Sunday: A first podium for Hamilton and Mercedes
On the Mercedes side, there is satisfaction with the performances by Hamilton and Rosberg, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. The German, who deserved his teammate's position, had to comply with team orders, playing it safe by ensuring both cars finished the race. As a result, the team secured its first podium of the season and hopes to achieve more in the upcoming races.
Lewis Hamilton – 3rd:
« It was a fantastic job by the team today. They worked so hard over the winter and to achieve a podium in the second race of the season is a great reward, especially here in Malaysia. I must say a big bravo to Nico. He drove a smarter race than I did this afternoon and deserved to finish where I did. The team asked us to hold our positions and we both respected that. The race was tough; we were fighting with Red Bull and adopted an aggressive fuel strategy, but they were simply too good today. However, finishing third and fourth is still a very good result for us and only increases our motivation to keep closing that gap. »
Nico Rosberg – 4th:
« It was a big day for us as a team and we can be very happy with our performance this weekend. It was a good feeling to be competitive and to set the fastest times during the race. Thanks to everyone in the team for all the hard work, such results are well deserved. Of course, it was a bit disappointing for me to have to hold my position, but I understand the team’s decision to secure our positions and ensure both cars finish with a strong team result, especially with the tough times we’ve experienced. There are many races to come and today’s performance motivates me to fight even harder for the podium in the future. »
