The Japanese Grand Prix was a bitterly disappointing affair for Mercedes-Benz. Nico Rosberg was hit by Bruno Senna and immediately removed from the race at Turn 2, whereas Michael Schumacher started from the tail end of the grid but could not overhaul the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo for the final point.
“I had a good start to the race but unfortunately it ended fairly quickly today,” Rosberg explained. “At the first corner Grosjean spun into Webber and that also led
to my accident. I began to brake but Senna crashed into me from behind, which destroyed my rear tyre and meant that I had to retire. It's a shame as I felt very comfortable with my car on the installation lap and was confident that we could score some decent points. I'll now hope for a better weekend in Korea.”
Like in 1998 - when he was fighting Mika Häkkinen for the world crown - Schumacher was forced to come from the back but, again, it was to no avail.
“It's obviously unfortunate to come so close to scoring points and not manage
it, after a race which went better than we expected,” said the seven-time World Champion, who on Thursday announced his retirement from Formula 1. “In the final laps, I had a nice and interesting battle with Ricciardo, but in the end I couldn't get past him because the Toro Rosso was so quick on the straights. That's why we have to say we couldn't have got much more out of it today.”
With five races to go in 2012, Mercedes remains fifth in the Constructors’ Championship and now 103 points behind fourth-placed Lotus.
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:28:56.242 |
| 2. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +20.639 |
| 3. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | +24.538 |
| 4. | J. Button | McLaren | +25.098 |
| 5. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | +46.490 |
| 6. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | +50.424 |
| 7. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | +51.159 |
| 8. | P. Maldonado | Williams | +52.364 |
| 9. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +54.675 |
| 10. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +1:06.919 |
| Full results | |||
| Michael Schumacher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Michael Schumacher photos | |||
| Nico Rosberg | |||
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| More Nico Rosberg photos | |||
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