Mercedes’ torrid Hungarian GP has gone from bad to worse as they were handed a £50,000 fine for Rosberg’s wheel loss in the pit lane and then Schumacher was given a 10 place grid penalty for Spa after nearly putting Barrichello in the pit wall. Barrichello had been catching Schumacher for a few laps and finally passed him on the pit straight. But as he passed him, Schumacher still tried to close the door on Barrichello, leaving Barrichello just centimeters away from the pit wall. Mercedes then issued an apology after Rosberg’s stray wheel hit a Williams mechanic.

Michael Schumacher said that it was one of the toughest races of his career. ”Today’s race was probably was one of the toughest that I have had so far. It was pretty edgy to drive the car on the limit so I had to fight my way through the race, and at the end, it was like walking on ice,” the veteran German with seven world championships said, before explaining his move on Rubens Barrichello, which led the Brazilian to request Schumacher was given a disqualification from the race.

“Regarding the overtaking manoeuvre with Rubens, I indicated pretty early that I would move towards the inside and not simply give up the line, and there was just enough space for him to pass me without touching each other. It was a hard fight, and this is what we are here for, but I accept that the FIA stewards saw it as too hard. I look forward to the break now and to coming back out of it stronger in Spa,” Schumacher added.

Nico Rosberg’s race was ended in a rather embarrassing and dangerous fashion when his wheel came loose in the pit lane, before hitting a Williams mechanic. “It was a disappointing end to a difficult weekend today. I didn’t have a good start because I was on the dirty side and I was struggling to find the pace to keep up with Petrov, so it would have been tough to make up much ground. We needed to have a good pit stop to stay ahead of Kubica but unfortunately we had the problem with the right rear wheel. It’s disappointing to have my first retirement of the season but these things happen and we will learn from the experience. After I heard that my tyre hit big Nige, one of my old Williams truckies, I was more concerned about my tyre than him! But seriously, it’s great that he doesn’t have any serious injures and I’m sorry for the incident. We’ll come back in Spa ready to do better,” Rosberg said.

Team boss Ross Brawn explained the day’s events: “Today was very disappointing for the team but sometimes these experiences happen and it is important that we learn from them. Nico and Michael struggled with their starts from the dirty side of the grid and it certainly cost Nico a place. The early safety car brought everyone in for their pit stops with our drivers due in quick succession. We had a problem with the right rear wheel during Nico’s stop and his car was sent without the wheel nut being properly fitted. We will have a thorough investigation into the incident and report our conclusions to the FIA. We are thankful that no serious harm was caused by the stray wheel and send our best wishes to the Williams mechanic who was unfortunately injured. Michael’s stop followed just under five seconds later and he was held whilst we sorted out the problem to ensure there was not a reoccurrence. This cost him a lot of track time at a crucial point and he came out down the field. Michael and Rubens had a tough battle in the closing laps which the stewards ultimately felt was too tough. We don’t necessarily agree with their decision but we do accept the penalty. It’s been a tough weekend but we will go away, lick our wounds and come back stronger at the next few races.”

Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg has said the team have made a ‘real turnaround’. The team put on a dismal display last time out in Valencia, but they have bounced back to score a podium position with their young driver.

“I had a good start today and was happy to be up to fourth place by the end of the first lap,” Rosberg said. “Robert [Kubica] was holding me up and with Fernando [Alonso] pushing hard behind, it wasn’t easy to maintain the place.

“Our strategy was really strong today though so thanks to the guys on the pit wall for their efforts and keeping me out on the options. I had a great lap and with the quick pit stop, it was enough to get me out ahead of Robert, and that made the podium possible.

“It’s been a good effort from the team to turn our situation around after Valencia. We have made a step forward and analysed where we went wrong and to come away with a podium today is fantastic. It’s a real turnaround and I am confident that there is more to come from us.”

Mercedes’ other driver Michael Schumacher did not have such a successful Grand Prix, finishing in 9th position, in a race hindered by traffic. The seven-time F1 champ is looking to bounce back at his home Grand Prix in Germany in two weeks time.

