Nico and Lewis Clinch Race in Melbourne

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton kept the Winner’s Circle firmly in Mercedes-Benz’ hands with a stunning 1-2 finish at the Melbourne Grand Prix. The victory was the 15th of Nico’s storied career and keeps him in the lead for the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points, seven points ahead of Lewis (18). Altogether, MERCEDES AMG® PETRONAS has a sizable lead in the Constructors’ Championship, with 43 points – 28 points ahead of second-place Ferrari (15 points).

The race didn’t start particularly well for Nico and Lewis. Although they started on the front row, they quickly fell to positions three (Nico) and seven (Lewis). Strong driving strategy, taking advantage of opportunities as they became available and, of course, superior machines helped the drivers to fight back to the front and stave off all challengers. Lewis clocked his fastest lap at 1:30.646, ever so slightly slower than Nico’s best lap of 1:30.557.

“This was a perfect race for me,” Nico said, despite the rough start. While giving props to early leader Vettel for his early strategy, Nico gives much of the credit for his win to the team behind him, adding, “We chose the perfect strategy by going onto the medium tire after the red flag.” He also credits Mercedes-Benz, saying, “A big thanks… to everyone back at the factories or this fantastic car.”

“The team did a great job to help us pull it back,” Lewis says of his second-place finish. Looking forward to the rest of the circuit, and making clear that he’s not content to always finish second place, he adds, “There’s still 20 races to go.”

Both drivers and the head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports expressed gladness that rival driver Fernando Alonso, who drives for McLaren, walked away from the race’s most serious accident, crediting the improved safety of Formula One cars in recent years. The accident was serious enough to warrant a rare red flag and to stop the race for nearly 15 minutes. “For the safety of those cars is why I am alive – and the safety wall,” Alonso said. “I think it was a racing thing and sometimes we forget we are going 300 km an hour.”

Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff called the race “extremely tense,” calling it a “great way to show what Formula One is really about.” According to Wolff, the team almost had to pull Nico out of the race when debris on the track led to a brake caliper overheating. In the end, the crew was able to make adjustments and keep the eventual winner in the race. “A perfect result to start the year,” said Wolff. He credits the drivers’ management of the race, a strong showing from the pit crew, superior strategy and an overall team effort from everyone, including the men and women at the factory who built the racecars.

Technical Executive Director Paddy Lowe echoes those sentiments about Mercedes-Benz’ Silver Team’s strong start to the Formula One circuit, crediting the people who design and build the cars: “Congratulations to everyone back at Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart. Together, they’ve produced a car which has given us the perfect start to the season in very exciting circumstances.”

While most of us will never know the thrill of suiting up and getting behind the wheel of a Formula One racecar, we can know the thrill of driving a car, SUV or crossover made with the same superior German engineering that the men and women from Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart put into the cars driven by the one-two punch of Nico and Lewis.