THE MERCEDES FORMULA 1 team says it’s ‘highest priority’ is to solves the reliability problems that have blighted Michael Schumacher’s season so far.
The German has been forced to retire five times out of seven races this season, with four of those either through a car or team fault.
“Zero-defect reliability is our highest priority,” Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn said.
“The opportunities available if we can give both drivers a reliable car and a clean weekend are clear.”
Even though Schumacher’s team-mate Nico Rosberg managed a sixth placed finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, both cars suffered mishaps and the seven-times world champion was forced out of the race with a broken DRS overtaking aid.
While Rosberg has finished every race, Schumacher has retired from the Australian Grand Prix while running third, from the Chinese GP when the team did not tighten a wheel nut at a pit stop, from the Spanish GP after crashing into Williams’s Bruno Senna and from Monaco with fuel-pressure problems.
He has actually started the season in far better form than he had either of the either of the two preceeding years since his return to the sport, though he has only amassed two points all season.
Brawn said: “The performance of our car and our tyre management were generally good in Canada. However, our competitiveness was compromised by reliability problems and mistakes.
“This is a disappointment that is deeply felt by everyone in our team, and we have been working hard to ensure we understand the reasons and deal with them.”
