Zoom Rosberg expecting a points score in China

At the wheel of the Williams FW31, Nico Rosberg was in top form during the Friday and Saturday practice sessions in Malaysia, and then went on to qualify for fourth position on the grid. At race start, the German leaped forward and was already in the lead by Turn One.

Rosberg would hold the position until his first pit stop; then came the drizzle followed by torrential rain. Between tyre changes and difficult conditions which resulted in spins for several drivers, by the time the red flag was waved after 31 laps Rosberg found himself in 8th position.

However, before the rained-out lottery conditions at the Sepang circuit disrupted the race, the Williams car displayed its potential and now presents itself as a podium contender.

After the rounds held in Australia and Malaysia, Nico Rosberg declared during an interview included within the team's latest podcast that he is confidently looking forward to next week-end's Chinese Grand Prix.

How do you feel the team has performed so far?

"I think it's been an exciting start for us as a team. We've made big progress on last year, we're right up there towards where we want to be. We've been fifth on the grid in Melbourne, fourth on the grid in Malaysia. That's been nice starting positions from which you could really get some decent points and even have a shot at the podium, so it's been a really nice start for us. It's great motivation for everybody, for myself, for the whole team. In effect, it's fantastic."

Whereabouts is the FW31 better than last year's car?

"Well it's completely different so you can just compare say, in relation to other teams. I think the main place and the main important factor also for development through the year is just downforce; it's the main place where you can put on and gain lap time and I think that's one of our strong areas at the moment."

You lost a lot of weight over the winter; how has that affected your endurance in the car?

"Well I didn't lose a lot because there's a certain minimum, but I definitely lost some weight and it's just very important also for weight distribution and everything. In general it's better to have the (car's) mass at the bottom of the car, so that's important and I'm just trying to do the best I can."

And how tough was the heat in Malaysia?

"Well, first of all, my little weight loss doesn't have an effect on my fitness – on the contrary I'm fitter than ever before. Malaysia is one of the toughest races definitely, it's very, very challenging; it's just so hot in the car! But that's what we all trained for over the winter, specifically for these sort of conditions, and I'm looking all right. I'll definitely get through to the end in good shape even though it will be tough towards the end, but no problems."

You weren't feeling great in the run-up to the race; did that have any effect on you when you were in the car?

"I was very fortunate because on Friday I was just on the verge of getting very, very sick just from having a cold or something, and really fortunately I just managed to escape from it and on Saturday I just felt a lot better. So that was really lucky and I was able to put in a good qualifying performance."

Looking ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix, how do you think the FW31 will go around the Shanghai International Circuit?

"To be honest I'm confident that we're consistent on every track in this type of area where we are now, which is a really nice thing and different to last year. Now we've really found a good platform to go to any track; we know we're going to be up there, so that's nice. I think in Shanghai we'll also be looking quite good, definitely top eight, so I'm looking forward to it. The important thing for us is just the development, really."

D.B. © CAPSIS International