Mercedes eager for first points finish since Singapore

Mercedes are searching for their first points finish since the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend in India, after two disastrous races for the German marque which has seen them fall into the clutches of Sauber in the Constructors’ Championship. Nico Rosberg has failed to finish the last two races, after collisions on the opening laps.

With Rosberg enduring copious amounts of bad luck during the last two races, Michael Schumacher has failed to be competitive and has become stuck towards the back of the highly competitive midfield. With Kamui Kobayashi finishing a tremendous 3rd at the Japanese Grand Prix, Sauber have become reinvigorated in their plight to catch the German marque for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, Mercedes are hopeful that a return to their points scoring ways is imminent this weekend, with both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg eager to enjoy a competitive race weekend at the still relatively new Buddh International Circuit. Last season saw Mercedes finish 5th and 6th respectively at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, a result which would greatly benefit the team this weekend.

“The Formula One debut of India last year was certainly a success.” Explained Michael Schumacher, “After two races which have not been totally satisfying, we naturally wish for a more positive trend to come, and I can say that everybody in the team has put in a lot of effort to achieve it. Let’s see what we can make out of it.”

Nico Rosberg has unquestionably been dealt the worst luck of any driver up and down the paddock throughout the last two races, with the German driver on the receiving end of other drivers’ mistakes during the opening few corners.

In Japan, Bruno Senna was the culprit in making contact with the Mercedes driver during the first corner melee which also saw Fernando Alonso retire from the race. The same misfortune plagued Rosberg in Korea, only this time it was Kamui Kobayashi who made contact. The 27-year-old is understandably hoping for an incident-free race weekend at India, and will be striving to avoid contact on the opening lap in particular.

“The Buddh International Circuit is very challenging with an interesting combination of slow speed corners and long fast straights.” Said Nico Rosberg, “The track also has one of the highest average speeds in Formula One and is good for overtaking. I hope that I will have a bit more luck than recently next weekend, and I will have the chance to achieve a good result.”

With Sauber hot on their heels, Mercedes are most certainly having the pressure piled upon them as this highly entertaining season draws to a conclusion. The German marque have already been victorious this season, and will definitely prefer to finish ahead of Sauber who have only so far managed podium finishes at best.

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