Nico Rosberg was delighted to score his second 4th place finish in succession at the German Grand Prix and signalled that there was more of the same to come from the Grove squad.
Starting from 15th on the grid, Nico Rosberg made good of a fantastic start to end up 9th on the first lap. Thereafter the young German’s solid pace and a good strategy by the team meant that Rosberg was able to leapfrog the two Brawn during the final pit stop phase and finish in a strong 4th.
Points may have also been on offer for Kazuki Nakajima had the Japanese driver not collided with Jarno Trulli in the opening corners. Despite good pace he could manage no more than a disappointing 12th.
Nico Rosberg – 4th: “It was a fantastic result for us today. As I started 15th, I honestly wasn’t expecting too much but I took a few chances on the opening lap and finished it in 9th place! Although I had more fuel than anyone else, I kept pushing hard and that, together with a little luck that Heikki Kovalanien had created a bit of traffic jam behind him, helped for sure. I was also carrying a problem with the fuel system, so it was quite eventful and makes the race outcome even better. We are continually progressing with our car, our development is looking good and because of this our pace is right up there. I am looking forward to Hungary now, because I think it will be another race where we can have a good result.”
Kazuki Nakajima – 12th: “My race was really defined by my first lap. I was hit by Jarno and almost went off, but in the process I dropped right to the back of the field. It was a shame because my race was ruined from there. However I think our pace was good today, certainly a pace that would have got us close to the points. Our strategy would have worked well too, but all of this is unimportant now.”
Sam Michael, Technical Director: “It was a good day for the team today, the best result so far this year. Nico had a great first lap and did what he needed to do to make his race work. We had a fuel system problem on his car which meant that he had to come in early for both stops and carry 15 kilos of extra fuel from the first stop to the end of the race, which is worth half a second a lap. However, fourth is a great result and what we deserved for our efforts today. Kazuki was quick today too, but just wasn t in the right place at the right time with the traffic. Having started in 13th and 15th, it is good to have finished fourth and consolidate our place in the championship. Well done to Mark and it was great to hear the Australian national anthem in the paddock.”
