"The Chinese Grand Prix has a lot of challenging aspects for the team," Norbert Haug, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport noted, "Lewis will be able to win the world championship but, on the other side, if he can produce the appropriate result, Fernando will be able to reverse the situation and to keep his title hopes alive until the final race in Brazil.
"The team members will go into this possibly decisive grand prix as focused as in the previous 15 races, and they will do everything to ensure both Lewis and Fernando will have the best opportunities to win. Both the drivers will have the same equipment and support; we obviously hope that the championship will be decided on the track under the same conditions - tough, fair and without crashes."
Renault – Giancarlo Fisichella (#3), Heikki Kovalainen (#4):
The ING Renault
F1 team heads to China on something of a high, having recorded its first podium of the season and left Fuji as the best scoring outfit after Giancarlo Fisichella backed up
Heikki Kovalainen's second place with fifth on the road in a treacherous event.
"It was very satisfying, because everything worked out right," admitted chief engineer Alan Permane, "We had a good strategy, the pit-stops went well, and both drivers did a great job to stay on track in very tricky conditions. We scored twelve points, more than any other team has managed in a single weekend this year apart from
McLaren and
Ferrari, so it was a very good result for the entire team.
"We are feeling very positive [for Shanghai], not just because of the result in Japan, but also thanks to the basic performance of the car. We looked competitive in dry conditions at Fuji on Friday, and Shanghai is not too dissimilar in its demands. We have continued adding performance to the car over the last races, and I am confident that a straightforward weekend, in dry conditions, will allow us to transform that improved potential into results.
For Kovalainen, the podium finish was justification of his ability after a tough start to the year and, after tasting success on one unfamiliar circuit, he is keen to do so again at another new venue.
"It was a good reward for me, but also the whole team," he confirmed, "I think it was good for everyone in the team to have this small success, which is something they were used to during the past two seasons when they won the world titles. It is a good boost to the morale to try and finish the season in the best way possible.
"The whole grand prix week in Shanghai will be enjoyable but, at the track, I want to get into a good rhythm as soon as possible on Friday and make the most of each practice session, because I have never driven here before. The important thing will be to work well on Friday, to find the limits for qualifying and the race. We are determined to show what the car is really capable of during these final two races."
