Zoom Preparations for the third round of the championship

With a sixth and eighth place secured in the opening two rounds of the championship, Nico Rosberg heads to China keen to show that his impressive practice pace can be converted into a real points haul for the Williams Toyota team.

Rosberg has topped most the of the practice sessions so far this year and has also qualified well. Last time out in Malaysia the German racer led the opening stages of the rain-shortened race, but lost ground in the pit stop shuffle.

Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima has also shown flashes of speed, but has struggled in qualifying.

Nico Rosberg
“We may not have finished where we would’ve like (in Malaysia) but it was another strong weekend for us. We qualified well and then taking the lead at the start was great. It was just a shame circumstances didn't go our way as I was looking good for another podium.”

“Shanghai’s a driver’s track. There’s a great mix of corners and then there are those two long straights so plenty of overtaking opportunities around the lap which will be good for the racing. Sepang showed that the team seem to have fixed the problem we had last year on these types of circuits so it’s now looking like we have consistency. I’m confident that we’ll have another competitive weekend in China. Top eight for sure.”

“I enjoy visiting Shanghai. Experiencing a different culture is always very interesting and there are some great places to go, like the malls for shopping or the restaurants and bars in the evenings. The fans are also very enthusiastic which is nice!”

Kazuki Nakajima
“Even though I qualified out of the top ten (in Malaysia) I was looking to make some progress through the field as I was on a good strategy. Unfortunately, the rain completely compromised that. Starting the race lower down the grid, I was alongside a lot of the KERS car who are able to make better starts so my aim is to improve my qualifying position in China.”

“Shanghai is definitely a challenging circuit, but at least I’ve now had some experience of it so it’s not new for me anymore. Last year, we struggled on tracks like China, but now our car is looking quite strong. It’s well balanced in the high and low speed corners so I’m hoping we’ll go much better there this year and I can score my first points of the season.”

"I like this part of the world and for me it’s close to home so I get to enjoy something similar to my own culture for a little longer.”

E.A. © CAPSIS International