“Again a race which I am not really happy about today,” Schumacher lamented. “It was ok and seeing Nico on the podium is good for the team but my race was obviously less rewarding.

“I was in traffic for most of the race and did not really have a clear track. After the pit stop where I had to push really hard to make it in front of Rubens, I unfortunately made a mistake out of a slow corner which put me off the track. That cost me a lot of time plus two positions and that was it for today. ”

We now look towards Hockenheim where we obviously will do everything to perform in the best possible way.”

Mercedes GP team principal, Ross Brawn and vice-president of Mercedes Motorsport Norbert Haug meanwhile were delighted to see Rosberg on the podium.

“That was a very good performance from Nico today,” said Brawn. “Nico had a great race and we got the maximum out of the car with a strong start, good strategy and impressive driving. Nico pushed as hard as he needed to and produced some great laps at the crucial time so his race went perfectly.”

Haug added: “A great race from Nico and the team. Starting from fifth position, Nico came home in third place to finish on the podium for the third time in the last eight races. Our performance this weekend looked better than a fortnight ago in Valencia.

“I am very happy that the team has achieved a podium finish at our home race and this fits perfectly with the BBQ that we have this evening with all our team members in Brackley.”

Mercedes GP were looking for a good weekend at Silverstone after dismal qualifying and race displays in Valencia. After qualifying 15th and 12th in Valencia their display in Britain was much better, much to the relief of Nico Rosberg.

“I’m really pleased with fifth place today and it shows good progress after being so far back in Valencia at the last race,” Rosberg said. “This is a positive step and important for us to know that we really understood what the problems were and how efficiently we have been able to turn the situation around.

“Everyone at the factory has worked really hard and this gives us a great chance for the race tomorrow at one of our home circuits. My lap was good today and it’s nice to be fighting back up there towards the front again. I’m looking forward to the race and if I get a good start, then we have every reason to expect a strong result.”

While Nico Rosberg may be happy, Michael Schumacher is ‘disappointed’ with 10th. The veteran German made mistakes after pushing too hard.

“Clearly I am disappointed after today’s qualifying as I couldn’t get my lap together in Q3. After the second session which was pretty good, I wasn’t able to maximise my performance and I am obviously unhappy about my grid position. I made a small mistake on my first quick lap so I slowed down to give the tyres the possibility to work again for the second fast lap. But there wasn’t much more to come and so I pushed harder and therefore made some mistake,” the seven-time Formula 1 champion lamented.

“Now I will have to work hard for the race tomorrow which will be difficult from where I am starting as overtaking here is not really possible. I have to do a good start and see how far I can get. I will certainly try to make the most out of it,” Schumacher added.

Mercedes GP team principal, Ross Brawn said: “Nico did a very good job today and his fifth place puts us in a decent position for the race. Michael looked quick after Q2 and we were expecting an equally strong Q3 however he made a mistake on his lap and unfortunately that was it. But we saw today what Michael is capable of and that’s encouraging for the future.

“This is an important weekend for the team as we focus on consolidating our position and today probably finds us in our natural position in the order right now. We have a fantastic team and I am pleased that they have had some modest reward today from the commitment and hours of hard work that went into our upgrades. Of course the race is what counts so we will wait and see what happens tomorrow.”

TEAM PRINCIPALS: Ross BRAWN (Mercedes), Tony FERNANDES (Lotus), Christian HORNER (Red Bull), Martin WHITMARSH (McLaren)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: First of all a little recap of how the day has gone for all of you. How have things gone for Lotus Racing?

Tony FERNANDES: Tough day today. We had three gearbox failures, two on Jarno’s (Trulli) car and one on Heikki’s (Kovalainen). One of those things. We had some good pace. Heikki managed to get some good pace and we still feel there is something left in the car. But it was a shame we had the failures that we had.

Q: Ross, things seem to be better for you?

Ross BRAWN: So far, but we have often had good Fridays and then found the rest of the weekend more difficult. But the car is not too bad. We are trying to consolidate more with a couple of the changes we have made over the last couple of races and get the maximum from them this weekend as opposed to adding a lot of new stuff. It is a consolidation weekend. Drivers are reasonably happy today. The car seemed quite respectable on high fuel, but a bit tricky out there later on with the gusts. We saw a lot of cars going off. The gusty wind was making it a bit edgy for the drivers but not too bad.

