Rosberg Insists New Chassis Will Suit Him Also

Following the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes GP confirmed that it will debut a brand new chassis in Barcelona, whose longer wheelbase will tackle the understeering problems suffered by 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher in the first 4 rounds of the season. Therefore, everybody assumed that the changes were actually aimed at improving Schumacher's performances, not necessarily Nico Rosberg's.

The reason why some journalists suggested Rosberg may not be so happy with the new developments is that the young German driver felt quite comfortable with the car so far, scoring back-to-back podiums in Malaysia and China.

However, when talking to Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper earlier this week, the 24-year old driver played down such reports, insisting that he too had to fight understeering issues with the Mercedes W01 and the new package would actually address his needs also.

“Why would the new car only be better for Michael?” asked Rosberg rhetorically, while insisting that “more front grip will suit me as well”.

Apart from the longer-wheelbase car to be debuted by Mercedes GP in Barcelona, the team also prepared a few more aerodynamic features for the W01, aimed at further reducing the gap towards Red Bull Racing's RB6. Although confident in the step forward projected by their team in Spain, both Rosberg and Schumacher played down the updates as being “decisive.”

“Our step forward in Barcelona will be bigger than you can make at each race during the flyaways but it would not be realistic to expect us to suddenly be competing right at the front,” said Schumacher last week.