pace in qualifying and the race was satisfying. The final race weekend in Abu Dhabi will be exciting for me as I will be driving this impressive circuit for the first time. Obviously the main focus of the fans and the media will be on the championship fight so we will be able to work calmly and concentrate on our own weekend. I’m sure that everyone in the team is motivated to deliver a good last performance of the season.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The final race of the 2010 season takes us to the home Grand Prix for our Abu Dhabi based shareholders and partner Aabar. We were extremely impressed with the Yas Marina Circuit on our first visit and look forward to an exciting weekend which will see the battle for the Drivers’ Championship concluded. For the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team, on the back of our double-points finish in Brazil, we would like to finish this challenging season on an equally strong note before turning our attentions fully to next year.”

NORBERT HAUG

“We are all looking forward to a thrilling final race of a great season which still sees four drivers with a chance of competing for the championship. Abu Dhabi is one of our team’s home races as our shareholder and partner, Aabar, have their headquarters here. Our team will not be taking anything for granted and our target is to achieve the best possible result with our current technical package. As in recent races, we want to be right there if a driver in one of the currently faster cars should have a problem. It would be a nice reward for the team to conclude this very long and tough season, which saw everyone give their all, with a reasonable result.”

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in sixth and seventh places Sunday to achieve a double points finish for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team in Interlagos. Nico and Michael made the most of the opportunities presented to them and had strong races to move up the order and improve on their grid positions.

NICO ROSBERG

“I had a strong start today and when Michael pitted ahead of me, I had clear air and was able to make up positions thanks to our good strategy. From then, it got a little chaotic but the team made a great call to get me on new rubber when the safety car came out. Unfortunately Jenson did the same and there was a lot of chaos with lapped cars so I wasn’t able to make up any further positions. Michael let me past which was nice as he was on used rubber against my new tyres.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“I had quite a good start today gaining two positions which unfortunately I lost again directly afterwards following my exit on the grass because of the fight with Robert. We then had good pace but with hindsight, my pit stop was maybe a little too early which left me stuck behind Adrian. Towards the end, I let Nico past when he was on fresh tyres as he had the better chance to fight Jenson in front of us. I look forward to Abu Dhabi now where I hope to have another encouraging race.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We are pleased to get a solid double points finish with good drives from Nico and Michael today. It was frustrating to lose a place to Jenson in the early stops as we expected him to get held up with traffic but he did a good job to get through. We made all the right strategy calls today which enabled us to make up several places on cars ahead of us on the grid. We had a radio problem which caused confusion with the tyres at Nico’s second stop however we boxed him again with no loss of position. It’s good to have two cars scoring points but obviously we are not finishing where we would like to. Congratulations to Red Bull for taking our Constructors’ title today and we will be after them next year.”

NORBERT HAUG

“We achieved the best possible results for us today to finish behind the drivers who were fighting for the World Championship as we have done in the six races since Spa. The team, Nico and Michael did a solid job and it is positive that Nico came home in sixth place after starting from 13th position. Michael recovered well from losing two places on the first lap to finish in seventh position and could have gone one place better if he had not been caught after his pit stop behind a car who changed tyres late in the race. Sixth and seventh places are not our target for the future but for now these results are the maximum with the technical package we currently have. Well done to everybody in our team and thank you for your hard work. We have one more race to go next weekend and then we are looking forward to next season with consistently better results. Congratulations to Red Bull Racing for winning the 2010 Formula One Constructors’ World Championship.”

The Brazilian Grand Prix, the second to last round of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, takes place on Sunday, November 7th at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo. The 4.309 km (2.67 miles) anti-clockwise track is the highest of the year at 800m above sea level and its inner city location at Interlagos, combined with the passion of the Brazilian fans, makes the circuit one of the most atmospheric venues of the year.