Q: Christian?

Christian HORNER: Well, it is great to be back at Silverstone and firstly on a Friday to  see so many people here is fantastic. With the changes to the circuit we were a little concerned that it would take a bit away from the character of the track, but it seems to have worked pretty well. There are a couple of bumps that are a bit tricky, but I think it still offers a big challenge to the drivers. They seem to enjoy the circuit, the new element of the circuit. We have run through a pretty standard programme to here, both drivers testing different aspects, both seem pretty happy and for Silverstone… I was amazed today to see track temperature at 40 degrees, something that you wouldn’t usually expect to see. A pretty positive day. We had an issue with Mark’s (Webber)… an electrical issue on Mark’s car at the end of the day, nothing major. He got a little bit of down-time at the end for Mark but overall pretty happy with the way the day has gone.

Q: Martin?

Martin WHITMARSH: I think a difficult day for us really. A new package. I think we have got to do a lot of learning. I think we have some useful information. We have now to turn that information into a way in which we can make the car quicker tomorrow. Really exploring the car. I wouldn’t say a lot of the time that the drivers were comfortable, but we were learning and we will take that data and see what we can do this evening.

Q: How important is this event as a home race. You are all based in the UK, but some of you also have bases elsewhere.

TF: I think it is very important. It is where it all started for me. I met Mike Gascoyne here a year ago. I feel as though I have been in Formula One for 100 years, but it was only one year ago that the first idea came out. Of course it is great for the team to be back here. It is great to see a Lotus car back at Silverstone, so it is important. Hopefully we can deliver something to be worthy of the Lotus name. It has been a fantastic start for us, but expectations grow and grow and grow. Let’s hope we can bring two cars home. We have had lots and lots of emails, lots and lots of people saying they are coming. In Snetterton the other day we had 22,000 people turn up. That was quite an eye-opener for me and many of them said they are going to be here on Sunday, so let’s hope that we can give a performance that’s worthy of the name and the support that we are getting.

RB: Very meaningful race for me. It is a circuit where when I was working with Frank Williams,  Frank won his first grand prix with Clay Regazzoni, so it has got some very fond memories and it is nice to be at a race that some of our staff can enjoy. We are based here but we are very multi-national. We have four home grands prix as we have Britain,  Hockenheim, Abu Dhabi and with Petronas we have Malaysia, so we are fortunate that we have four races with extra pressure.

Q: Christian, an Austrian team but based down the road in Milton Keynes.

CH: It’s our local grand prix and this weekend we have pretty much all the factory coming up over the course of the weekend. It is the one time that they get to see the cars in action. It is fantastic to be back at Silverstone. We all thought that perhaps last year might be the last year but it is great the work Damon Hill has done with the BRDC to secure the future of the British Grand Prix here at Silverstone. I think it is one of the circuits that is still amongst the favourites of the drivers. It still offers a massive challenge, an adrenalin rush for the drivers to compete around here. I think it is important that we retain the historic events combined with the modern events such as Singapore and Abu Dhabi. It is tremendous to see the turn-out even on a Friday that is here this weekend. It is one of the highlights of the calendar and a race we are keen to run well at.

MW: I think as the guys have said it is great for a lot of people at the factory to be able to come and see the cars and I think that is important. It is very special for that reason. It is a campsite grand prix. It is a grand prix where you are very aware of people who have camped out for three or four days. They are very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic, and you meet them. I think that is quite special and it is something which increasingly we don’t have in Formula One where perhaps we haven’t developed that level of following and that history in some of the new circuits that we go to.

Q: Another question to all of you. What has been your drivers’ reaction to the new circuit? What did they think about it?

TF: The initial thought was they kind of missed the old circuit. But they grew to like it towards the end, what they did run of it. They felt there was a little bit of low grip in the new bits but overall they enjoyed the circuit.

