RACE NEWS // 25.09.2011
Nico finished the Singapore Grand Prix in seventh place this evening whilst Michael retired from the race following a collision.
Nico ran a three-stop option/option/option/prime strategy stopping on laps 9, 22 and 29. After starting on options, Michael stopped on laps 10 and 24, both times for options, prior to his retirement. Michael was running in ninth place when he collided with the rear of Sergio Perez’s Sauber at turn eight on lap 28.
For Ross, the race turned out to be a fairly tough one for the team this evening. “As expected, we didn’t have the pace to match the leaders but we were quite comfortable in the gap behind the top six cars. Unfortunately Michael’s accident hurt us both from his own point of view and that it brought out the safety car at the wrong time for our strategy. Nico then did a very good job to make the set of tyres that he had last for over half of the race. Seventh place was about as much as we could have expected today, and whilst it feels disappointing, we will keep working hard and pushing forward.”
Norbert felt that: “The race developed quite well for us until Michael's incident with Sergio Perez which brought out the safety car. We had no choice but to pit Nico and put him on the prime tyres, on which he then did 31 laps, more than half the race distance. Nico did a very good job to keep the tyres together for such a long stint. Michael's speed before the accident looked good, considering our current technical package, so it is a shame for him as he could perhaps have finished in front of Nico. Without the safety car, and with an ideal strategy for Nico, he could have been in a position to finish one place higher. Thank you to the organisers here in Singapore for hosting this race, which is one of the most spectacular events in the calendar, and produces the best television images over the course of the season.”
Credit: Mercedes GP (www3.mercedes-gp.com)
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