Mercedes head to the second round of the 2012 Formula 1 championship in high spirits, despite their poor result in Melbourne last weekend.
The team’s race result wasn’t a representation of their true pace, with Michael Schumacher having retired with a gearbox problem, whilst Nico Rosberg finished outside of the points despite the pair having qualified 4th and 7th respectively.
The Sepang International Circuit should suit their car which had the second highest top-speed behind McLaren in Melbourne. With its multiple long straights, Schumacher admits he’s anticipating a strong result for the Brackley outfit.
“After the disappointment of how the first race in Melbourne turned out, I am flying to Malaysia with a big sense of anticipation, because we saw in Australia that our car is capable of putting us in the mix,” said the German.
“Of course, we haven’t forgotten that the circuit in Melbourne is not really representative of the true competitive picture, but nevertheless the car gives me a good feeling for the season ahead.
“Sepang will be interesting for everybody because it will be the first clue to the real relative strengths of all the cars,” he added. “The range of slow and fast corners give a good indication of where you are, which always makes the race in Malaysia fun for the drivers and engineers, and overall a big challenge for both man and machine. I’m looking forward to it.”