RB: I think they are fine with it. It is not such a dramatic change. There is a bit of an issue with the bumps adjoining the old and new circuit which brings a bit of a challenge but they are fine with it and I think it hasn’t taken anything away from the great character of Silverstone. I am not sure if it has added a lot but it certainly they are pleased with it and there is nothing strange.

CH: I think it is an interesting addition to the track. It puts the track close to six kilometres which is a very long lap now. I think the only thing probably the circuit has given away is Bridge Corner which was a real challenge for the drivers and spectacular to see a grand prix car through there. But it has got a different characteristic, it adds a different dimension to the track. It puts an added emphasis on slow speed performance rather than just high speed predominance and it is another dimension and interesting challenge. The drivers have reasonably enjoyed it. There is a big bump through Abbey that you probably have all seen which is a little bit tricky but it is the same for everyone. Different, not necessarily better or worse, but just different. An added challenge.

MW: I think our guys were spending the day exploring the new car and the set-ups of that, not so much the circuit,  so I don’t think I have got anything to add to what has already been said. I think we were trying to understand what we have got here in the way of a car rather than understand the circuit.

Q: Tony, what have been the repercussions as far as you are concerned within the Lotus team after the accident at Valencia? Has anything changed?

TF: No, nothing at all. I am still friendly with Christian and vice-versa. No, nothing at all.

Q: There wasn’t anything that you could have said to the driver?

TF: We were perfectly happy with what Heikki did. He was racing. He braked at the right place. The telemetry said so. That’s just racing.

Q: Ross, you talked about what you hoped was an improved performance here and about the various bits that have gone on the car. Has it been already improving what has gone on the car and really sorting it out, something which I suspect every team has got to do with these blown rear wings, blown diffusers etc.?

RB: I think there is an interesting chemistry to this year. With Christian’s team we have got one team which is setting the standard in terms of pace and we are all trying to catch up and in trying to do that you take jumps but sometimes you fall over and with no testing it is very easy to make a slightly wrong move and the field is so close. I think Nico (Rosberg) in Valencia was six-tenths off the fastest time in Q2, but he didn’t make it to Q3. You get a  few things wrong in trying to put your package together, perhaps don’t pay attention to the fundamentals as you are chasing these new features and you can fall away very quickly. I know Christian said this the other day and I always said it at Ferrari. There are no silver bullets. There is no one thing that you turn a switch and you suddenly find a huge amount of lap time. It is an accumulation of smaller things and because they are smaller things they are very often difficult to quantify and know that they are definite improvements. It is pretty challenging this environment of Formula One. But it is the same for all the teams, it is just a different type of challenge now to perhaps the one we had five or 10 years ago and I think it brings to the fore the need for modelling, simulation, driver-in-loop simulators, those sort of facilities which the top teams are building up to substitute for testing.

Q: Martin, the same question to you. You are not at the bottom of the rung but is that what you are experiencing now, particularly with the bits that were brought at half-past-one this morning?

MW: Yeah, I think everyone in the factory is pushing hard and we are bringing the parts here. I think the issue is that often when you are developing the car you are incrementally bringing downforce to the car, the balance of the car. The driving set-up characteristics don’t change dramatically but with the changes that we are evolving all of us on the cars apart from Christian, then it requires a different approach, a different driving style, a different set-up, so in an era where there is not very much testing it is quite difficult to go and nail that. You have a limited number of tyres, fairly limited number of time and laps to do it in. That’s the challenge. That’s the modern era of Formula One and we have got to take all the data we have got today, make some decisions on what we are going to do tomorrow and hopefully get it right.

Q: Christian, do you see everyone getting closer and closer to you? And what does it take with those various bits to then develop them further?

