Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Mercedes Grand Prix Hires Nico Rosberg; Schumacher in Other Car?


Photo Courtesy of Brawn GP/Mercedes Grand Prix


Buying and rebranding the 2009 Constructor champion Brawn GP, it would have been thought that Mercedes Grand Prix would be a turn-key operation for the 2010 Formula 1 season. The reality is that the reformulated team was in immediate need of two new drivers after Rubens Barrichello and 2009 F1 driver's champ Jenson Button sought other race teams for 2010.

Filling the seat of Mercedes Grand Prix's first silver arrow race car is second-generation F1 driver Nico Rosberg. Having competed 4 seasons with Williams F1, Nico Rosberg's best finish in 70 Formula 1 races came with a 2nd place in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Rosberg's crowning career achievement was winning the GP2 series title in 2005 finishing ahead of Finland's Heikki Kolavainen and American Scott Speed. "I am really happy to be a part of the Silver Arrows re-launch in 2010 as a driver for Mercedes. No other brand in Formula 1 can look back on such a long and successful tradition in motor racing" Rosberg commented with the announcement. A German native with a German-owned F1 operation, the pairing is definitely a pleasing sight to Deutschland nationalists.

Amongst the most popular rumour for the second seat has 7-time Formula 1 Champion Michael Schumacher returning to the circuit. Involved in the Sauber Mercedes-Benz sports car team in 1989 and 1990, the reuniting of the two German motorsport names would certainly for a head turner for the 2010 Formula 1 tour. Schumacher had planned to run races for Ferrari in 2009 to substitute for the injured Felipe Massa but was himself sidelined by a motorcycle accident. Though Schumacher's manager confirmed meeting with Mercedes Grand Prix management, the driver's representative expressed that the chances of Michael Schumacher running for the team is 'highly unlikely'.

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