NICO ROSBERG

“The Brazilian fans are always fantastic and Interlagos is a really fun track to drive so I’m looking forward to the weekend in Sao Paulo. The combination of the tight infield and the long straight make the track layout very unique. The fact that Interlagos is at a very high altitude level means that the engine has less power due to the thinner air and the car has less grip and lower downforce which is a challenge. There are good overtaking opportunities and the weather always seems to play a part in the race weekend to make it more unpredictable. It was disappointing not to finish the race in Korea from such a strong position but our performance over the weekend was good and we were able to get the most out of the car. It would be nice to continue this and finish the season with strong performances.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“The season is coming to an end and I have to say that I am very impressed with how our guys have coped with it, especially in the last few flyaway races. Even though we have not had any big developments recently, we have still delivered promising performances. The characteristics of the Interlagos circuit are not too far away from those of the last races so we can go to Brazil in quite a confident mood. Our fighting spirit is good and we would like to finish the season in a positive way. So I am looking forward to going to Sao Paulo and hopefully achieving another result that I can be happy with.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The Brazilian Grand Prix is always a fantastic occasion and with the intense battle for the World Championship, it will be an exciting weekend for the fans at the circuit and watching around the world. Interlagos provides several challenges with its high altitude location and the bumpy surface creating two of the key engineering considerations when setting up the car. We have had a run of strong results recently, considering our relative performance position, and I am optimistic that we can continue the recent trend at the last two races. Of course this is not a position that we are happy with, and we are working very hard to ensure that we are back where we want to be next year, challenging for race wins.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The last two races of a very exciting Formula One season will take place within eight days in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi which is an enormous challenge at the end of a long and demanding season. Everybody at the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team is fully motivated as the last five races have seen our team achieve the best possible results with our current technical package. We have finished regularly behind the World Championship contenders and sometimes between them. At the last race in Korea, we showed better potential with Michael finishing in fourth place and Nico ahead of the eventual second-placed finisher Lewis Hamilton, prior to being taken out of the race. Everybody in our team is fully focused and concentrated to finish the season with the best possible results and build the baseline for better results on a regular basis in 2011.”

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Driver Michael Schumacher finished the inaugural Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam in fourth place Sunday after an exciting race.

The race, which started under the safety car due to wet conditions, was red-flagged for 50 minutes before restarting once again under the safety car. The dramatic race finished just at the two-hour limit.

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Driver Nico Rosberg overtook Lewis Hamilton to take the fourth position when he was hit by Mark Webber’s spnning car. After the incident, Rosberg was forced into retirement on lap 19

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“I am pretty happy with today’s race and I have to say thank you to my team who guided me perfectly through the afternoon. I am sure that the spectators had a lot of fun here today at this first Korean race. The FIA did very well to start the race behind the safety car as it absolutely would not have been possible to have a racing start. The only shame for us today was that Nico was put out of the race otherwise we would have seen a very good weekend for our team.”

NICO ROSBERG

“We had a near perfect weekend with the car that we have until the collision in the race today. Qualifying in fifth place was great yesterday and the car has felt good all weekend. The team has done a great job here and the straightline speed that we had enabled me to overtake Hamilton early in the race. So it’s a big shame that my race was ended early. It was really difficult to judge which way Mark’s car would go and I took the decision to go left but he spun more and more that way and I just couldn’t avoid him. It’s a real shame as we could have had a great result today.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The team did an excellent job this weekend and have been rewarded with a very good result for Michael today. It could have been even better as Nico was in a strong position and obviously we are disappointed that he was taken out of the race. Nico had made a great overtaking move on Hamilton, he was very happy with the car and everything was going well up that point. Michael had an extremely good race. He took all of his opportunities and drove sensibly in the tricky conditions. We spent the latter part of the race looking after the tyres and making sure that we got through to the end as we didn’t think that we could challenge the leaders. Overall a very positive weekend and we hope to finish the season with equally strong performances.”

NORBERT HAUG

“A good race from Michael today finishing in fourth place behind the World Championship contenders as ‘best of the rest’ after a great manoeuvre to overtake Jenson Button. A shame for Nico who certainly had the possibility of finishing on the podium, given that he was ahead of Lewis who ultimately finished second, when he was caught up in Mark Webber’s incident. A good job from our team here in treacherous conditions with no mistakes made which was very difficult today.”