CH: As we all know if you stand still in this business you tend to go backwards. As a team we are working very well. I think we have managed to add performance to the car at every grand prix so far this year and we have got a few little bits here which are helping as well. It is testimony to the effort that is going on in the factory 10 miles or so from here that as a group the extra mile they are going to get the components to the car, the hours that are going in, are just immense. Our performance is very much a team performance. I cannot speak too highly of the effort that is going in at the moment. Inevitably when you are setting the pace you are there to be shot at effectively. People tend to cherry pick bits and pieces or highlight bits of the car that might add performance but at the end of the day as we all know it is the package that counts. The guys have done a great job in evolving that package and the car, for example, here compared to where it was in Bahrain at the beginning of the year is considerably different but we can only focus on our own, getting  performance to the car and hopefully that will be enough to keep us towards the front. We must never underestimate the likes of McLaren who have got tremendous heritage and also Ferrari and obviously the other big teams such as Mercedes. It is a very healthy situation for Formula One that there is not one team running away with things at the front of the field.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Martin, this new upgraded package was originally intended for Hockenheim and it’s obviously been a rush to get it here. Perhaps you can give us some more insight as to how much of a last minute rush it has been to get everything done?

MW: As has been described, parts were still arriving at 1.30 a.m. There are a lot of new components on the car. People have worked incredibly long hours and day and night to just get those parts here. I think all of us, from Lotus through to Red Bull, we’re all very proud to be part of organisations that are fighting to improve every fortnight. Formula One is an infectious business. Wherever you are on the grid you want to be one or two places further forward and that produces such commitment from people within our teams that while we are here talking about it, the amount of effort that people put in is phenomenal. It’s a big effort. You’ve not only got to get the components, you’ve got to assemble them onto the car. Mechanics here worked very, very late. I’m sure they’re going to be working through tonight as well as we consolidate those parts, make sure that they’re working, make sure that we have the right specification of car tomorrow. We had a number of different parts on the car here today, we’ve got to try and pick through the data, make sure that we’ve got the best package that we can provide to our drivers tomorrow.

Q: (Tom Clarkson – Tom Clarkson and Associates) Christian, you made a reference there to Bahrain. If you took the RB6 back to Bahrain now, could you put a number on how much quicker it would be?

CH: Very difficult. Usually Murray (Walker) asks the difficult questions. Difficult to say, probably somewhere close to a second, possibly. The pace of development is very high and the thing you never get a chance to do is go backwards. In the current regulations we have to try and rely on our simulation tools, be it wind tunnel or CFD and there are very few components that we’ve put on our car this year which have actually come off. Everything that’s gone onto the car has pretty much added performance. You’ve got to assume that you’re probably looking at around a second between now and Bahrain.

Q: (Bob Bull – BBC Three Counties Radio) You talk about these increments you make each race, the little additions. How do you actually discover what they are and how you need them? To the general members of the public over there it seems a bit strange. Perhaps you could explain why you think or how you think about a modification that improves the car. What’s the process?

RB: The tools we have, which Christian just touched on: we have the wind tunnel, we have simulation tools, modelling tools. We know the factors which make a car go faster. There are some very simple, fundamental factors: if you have more downforce, or you have less drag, or you have a lower centre of gravity; those things normally bring added performance. The challenge for the engineers is that there’s rarely one dimension to any changes you make. There are often two or three dimensions to the effect that it has on the car and trying to unravel those extra dimensions come from added performance or perceived added performance which is very challenging. To give you an example, it’s very easy to make a front wing which is more efficient with more downforce but might be more sensitive to the height it runs at, so on the track, it’s not necessarily a quicker front wing. It’s when you get into that added dimension that it becomes complex and where we need to continue to develop the tools and the assessment methods we use. Years ago we just went out on the track and pounded round, using dozens of sets of tyres, and try to establish the performance gains that way. Now it’s actually quite different. But we all know the things that make a car go faster. Our aerodynamicists know that if they find more downforce, if they find less drag, more efficiency, then the car will go faster. So we’ve got lots of groups of engineers looking at areas and trying to find ways of improving their area. And it’s not just the aerodynamics, it’s the mechanical performance, it’s the structural performance, it’s new materials. Everyone in the company who is responsible for performance is trying to find five per cent, ten per cent every year and it just accumulates into an improved car.

