It was round three of the 2012 season in Shanghai, where the significant race known as Rosberg in China 2012 took place.
Mercedes had returned as a works team in 2010 but were still looking for a race win. On Saturday Nico Rosberg took his first ever pole and set the tone for a big Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton took a grid drop for a gearbox change which moved others behind Rosberg on the start sheet. It made his clean run into turn one even safer and the plan was simple. Control the pace. Watch the tyres. Keep the lead, which was crucial for Rosberg in China 2012.
When the lights went out Rosberg was smooth and steady. Michael Schumacher sat close behind for Mercedes with Jenson Button coming from fifth to join the chase.
Shanghai is a tyre track and the field tried different plans with two stops for some and three for others. This strategy played a vital part in Rosberg in China 2012.
Then came the first big twist. Schumacher stopped on lap thirteen and had to retire soon after because a wheel had not been fixed right at his stop. One silver car was out, but the other one looked rock solid.
The drive that changed the story
From the front Rosberg’s laps were clean and fast. He saved the tyres when he had to and pushed when the track was clear.
Behind him Button and Hamilton fought through traffic in fast McLarens. It felt like a duel that would build to a late fight.
Rosberg made two stops and kept the gap. Button had the pace to try a different plan but his last stop went wrong when the left rear was slow to go on. The lost seconds killed the chase and gave Rosberg the space he needed.
With clear air the number eight Mercedes just ran away. The flag came after fifty six laps. Rosberg won by more than twenty seconds from Button with Hamilton in third and Red Bull next in line.
It was his first Grand Prix win, which is why Rosberg in China 2012 remains memorable.
What it meant for Mercedes
This was not only a first for Rosberg. It was the first win for a Mercedes works team since the fifties when Juan Manuel Fangio ruled the sport. The wait had been long and this day broke it at last.
For months people had asked if Mercedes could really beat the best over a full race on a dry day. China gave the answer. Even with one car out the other was in full control and the tyres held up.
The car had speed on one lap and now it had the race pace to match.
It also lit the fuse for what was to come. The win showed the group in Brackley that the process worked and that calm race craft could bring big results.
In the years that followed the team turned that belief into a run of titles and many wins. This was the day the tide turned.
Look back at the timing sheet and the picture is clear. Pole on Saturday. A perfect launch. Smart tyre care. No panic when others tried different plans.
By lap forty the only risk was a safety car. There was none. Rosberg crossed the line alone and history moved with him.
It was his first win after 111 starts and it came with a tidy two stop plan that suited the car and the track. In that moment the whole garage knew a ceiling had cracked.
This victory in China 2012 was a defining moment for Rosberg and his career.