Formula One makes its first visit to Korea next week for Round 17 of the 2010 World Championship, the Korean Grand Prix, which will be held at the new Korean International Circuit in the South Jeolla region. 400kms from the capital Seoul, the Yeongam track has been designed by Hermann Tilke and will be the largest sports stadium in the country with the capacity for 130,000 spectators. Next week’s Korean Grand Prix will also be the 300th Formula One race for Mercedes-Benz since the company first competed in1954.

NICO ROSBERG

“It will be an exciting challenge to race at the new Korean circuit. It looks great from the pictures that we have seen recently and I hope that the asphalt holds up as it has only been put down very recently. It is always interesting to learn a new circuit and generally I get up to speed quickly so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Finally this year we are going to a circuit which is not only new for me but for all of the drivers. Korea will be a very interesting country to see and even if the track has only just been finished in time, I am confident that everything will be fine. I am very much in favour of new races and I think it is a benefit for all of us in the sport. It should not be too complicated to learn the layout and we are used to adapting quickly to new circumstances. We had quite a good race in Japan last weekend and are hoping that we can move forward again and put on a good show at the first race in Korea.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We are very pleased to be visiting Korea next week and are looking forward to the experience of racing in a new country for Formula One. It is important for the future of our sport that we continue to expand our global fan base therefore we are very pleased that the venue is ready in time after some uncertainty. We have been preparing for the new Korean circuit back at the factory with work on our simulator so we have a good idea of what to expect but as always with a new track, it will be an interesting challenge.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The first Korean Grand Prix will be a completely new experience for everybody involved in Formula One and our team welcomes this new race onto the calendar. The organisers have had a challenging period of time to get the new facilities complete according to the initial plan but everything seems to be ready now. We are looking forward to an exiting first race at this new track in Yeongam where we can hopefully continue to get the maximum from our current technical package, as in the last races, and score additional points.”

Michael Schumacher finished the Japanese Grand Prix in the points today after a good start from 10th position on the grid and a strong race, including an exciting battle with his team-mate, saw him finish in sixth place.  The team was on course for a double points-finish before an accident for Nico Rosberg brought his race to a premature end on lap 48 when he was in sixth position, just ahead of Michael who was then in seventh place.

NICO ROSBERG

“It was a disappointing end to the weekend today. Due to a clutch problem, my start was poor but our strategy was good to change tyres under the safety car on the first lap which enabled me to recover the places and be racing in sixth position. My tyres were suffering from having done such a long stint so it was tough to maintain a good pace but it was enough to keep Michael behind. Then something broke on the rear of the car and put me into the tyre barrier which ended my race early.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“I am quite happy with the race today and the car felt really good. The opportunity to make up places was just what I hoped for and sixth place was the maximum that we could have achieved. It was good racing and it must have been very entertaining for the crowd. It was fun to be racing Nico so it is a shame what happened to him. We are now heading to South Korea and although I don’t really know what to expect, if our car is as good as it was here, then I hope for another encouraging race.”

ROSS BRAWN

“We had a strong race today with both cars and it is very disappointing and frustrating that Nico was unable to finish the race. Our prime concern was for his safety and thankfully he is absolutely fine. Prior to the incident, he was in an excellent position having taken advantage of an early stop under the safety car to make up places lost at the start. Michael also had a very good race today with a great start setting him up to make up positions. It was an entertaining few laps when Nico and Michael were fighting for sixth place and we were happy for them to battle it out. We are looking into the cause of Nico’s accident now and as always there will be a thorough investigation into what happened.”

NORBERT HAUG

“Michael finished in sixth place today and was the first car behind the five drivers fighting for the World Championship. He drove a strong race after he was handicapped with a small technical issue during qualifying. We still need to investigate what happened to Nico’s car six laps before the end when he was in sixth position. It is a real shame that he could not finish and sorry to him for that. Nico drove a faultless race and it was a good strategy to bring him in under the safety car on lap one. Michael proved this weekend that he is strong when we give him the base to do so.”