Q: (Mike Doodson) In the good old days, if there had been an incident like the one that we saw in Valencia between Tony’s car and Christian’s, with a bit of luck, we, the journalists would have been rewarded with the two drivers rushing to each others’ pits to punch each others’ lights out. It’s very frustrating to see the two of you being so terribly polite to each other. It was still a bloody great big shunt. I had a disagreement with a colleague of mine about who was to blame. Tony said earlier on that Heikki braked at the correct point. I’m sure that Mark Webber would disagree with that. It also looked to me as though Heikki was dithering. He couldn’t decide whether he was about to be lapped or whether he was racing. Could we perhaps have a little bit more interplay between the two of you, and perhaps some figures about who did brake at what point and whether it was correct or not?

TF: First point is that he (Heikki) wasn’t in any position of being lapped, he was racing. Mark came out of the pits and Heikki was ahead of him and he was racing for his position. So there was no dithering at all, he kept his line, he was straight on his line and according to our telemetry, he braked exactly at the right place, so we hold him at no responsibility at all.

CH: I spoke with Heikki this morning and I said to him that it might be a good idea to fit some brake lights because the braking point was what took Mark completely by surprise more than anything. At that point in the race, Mark knew that he needed to pass Heikki quickly and he was tight in his slipstream, Heikki was in the middle of the circuit. I think it was not having followed cars in that proximity, so closely previously, where previously we’ve only ever lapped them, it just took Mark completely by surprise how early Heikki braked. There’s obviously a performance difference between the cars. Yes, Heikki was in the middle of the circuit but the closing speed was… at that point, Mark was doing just over 300kph and the resulting impact was quite horrific. At that point of time, all you can really think about is your driver’s safety. Both drivers ended up having reasonably sized accidents, Mark’s being the far more spectacular. We were just relieved to see him get out of the car unaided and without injury, and it’s testimony to the regulations, to the design of the car, to the strength of the car that he’s managed to be sitting in a grand prix car this weekend. I think it’s wrong to place fault at Heikki. Mark was in a situation where he knew he had to pass and I think that the closing speed at that point was just so phenomenal, it just took him completely by surprise. It was one of those things, but there’s no point of Tony and I getting excited about it, just relief that certainly our driver was OK.

Q: (Ya’acov Zalel – Hege Magazine) Question to Christian and Martin: both of you are managing the four drivers who are running for the World Championship. How much time are you dedicating to managing the relationship between your two drivers, what resources are invested in this? Are you using any kind of psychology or scientific methods? And Christian, it’s the first time that two of your drivers are running for the World Championship, what kind of experience is this for you?

CH: I think the most important thing is the way that we treat our drivers with transparency and equality. They’re both competitive, they’re both hungry, they’re both at different stages in their career and they both get equal priority and treatment from the team. For us, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which one of those drivers wins a grand prix, so long as it’s in a team car. As we saw earlier in the year they had an incident in Istanbul where perhaps they pushed each other a bit too hard but they’ve raced each other on many occasions where they have gone wheel-to-wheel, such as in Malaysia and in China to think of two examples this year, and we will continue to support both drivers equally. They’re not pretending to be best mates, they’re competitors at the end of the day. That’s what we employ them to be and the most important thing is that they get the job done, not only for themselves but for the team, and that they work together in a very professional manner and a very constructive manner, they drive the car in a similar way. I’m sure they won’t be spending Christmas together but it’s a very constructive and positive environment within the team. I think the most important thing for any driver is to know that he’s getting equality of equipment and priority.

MW: I endorse everything that Christian just said. I think that on top of that, I think that if the drivers are communicating, not just professionally but socially, then I think that that creates an environment where they are more likely to understand the motivations and moves that each of them make. But in both teams, clearly those drivers want to win, they want to beat their team-mate, so it always has the potential for some tension and I guess that’s something that the media is looking forward to, some of that tension, because it’s something to write about, it’s entertaining to see it, particularly if it goes wrong. I think in both teams at the moment, Red Bull and McLaren – obviously I know the situation at McLaren rather better than at Red Bull – I think you’ve got some balanced young men. They want to beat everybody, they particularly want to beat their team-mates. They’re willing to race, they’re willing to push it quite hard. Our guys haven’t touched quite as hard as the Red Bull drivers – yet – but they will continue to race each other and all four of those drivers in question want to be World Champion this year. That’s just how it should be. I think if we sat here and said it will never go wrong, I think that would be ludicrous. I think ‘has it gone wrong so far in McLaren?’ No, not this year and I hope that it won’t as the year progresses but I hope that the tension remains because if it does, it means that they are both still in contention.

