Formula 1 stars past and present have arrived in Bangkok for the 2012 Race of Champions.
Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Romain Grosjean and David Coulthard will compete in today’s ROC Nations Cup, before battling it out in Sunday’s individual Race of Champions event.
Schumacher and Vettel, who have won ten F1 world titles between them, will be looking to win a sixth consecutive Nations Cup for Team Germany in Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium.
“We are always excited to come to the Race Of Champions as it’s always a highlight for us at the end of the year,” said Schumacher. “Clearly what Sebastian and I are here to do is to take our sixth ROC Nations Cup win. There is tough competition around us tonight so it will be a big challenge.”
“What’s special about the Race Of Champions is that it’s a good challenge with the different cars and it’s a great opportunity to meet drivers from different categories,” added Vettel. “There are a tough set of competitors around and it’s always hard to predict what will happen.”
Coulthard meanwhile will pair up with DTM racer Andy Priaulx for Team GB in the Nations competition, with Grosjean joined by rally ace Sebastien Ogier for Team France.
“I’m clearly not getting any younger because I’m sweating in all this heat – so I’m not sure if I’ll have enough energy to help my Team Great Britain partner Andy Priaulx later,” said Coulthard.
“We all enjoy coming here,” commented Grosjean. “This is only my second time but it’s a similar track to last year, just a bit wider. There is no real rest out there on a track like this. It’s good fun and that’s why we all come back!”
ROC Nations Cup Draw (Saturday December 15)
Group A
- Team France (Sébastien OGIER & Romain GROSJEAN)
- Team Great Britain (David COULTHARD & Andy PRIAULX)
- Team Americas (Ryan HUNTER-REAY & Benito GUERRA)
- Team All Stars (Tom KRISTENSEN & Jorge LORENZO)
Group B
- Team Germany (Michael SCHUMACHER & Sebastian VETTEL)
- Team Thailand (Nattavude CHAROENSUKAWATTANA & Tin SRITRAI)
- Team Australia (Mick DOOHAN & Jamie WHINCUP)
- Team India (Narain KARTHIKEYAN & Karun CHANDHOK)