Sunday: Mercedes finishes in the points despite a difficult race
The two Mercedes drivers had to deal with unforeseen events that cost them a few positions. On one hand, Lewis Hamilton had to slow down the pace to preserve his tires for a longer duration. On the other, Nico Rosberg encountered issues with his front wing. A tough race for both drivers who still managed to finish in the points.
Lewis Hamilton – 5th:
« It wasn’t a great day for us and I feel like we deserved better as a team. After Grosjean got ahead of me at the start, there was no way to pass and it seemed like we were losing time on the other cars all day. In my second stint, my front right just got destroyed all of a sudden. When that happens, you start losing temperature, understeering, and locking up under braking, so it was really difficult to maintain pace. It was a very tough part of the race but I had to reach a certain number of laps before making the final stop. Our car was very strong in the middle sector but not fast enough in the straights to stay ahead. It was a nice battle with Fernando but it’s hard to appreciate when it’s only for P5 or P6. It simply wasn’t a good race for us today but we have a chance to bounce back at Suzuka. »
Nico Rosberg – 7th:
It was a very difficult new race for me. I can’t believe what happened with the wing: I was on track for a podium place after passing Lewis and two seconds later, the front wing broke. It was quite frightening because it could have been a dangerous situation, but the engineers told me on the radio that it was under control and I could speed towards the pits. It’s really a shame because the car was in great shape today, I found a good balance and how to get the best out of the car, which I hadn’t managed until this point in the weekend. There have been a lot of ups and downs this season for me so far, but it’s a good thing we have another race in a week. Our car is very competitive and I had a good pace compared to the cars on the podium. So I’m looking forward to the next races.
