Rosberg expects a level playing field at Mercedes

[Rob W]

...Yeah right.

There is zero chance that this team wont be squarely camped out in Schumacher's corner on every set-up, development and race day choice/option (pit stops included whenever applicable).

"We are on an equal footing, it's always been like that at Mercedes - that's their philosophy," Rosberg said told Fox Sport....

I'm pretty sure we've heard similar comments from Irvine, Barrichello and Massa over the years.. except long after leaving Ferrari the former two drivers changed their story when asked about it.

Wonder if they might do a first year of backing Msch and use it to groom Rosberg for the next year - type thing.

Story: http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954, ... 51,00.html

[mx_tifoso]

Ferrari and Schumacher are primus inter pares.

Rosberg is correct in saying that his treatment will be just like Schumacher's, because he has to speak up and at least let it be known that he won't lie down while they screw him over. Because that's the most likely scenario while there's someone like Schumacher driving the other car.

Remember that Heikki Kovalainen also claimed equality between him and Hamilton at Macca, only for him to spill the beans after they dismissed him. At least he tried to fend for himself knowing it was Hamiltons' team.

Although Rosberg isn't the type that's meant to be a #2, so Mercedes might just treat him righteously until Schumacher leaves for him to be #1 then, kind of like you said? That's if Mercedes want the youngster there for the long haul. In reality we don't know anything for sure, just conjecturing in the dark.



Oddly enough when you're writing and are sleepy it's similar to when you've drank a little.

[tarzoon]

More than the level playing field, it's more relevant to see if Rosberg learnt how to keep his mouth shut and a more optimistic speech when things don't go exactly his way. He's skilled enough to win races and the car is expected to be fast, so it really depends on him whether he can deliver or not.

On the other hand, maybe Shummi is a blessing for him. If Shummi wins (in a direct comparison) it's expected, if Rosberg wins it's a great achievement.

[WhiteBlue]

I'm pretty sure we've heard similar comments from Irvine, Barrichello and Massa over the years.. except long after leaving Ferrari the former two drivers changed their story when asked about it.

I'm afraid that Irvine had pretty much the opposite to say. He said that Michael earned the #1 on merits of being the faster driver.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/01/04/i ... umber-one/

Michael won’t walk in there and expect to be number one to Nico. The fastest guy will be the number one and that’s always been the case wherever Michael has been. If Nico goes quicker than him then he can expect to be team leader but I don’t expect that to happen.

When I was at Ferrari with Michael, I did the majority of the testing, the tyre work and the chassis work. But Michael could just get in the car and go fast immediately. He was quicker than me so he was the number one. When I was close to winning the title in 1999, Michael came back after his broken leg and proved he wasn’t just the best number one but also the best number two in Malaysia when he let me past for the race win.

Naturally there are always people who hate Schumacher and so it is quite usual that all kind of negative stories are spread. I believe that Irvine is a pretty honest guy. He runs a big mouth but he is not a lier. Barrichello had to ride shot gun for Michael several times but he usually got the pay backs for that and I believe that he could never match Schumacher's speed over a season. Massa has never said a bad word about Schumacher. He won several races and occasionally out qualified Michael but he never saw himself as the consistently faster driver during their team mate years.

[Rob W]

I'm afraid that Irvine had pretty much the opposite to say. He said that Michael earned the #1 on merits of being the faster driver.

Eddie Irvine said, while at Ferrari, it was a level playing field. I heard him say so - as did Brawn, Todt and others when asked about it.

Years later, after Irvine retired and got more opinionated, his tune changed.

The reasoning, justification or considering Irvine's views etc, is not really not the issue. There is just no chance Michael would return to a team without the basic conditions being at least as good, if not better, than his time at Ferrari. That means he is the preferred driver of the team. He may not beat Nico every time - nor did he Irvine, Massa or Rubens, but he's the man. Nico is the boy. A huge chunk of the team's sponsorship will be there solely because of Michael, and almost none because of Nico - another huge piece of clout Michael brings to the team which would put them in his corner when push comes to shove.

Irvine says Michael was quicker and that's why he was #1 - he says that now he doesn't have anything to prove and can be frank about his driving compared to Michael. At the time however he sung a very different tune.

[WhiteBlue]

Years later, after Irvine retired and got more opinionated, his tune changed. ......

Irvine says Michael was quicker and that's why he was #1 - he says that now he doesn't have anything to prove and can be frank about his driving compared to Michael. At the time however he sung a very different tune.

I hear what you say but I do not see any sources or quotes which would substantiate your memory that Irvine changed his tune. It would be easier to believe it if we had it written down somewhere.

I do agree with your view that Michael is more important for Mercedes than Nico Rosberg. But that can change if Rosberg becomes the faster man over time.

There is certainly an element of emotional anti Schumacher view in the Rosberg family. I think it runs deeper in Keke as he was in business with Hakkinen when he was Michael's main opponent. Keke seems to be much more negative on Schumacher than Mika ever was.