Q: (Murray Walker) Martin, since we’re clearly not going to have a punch-up between Tony and Christian, can I ask you if you’re going to have a punch-up with Bernie (Ecclestone) about the continuing need for the Formula One Teams Association, and if so whether your extra height, reach and youth will win the day?

MW: I think people will draw lines between FOTA, between the FIA and between FOM. The fact is that Formula One’s got quite a lot of challenge: economic challenge, we’ve got challenge from all sorts of other forms of entertainment. The intelligent thing is actually we work on improving the sport together and it needs the governing body, the competitors and the commercial rights holder to co-operate. Now, there won’t always be everything that we agree upon, but I don’t think we’re trying to compete, fight… we’re really trying to find ways in which we can work together. Now it’s difficult enough to have the teams working together. I think what FOTA has been able to achieve so far has been outstanding. While we talk about team-mates, there’s always tensions between the teams. I think providing we’re very honest and straightforward about that – we all want to beat each other, we all want to get as much of an advantage one each other as we can – but if we do so without regard to the future of the sport, developing it and improving it, then we do so at our peril. I think FOTA demonstrated fantastic compromise between all of the teams, for what it’s achieved so far, in terms of cost-saving, facilitating the championship, helping some teams to be here that wouldn’t otherwise be here. So I think that there’s a list of achievements. I think we’re now trying to understand how we can engage with fans, how we can demonstrate that Formula One can be a socially responsible sport as well, that we’ve got a lot more work to do and Formula One is far from perfect, as we all know here, but underlying it is all the things we talked about earlier on, the great commitment within the teams, people that work in the sport, the passion that exists here to try and win. So I think we’re looking forward to working with Bernie, not slugging it out with him, and making the sport better.

“It’s been a decent start today and we have been able to get on top of many of our problems from Valencia. We achieved some good set-up work to optimise the aero package. It’s not easy to understand and find the optimum so it was good to make progress there and I think that we’ve found a good direction. Our pace this afternoon was reasonable and we seem to be getting the most out of the car. I like the changes that they have made to the circuit here and it’s a great track to drive.”

Michael Schumacher (9th, 6th)

“It was quite a reasonable Friday which went according to our expectations and it looks as if our updates have helped. Saying that, it looked similar in Valencia on Friday so I prefer to see what more we will find out tomorrow. The new part of the circuit is certainly interesting. It’s very fluid and fast but there is no overtaking possibility which is a bit of pity for me. The bump at Abbey is tricky, a lot of the drivers had to really work their steering wheel, so it is likely that this will be discussed more deeply in the drivers briefing today.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal, Mercedes GP Petronas

“We’ve had a positive day but then we have had good Fridays before. The car is not too bad and the refinements that we have made to our updates seemed to have solved the temperature issues that we faced in Valencia. This is really a consolidation weekend for us where our focus is on the basics of tyres, fuel and set-up. Nico and Michael were reasonably happy today and our pace on high fuel looked good. It was tricky this afternoon with the gusty wind making it a bit edgy for the drivers and giving variable data but we have a lot of information to look at this evening. Silverstone is a great venue and it’s nice to be at a race which our staff can attend and enjoy.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“We did a lot of laps today and learned a lot about the new layout of the Silverstone circuit. Our lap times with heavy fuel loads did not look too bad and we certainly can improve further. It will be important to get a reasonable position on the grid tomorrow to provide a good base for the race on Sunday.”

Rosberg told the Cologne Express:

“The problem with the tyres is well known within the team. For weeks, we have said we would move forward but nothing happened – in fact we’re going backwards. If one is twelfth behind both Williams, who were nowhere weeks ago, what can you expect from there? I went from Williams to Mercedes because I thought I’d have a car capable of winning.”

It has been well documented that the German squad has struggled to make its tyres work properly in qualifying, something that has compromised its race chances, and Ross Brawn has suggested that if an aero upgrade doesn’t do the trick, they could start on their 2011 car early:

“We have not done our job well enough. First we have to bring our new aero package up to scratch. Depending on how the results look, we will then decide if we will focus early on next season.”