The first practice sessions for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix got underway today at the Suzuka circuit in dry and warm conditions ahead of the heavy rain showers forecast for qualifying tomorrow.

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS pair Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg completed 47 laps and 35 laps of the 5.807km circuit respectively, loved by drivers for its challenging layout, as they worked on the set-up of their MGP W01 cars.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“It’s a great feeling to be driving this track again. It’s really fun and a great challenge. I have always loved Suzuka and particularly the first sector which is cool and demanding at the same time. If you get it right, you enjoy it big time. I’m pleased with our practice today as the car looks better than I had expected here and I didn’t face any real issues. So now we hope for a clean qualifying tomorrow where we will try to achieve as much as we can.”

NICO ROSBERG

“It’s been quite a challenging Friday for me. Unfortunately my morning was hampered by a gearbox issue which cost me some running time at the end of the session which wasn’t ideal. From then on, I just haven’t been as happy with the car here. I had a lot of understeer which we haven’t established the reason for, so we need to look into that overnight. Things started to come together more on the option tyre which gives me hope that we can build on that progress tomorrow. It should be an interesting weekend with the rain so we will try to make the best of that.”

ROSS BRAWN

“It’s been an interesting Friday as we have worked to learn as much as possible from the dry track before the expected rain arrives this evening. Michael had a positive day with the car running well to allow him to get used to the track again and develop his set-up. Nico had a few challenges with a gearbox issue interrupting his programme this morning and a few concerns with the balance this afternoon. We have a lot of information to work with so we expect to make progress overnight. It could be an interesting qualifying if the rain comes so we’ll need to be on our toes.”

NORBERT HAUG

“There is certainly room for further improvements after today’s practice sessions but we have definitely experienced more challenging Fridays this year. Our race pace today looked quite reasonable but of course we are still not good enough to fight at the front of the field. The forecast for tomorrow is predicting rain so the order we saw today may change in different conditions. Michael and Nico did a good job today taking into account the current capabilities of our car and our target is to repeat this level of performance tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Round 16 of the 2010 Formula One World Championship takes the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team back to the Far East for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit. Hosting its 22nd Grand Prix, Suzuka is a great favorite amongst the Formula One drivers with its unique 5.807km figure-of-eight layout including famous corners such as the Spoon Curve and the high-speed 130R.

NICO ROSBERG

“Suzuka is a great race track and personally I think it is one of the best on the calendar, along with Spa. It is technically challenging, really quick and just a real drivers’ circuit which demands the best out of you and the car. The first sector is definitely the highlight of the lap and part of what makes the whole layout so demanding. We’ve had a decent run of results, considering our performance, with one sixth place and two fifth places so we will be hoping to continue that at Suzuka.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“Suzuka was always one of my favourite circuits of the year as driving the track is simply sensational in parts. Suzuka is technically demanding and has interesting corner combinations so it was a really good feeling when you got it together. I am heading to Japan with some good memories in mind as the track in Suzuka was the scene of some great races for me. Obviously I hope that we can add more and I am definitely up for the challenge. I am sure we will try to get the maximum out of our weekend.”

ROSS BRAWN

“Suzka has hosted some great races over the years and it is one of those tracks that is considered a real classic by drivers and fans alike. The improved circuit and paddock facilities were very impressive last year with the organisers putting on a great show. The last three races have been particularly good for us with regard to our work at the track as a team and our run of points finishes so we will be aiming to continue this trend throughout the final four races.”

NORBERT HAUG

“The layout of the Suzuka circuit is one of the drivers´ favorites on the Formula One calendar. This race in Japan is very special and very demanding for the drivers, teams and cars. As in the last races, our target is to score points and to do the best possible job. We know that we are not yet in a position to win but whilst our technical developments are concentrated on next year´s car, our team at the track will be fully focused on the last four races of the season.”