Mercedes F1 has a big chance to play in India

Sebastian Vettel was obviously untouchable during qualifying for the Indian Grand Prix, but the drivers Mercedes were able to place themselves at the forefront by preferring soft tires for Q3 unlike certain opponents such as Mark Webber or Fernando Alonso. The Brackley team will therefore try to do a first short stint before continuing the race on medium tires. A good result would allow him to return to the race for 2nd place in the Championship against the Team Ferrari where it is ten points behind. “We committed to starting with these tires, but we managed to put the two cars in a good position and we can be satisfied with the result”, comments Ross Brawn, director of Mercedes AMG F1. “It's been a tough weekend so far with the car setup, but the engineers and drivers have done a very good job. Now we have to finish it. »

Nico Rosberg was aware that he could not chase the triple world champion's RB9, but the German remains very happy to start from the front row. “I just wanted to be 'the best of the rest' in qualifying and I'm really happy with this second place. The race will be difficult against Mark (Webber) tomorrow because he has a more competitive car and starts with a different strategy, but we will do our best. For the team, the most important thing is to win as many points as possible to secure 2nd place in the Manufacturers' Championship. » His teammate Lewis Hamilton also hopes to stand out after posting similar performances. “I am satisfied with this result because the weekend has been complicated so far. I'm delighted that we are both in the top three. I had a good time even if I lost a little time in the last corner. It will obviously be tomorrow's day that counts and the race promises to be difficult with the different strategies and tire choices. I hope to get off to a good start, quickly taking advantage of the soft tires before giving it my all with the mediums. »

Click on this link to see photos of the Indian Grand Prix practice sessions.