[Giblet]

I have very good friends that I love, but _hate_ certain things about. This is also true with people you work with everyday, and family.

I am sure that two drivers on an F1 team, unless they really truly hate eachother, share the same kind of relationship, so in the right situation, they could sound like they really don't like the person.

We have to remember media has nothing to talk about right now, and the smallest sound bite gets played over and over and people think it is their only opinion on a person.

But these people are not just winning and losing, they are realizing their own dreams, or crushing others. There is far more ego play.

Giving the old, 3 years left champion full run of the ship could alienate a talent like Rosberg, who is like gold these days. Mercedes would have no interest padding Schumi's ego at the expense of a long term potential multi WDC. Mercedes is obviously in for a medium - long haul run this time, and has no interest in selling themselves short.

I can see Rosberg being second fiddle to the relationship that Ross Brawn and Schumi share.

Rosberg has looked like he is ready for a truly quick car since he started

[segedunum]

Michael Schumacher certainly isn't going to change the way he competes now.

[Giblet]

On track, yes.

He will have to change the way he works with the team to compete. Different people, different engineers, mean different ways of working. Italian team to German team. His on track style will not change though. He should still be very quick.

Rosberg might be somewhat quicker than his previous team mates, so he will have to treat him different.

[marcush.]

his previous teammates in F1 were if I remember correctly:
de Cesaris,Piquet,Brundle,Patrese,Lehto,Verstappen,Herbert,Irvine, Barrichello,Massa...
the biggest challenges were Brundle and Barrichello but they were Vice champions ,champions ,polesetters,grandprixwinners and damn ,he finished a lot of F1 careers ,
did he? poor Moreno was the first victim.
I´m not really sure which of these gentlemen would qualify as average compared to Nico....
I don´t think that Nico has done anything since his entry into F1 that most of these guys have not achieved or performed in one or another time in their career.So to me the challenge seems to be the same as it was : beat the other guy .
To me staying with a Team too long and not being able to drag them to the front is also a sign of a weakness ...as you have the option to either go somewhere else or kick ass in the company until Head sells his heli etc...I cannot imagine Schumacher fighting away in a Williams for years not bagging titles.

[PlatinumZealot]

All I can see is equal machinery and equal hospitality. So the field is fundamentally level. There are other things like Schumacher fanboyism (YES!) in the team that might prove the biggest problem for Rosberg.

[Rob W]

I hear what you say but I do not see any sources or quotes which would substantiate your memory that Irvine changed his tune. It would be easier to believe it if we had it written down somewhere.

I see what you're getting at but I heard him in an interview say that much - that is substantial enough for this conversation imo. Not everything ever said - especially way back when - is online in transcript form to satisfy every query in existence.

To those, like n smikle etc, who think a level playing is the default status: The standard practice in F1 is to give preference to one driver - especially in the top teams. It makes the best sense efficiency-wide and increases the chance of success. It doesn't always work but it still happens.

The key reason for (claiming) equal treatment is the makes-us-look-nice PR value or #2 driver self-delusion.

[hasalard]

So many unknown variables in Schumi-Rosberg relation i think, too many questions waiting for answers.Can Schumi still drive fast?, How much will Schumi involve with the team? Is Rosberg fast enough to challenge Schumi? etc...

It is quite logical that with his reputation and experience Schumi is the man to lead Mercedes team but I think this time he will find many things harder than they were before.He isn't getting younger, both physically and mentally he may struggle to be consistent.Probably he will be fast like in the old times as technique and ability are unforgettable facts but as i mentioned consistency may be the problem.

In such a scenario, -like Massa did before- Rosberg must stay close to him by accepting him as a mentor.He should carefully analyze his approaches and working methods.During that process, Rosberg must try to establish a good relation with team staff, try to gain their trust and faith by both on and off track performances by benefiting from a Schumi's possible consistency struggle.

Schumi isn't young and after 3 years, Rosberg has to be in a position to lead the team.By being patient and playing the right role it doesn't sound very hard.

[ringo]

There will be a level playing field in the first 5 races. After that assesment, if Rosberg is too hot, they're going to cool him down so Shumi can take the lead
Shumi was my favored driver but i don't know how consistent his speed will be. He might be like Barichello in terms of being able to destroy his younger team mate in qualifyiing and in the first 15 laps on raw talent, but after that the old age kicks in and lap times go down and silly mistakes like damaging the front wing take place.

Looking on Rosberg's 2009 season he was very consistent and i think he got the maximum out of the williams, with only 1 or 2 major mistakes. He could cause trouble for Shumi.

[mr moda]

There is certainly an element of emotional anti Schumacher view in the Rosberg family. I think it runs deeper in Keke as he was in business with Hakkinen when he was Michael's main opponent. Keke seems to be much more negative on Schumacher than Mika ever was.

Really? Where can I find this? I would be very very interested to read it.