Schumi: “In Valencia concentrate on redemption”

Michael Schumacher and Mercedes are eager to go to Valencia for the European GP in ten days to make up for the bad impression seen in Canada, when the German was forced to retire due to a DRS failure.

“Our attention is entirely on the Valencia race, and I'm sure that everyone's motivation is even stronger, because the weekend in Canada didn't go as we had hoped”, said the former Ferrari driver. “Our motto in recent days has been to roll up our sleeves and concentrate on work, the whole team has taken this approach to heart, and we can go to Valencia with a calm state of mind and convinced that we will do well. The port area is particularly pleasant and, given its location, the circuit is also very interesting, so let's see what performance we can have. There's always a bit of an America's Cup atmosphere in Valencia, which makes this race a special event that we always enjoy taking part in.", Schumacher explained.

Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes can match Montreal's performance: “Valencia is a pretty cool city and it's always nice to visit, there's the track which is another street circuit, but it's quite different to Monaco or Singapore because it's faster and wider. The layout is also a bit like Montreal and therefore it should be a suitable circuit for our car. I was at the factory this week and I know how hard everyone is working to improve the car, so let's hope for a good weekend in Valencia to reward all their efforts.", insisted the German.

Norbert Haug, vice president of Mercedes Motorsport, explains that at the Brixton headquarters they worked to avoid repeating the fools seen in Canada and to give Schumacher the same reliability as Rosberg. “The European GP will be the third consecutive race on a temporary circuit, after Monaco and Canada. Seven corners are taken under 100km/h but straight line speeds are similar in Canada, and cars brake from over 285km/h to under 100 on five separate occasions during the lap. The weather is generally warm and sunny, which is naturally reflected in high track temperatures. Nico's race and his lap times in Canada, where track temperatures exceeded 40 degrees, demonstrated that our car is capable of dealing with these extreme conditions well with the right set-up. Our priority for the next race is to achieve the same standard of reliability for Michael's car that we have seen so far this year with Nico, who has completed every lap so far this season. Since his victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on April 15, no other driver has scored more points than Nico. The goal is to continue this trend”, concluded Haug.

Lorena Bianchi