Nico Rosberg played a crucial role in establishing Mercedes’ success in Formula 1. His first race win with the Silver Arrows at the 2012 Chinese GP made Mercedes a race-winning team for the first time since 1955.
Rosberg’s teammate that afternoon was seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, whose retirement made things easy for Rosberg. In a recent video with Sky Sports F1, Rosberg recalled his outing in Shanghai from 12 years ago.
Contrary to what was regular that season, Mercedes was the fastest team in China. Rosberg took the pole position and Schumacher started from P2, thanks to a five-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton.
From the very get-go, it was clear that a Mercedes driver was the favorite to win the Chinese GP, and Rosberg was in the lead. But for the first 10 laps, Schumacher put a huge amount of pressure on the now 38-year-old. Thankfully for Rosberg and unfortunately for the former Ferrari driver, the latter had to retire just two laps later, due to a misfitted right front wheel.
It allowed Rosberg to drive freely and coast home to cross the chequered flag first. The 2012 Chinese GP also saw Rosberg become a race winner for the first time in F1. It fueled the German driver’s ambition and he would soon rise to challenge for not just race wins, but also the world title.
