In what can only be described as a ‘where the hell did he come from’ victory, Mercedes F1 team’s second driver Nico Rosberg achieved his first ever Formula One win at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix. Young Nico, son of F1 legend Keke Rosberg, started the race from pole position and stayed at front, eventually winning the race with a 20s margin over the second placed car. He couldn’t have nailed it better.
This victory is especially important for Mercedes GP team and their entire F1 career. Lately there has been rumors of Mercedes shareholders and influential principals demanding the brand to withdraw from the sport, nagging that it’s not worth the hassle if they’re not winning anything. So maybe what the guys needed at the end of the day was a little push!
The Other Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher also had the chance for something good. He was the fastest driver in the practices, but sadly he could not finish the race. The problem with his car was the pit crew’s incompetence. Michael was forced to retire on lap 13 after his right front wheel was not properly attached at his first pit stop.
As for the other important drivers, Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton both from McLaren finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, while Ferrari drivers Massa and Alonso sucked again, finishing somewhere in the middle. Kimi Raikkonen didn’t do too bad, finishing in 14th place below Massa.
Some facts about this victory:
- This was Nico’s 111th Formula One start, and comes 111 years after Mercedes’ first win at the 1901 Nice Speed Weeks
- It’s the first win for a works Silver Arrow since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, on 11 September in Monza – 25,671 days ago!
- The victory is the tenth in Formula One for a works Silver Arrow, and brings the total number of Mercedes-Benz F1 victories to 90
- Mercedes-Benz powered cars filled the podium for the second time in three years at the Chinese Grand Prix