Nico Rosberg Q&A: We must be patient
There’s no doubt that Mercedes is a team under pressure at the moment. And for driver Nico Rosberg, who is still chasing his first Formula One victory after over five years in the sport, it must be a frustrating time. But with so many talented people working under one roof, Rosberg - and plenty of outsiders - believe success is just around the corner…
Q: Was your seventh-place finish in Valencia the best you could achieve?
Nico Rosberg: Well, I would say yes for the race. There is a lot to catch up with, as we have been behind. Here in Silverstone we can maybe annoy one of the leading three teams, as we have a lot of upgrades for this race. Also we need to see how much the new regulations affect our car. So there are a lot of question marks, but maybe there is also a big opportunity here. Our main area for the upgrades is the exhaust system. But we still have not fully understood the whole matter in order to build a car that can compete for the world championship. So there is still a lot to improve.
Q: Last year you finished on the podium. Can you repeat that success this year?
NR: This year it will be much more difficult. Maybe if it rains, then there will be more opportunities to get to the front, but this is also the case for the others. The main reason we are having a difficult time at the moment is that we as a team haven’t done enough on the car. It will take a bit more time for (team principal) Ross Brawn to get the team really working together. So we need to be a little more patient.
Q: How do you rate Silverstone as a track?
NR: It is a great track, because you have a lot of the fast stuff, which is really nice in an F1 car. It is also very challenging to be quick here. You have to set up your car perfectly. The start of course is very unusual, but I think it is going to be a good one - to have the two turns and then brake into the third turn.
Q: You must have done some simulator work to prepare. How will it compare to the reality of the track?NR: It’s difficult to say, but at the end of the day it is a computer and cannot be compared with reality. You can use the information for many things - to prepare yourself. It also takes quite a bit of work to get the simulator itself to a level that is as close to reality as possible. If you take the complexity of the tyres, the temperature and the angles through a turn - it is so difficult to reproduce this with a computer. There are a few things that the simulator is very good for, including judging when to use KERS and when to use DRS. You can train yourself to keep the car under control. This might take you about 10 laps on the simulator.
Q: How do you see the team’s future, and your future with the team?
NR: I feel extremely well at the team. My biggest objective is to be able to attack my competitors. Anything other than that I don’t look at - at the moment - because there is no need to do so. There are many signs that we will be able to put in much better performances soon. Just as an example, Bob Bell is now with us and he is integrating himself so well that the team is really working well together with him. Just yesterday Ross Brawn gave a presentation in front of the 400 team personnel about the future and this has encouraged everyone - including me.
Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)
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