Sunday: Mercedes maintains its 2nd place in the Constructors’ Championship
Even though the Mercedes drivers' race wasn't easy, the team managed to maintain its second place in the constructors' standings. Nico Rosberg suffered from severe degradation of his rear tires, which cost him after an excellent start. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, was penalized following his collision with Valtteri Bottas but still finished in the points.
Nico Rosberg – 5th:
« Today is a good day for the team and finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship is a huge step forward for us. A big thank you to everyone who made this success possible and congratulations to the team here at the track and in our factories. It was clearly an interesting race today; I got off to a perfect start but then struggled with my rear tires in the first stint and lost a few positions. We could have passed Jenson [Button] in the pits but it was better for us to be cautious and focus on our battle with Ferrari. I’m so happy that we were able to achieve our objective and now everyone can go on holiday and focus on the new challenge that awaits us in 2014. It’s a huge project and there’s a lot of work to do over the winter. I’m looking forward to working with the team to put us in the best possible position for next season. »
Lewis Hamilton – 9th:
« First of all, congratulations to the team today for securing second place in the constructors’ championship. This result means so much to everyone, and I am proud to have been a part of this year. From my point of view, it was a tough race today. I’m not sure exactly what happened with Valtteri [Bottas] and we’re going to have to look at the replay. I thought I went to the left, he out-braked me, and then we touched, but it happened so fast and I was penalized for doing something wrong. I was having a good race up to that point in 4th place and a podium could have been possible as I was closing in on Fernando [Alonso]. That’s why I’m also disappointed with my race, but I’m obviously thrilled for the team. They have done an amazing job this year and really deserve this result. It’s a reward for what I know has been several hard years of work, and my thoughts are with everyone here at the track and in our factories in Brackley and Brixworth. We have so much to look forward to next season, so I’m going to put today behind me and focus on the great year 2014 could be. »