This news comes after Mercedes were reportedly considering a 10 per cent cut to its formula one budget. Times look tough at the team we were expecting to be challenging for the title, and maybe getting a headstart for 2011 isn’t such a bad idea after all…

The 32-year-old German Heidfeld has participated in every F1 season from his debut in 2000, and has amassed 219 career points, and 12 podiums, but unfortunately has never won a Grand Prix.

“I am very pleased to be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. It’s the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over fifty years. Whilst I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year.”

Nick Heidfeld

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn said:

“It’s a great pleasure for us to have signed a driver of the calibre and experience of Nick Heidfeld as our Reserve Race Driver and Test Driver for the 2010 season. Nick has over ten years of experience in Formula One working with established teams and he will be a great asset to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. I am confident that his input into the development of our MGP W01 car will be invaluable. We look forward to welcoming Nick to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and working closely with him.”

Ross Brawn

The head of Mercedes motorsport, Norbert Haug added:

“To sign Nick Heidfeld as Reserve Race Driver and Test Driver for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team means another re-enforcement for our team. We have known each other for many years and Nick was supported by our junior drivers programme from 1997. During his 10 years in Formula One, circumstances often made it difficult for him to achieve his breakthrough. However Nick is extremely capable, he will be an asset to our team and he will show this.”

Norbert Haug

Image (C) LAT

Today in Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the new Mercedes GP F1 livery was revealed, on last year’s Brawn GP car. Over 600 guests, including 200 media representatives and 200 Mercedes-Benz employees were present.

The new silver and green livery creates a true marriage between the heritage of the Silver Arrows and the team’s title partner PETRONAS. The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifel Race when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race car to fulfil weight regulations (750kg formula) and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver and green shading. On the nose and other parts of the car, traces of black carbon fibre visible are visible – a reminder of the first Silver Arrow of 1934.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER:

“Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up! I have to say that I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We have a World Champion team in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced that MERCEDES GP PETRONAS will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get underway.”

NICO ROSBERG:

“You can really feel the successful motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz here at the Museum in Stuttgart and to be part of the new Silver Arrows team and that racing heritage makes me feel extremely proud and motivated. Since joining the team in November, I have spent a lot of time at the factory in Brackley, at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and here in Stuttgart, which has given me the opportunity to settle in and get to know everyone. I have seen how hard the team is working on the new car and I really can’t wait for the opportunity to drive it for the first time in Valencia next week. I am looking forward to working with everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and will give it my all to reward their fantastic efforts with good on-track results this season.”

ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS:

“It is a privilege to be here at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart today for the official presentation of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. With your first look around the Museum, you realise the fantastic racing heritage of Mercedes-Benz and we hope to be able to contribute to those successes going forward. Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week. We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar, our new title partner PETRONAS and all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula One season with anticipation.”

NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT:

“With today’s presentation of our new MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team, a new and certainly the most important chapter of over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history begins. The new Formula One season will offer challenges which will be bigger than ever before in over sixty years of the sport’s history. We look forward to the cooperation with our drivers Nico Rosberg who has enormous capabilities and perspectives, and with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher who is no less motivated than at the time when he began his professional motor racing career with Mercedes-Benz and then made his first step into such a successful Formula One career with our support. Today I also cordially welcome our new title partner PETRONAS as well as our co-investor Aabar/IPIC together with all of our team partners. I warmly welcome all our colleagues from last year’s World Championship team Brawn GP headed by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry to the Mercedes family. There are challenging tasks ahead of us and we will tackle them with power, consistency and full motivation.”

Gallery

Images (C) www.hoch-zwei.net/LAT

They also report that the returning Michael Schumacher will not drive the car until an official test on February 10 in Jerez, meaning Nico Rosberg will drive the car first.

Jenson Button who won the 2009 World Championship driving for Ross Brawn’s Brawn GP team said:

“This really is the crowning glory to what has been the most incredible year of my life.

“To be recognised by the Queen and the British people is a tremendous honour.”