• Canadian Grand Prix

Schumacher has not been unlucky - Haug

Norbert Haug: "If you push and you develop the team further you have to accept that it doesn't work sometimes" © Sutton Images

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Norbert Haug denies that Michael Schumacher has been unlucky in 2012, saying that his mechanical failures are the result of such a close season.

Schumacher has only finished two races all year, with a pole position in Monaco becoming sixth on the grid due to a penalty carried over from Spain. He also retired from the race with a fuel pressure problem, and said that he was experienced enough to know that reliability problems creep in with such complex cars.

When asked how Mercedes could help Schumacher overcome the poor luck, Haug said it was the nature of the sport when all of the teams are so closely matched at the front, and said he's pleased that the W03 is quick if not reliable.

"It's not unlucky, that happens sometimes," Haug said. "If you push and you develop the team further you have to accept that it doesn't work sometimes. It's happened to a lot of people before, it's not an ideal situation but you have to be strong - it could turn around tomorrow. I think he showed what he can do again. Some people criticised him but he was in six races four times in the top four (in qualifying). The speed is there and there's some reliability issues which are unfortunate, but again we have to criticise ourselves, we have to criticise the team.

"I'm sure if you could choose then you want to have speed first and reliability second and you have to bring it together. We have had very good strategies, we have had very good pit stops, but you need to bring that parcel together. Having said that, look at the strongest competition; they will describe themselves as having had some problems as well, so it happens to everybody."

Haug also denied that the team was high on confidence following Nico Rosberg's recent run of results, saying that Mercedes most focus on regularly challenging for podiums.

"Well I think that you have to be consistent and try to score as many points. If you make an average after six races of somewhere between third and fourth places you'd be quite well up in terms of the points standings. It's difficult to predict really."

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