Korean Grand Prix 2013 - Team preview - Mercedes

The ongoing season, in terms of qualifying has been awesome for the Mercedes Petronas F1 team. They have managed to get eight out of the 13 pole positions. They have got seven podium positions but sadly have converted only two of the races into victories. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have had decent finishes in most of the races, with two and one wins respectively.

Hamilton out qualified his Mercedes teammate eight times—with four pole positions in a row from British Grand Prix to Belgian GP—therefore frustrating the defending champion Sebastian Vettel all the four times. Rosberg started on P1 three consecutive times, from Bahrain to Monaco GP. Mercedes has performed well only on the Saturdays, i.e. the qualifying days. There was just one Grand Prix where their qualifying went bad. In Monza Lewis started on P12 and Rosberg on P6.

Talking about the upcoming race in this weekend, Korean GP has not been a great experience for Rosberg. The 28-year old driver faced retirement in 2012 and 2010, whereas, Hamilton finished second in 2010 and 2011. It is Mercedes’ second year in Korea. According to Toto Wolff, executive director of Mercedes, the circuit has the combination of long straights and slows to medium-speed corners which suit their cars. The Korea International Circuit has a controversial pit entry and exit. Although the pit lane exit is off the racing line, there are lots of chances for a driver to hit someone who will be exiting from the pit.

This happened with Mercedes in the inaugural season of Korea. Rosberg ran wide and hit the back of Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari. The brand-new circuit was criticized for its poor design of the pit entry and exit.

Lewis Hamilton

The British racer has had decent year, as of now. He is third in the driver’s title’s race, behind Fernando Alonso and Vettel. The championship is nearly finished for him but he can try and get the Constructor’s trophy for his new team. He finished all the races and was not in points only in Spain when he wrapped up in 12^th position. Unfortunately, even after getting four pole positions; he managed to win only in Hungry, but he was seen on the podium for five times. In British GP, due his gearbox failure in lap 8 he lost his lead on came fourth. In German GP, he was attacked by both the Red Bulls as soon as the red lights went off and he dropped to third from P1. He has struggled to defend his position in the races, which is the major reason for him not being in the road to the 2013 championship.

Lewis Hamilton in 2013

Number of races starts	13
Wins	1
Pole Positions	4
Podiums	5

Nico Rosberg

The German driver has had some unforgettable moments this year. He not only got his career’s second pole position but also his career’s first hat trick of poles. He won the Monaco Grand Prix in May. This win came exactly 30 years after his father Keke Rosberg’s win there in 1983. Rosberg’s season is much better than 2012 in terms of start and finish. Though he started 2013 with a retirements in the opening Australian GP and in China, he has finished all the next 12 races from April to September. In ten out of the 13 races he has finished in points. The team ordered Rosberg to stay behind Hamilton in the closing stages of the controversial Malaysian Grand Prix. . Lewis Hamilton had later revealed that Rosberg was a better driver in that race. It is very nice to see the relationship which these two racers share. They respect the sport as well as each other.

Nico Rosberg in 2013

Number of races starts	13
Wins	2
Pole Positions	3
Podiums	2

Mercedes currently is 110 points behind the leaders Red Bull Racing. They should start catching up Ferrari who is currently second in the Constructor’s Championship. They have a huge advantage of qualifying over the “Prancing horses”, so they should make Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso their next targets. Let’s see how they perform in the upcoming Korean GP, moreover it is Hamilton’s first race in Korea in Mercedes.