Back in 2012, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg scored his first-ever F1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. And he’s wondering if one driver could do the same this weekend.
The start of the 2012 season was historic in its unpredictability as seven different drivers won the first seven races. Rosberg took the chequered flag in Shanghai, beating McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
While Mercedes became a dominant force in F1 from 2014 onwards, they were an upper-midfield team back in 2012. They ended up finishing fifth in the championship that year, between Lotus and Sauber.
Shock results have been a rarity recently, with Max Verstappen and Red Bull almost monopolising the top step of the podium. The reigning champions have scored a one-two at three of the first four races.
But the race in China offers something of a curveball. F1 hasn’t been to the circuit for five years thanks to a Covid-enforced break, and there’s a new sprint format to contend with too.
Teams only had the chance to complete one hour of practice running on Friday morning before the sprint qualifying session. Saturday’s action starts with the sprint race itself, before qualifying for the main Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg suggests one driver could spring ‘surprise’ at Chinese Grand Prix
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of the sprint shoot-out, Rosberg said we should keep an eye on McLaren driver Lando Norris this weekend. After finishing third at the Australian Grand Prix last month, Norris holds the record for most podium finishes without a win (14).
But Rosberg was impressed with how the Briton performed in Friday’s sole practice session. Norris may have finished in 16th, a couple of seconds off the ultimate pace set by Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin, but it was a mixed-up session with teams carrying out a wide variety of run plans.
And Rosberg says that, when you dig a little deeper, the 108-race driver was actually the fastest man out there. On that basis, he teased the possibility of Norris tasting the winner’s champagne come Sunday.
“The actual fastest, not in terms of positioning on the timing of screen, was Lando Norris,” he said. “I got my first win here in 2012, who knows we could be in for a surprise and maybe Lando could be in for his first win?”
Could Oscar Piastri beat Lando Norris to first victory?
One intriguing narrative at McLaren is the budding rivalry between Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri is a year younger than Norris and is only his second season in F1, but he too has his eyes on a maiden win.
Norris comfortably got the better of his rookie teammate last year, but the gap between the two has predictably closed this term. Heading to China, the Englishman is only five points better off in the championship.
And it’s also worth noting that, while Norris had a significant edge last year, Piastri took the only victory of sorts. He beat Verstappen to win the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
There’s already a great deal of excitement over the Australian. Peter Windsor reckons he has even more potential than Norris, while compatriot Alan Jones thinks he can become world champion one day.
McLaren possess perhaps the most exciting driver line-up on the grid, and the form of both drivers hasn’t gone unnoticed. Helmut Marko admits he’d love to bring them to Red Bull one day.
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