Friday: Hamilton dominates, Rosberg experiments for Mercedes AMG F1
On the Mercedes AMG F1 side, they dominated the discussions once again with Lewis Hamilton. Nico Rosberg was slightly more behind, but only because he tested some original settings that did not yield results.
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – 1st and 4th
The day was productive at Mercedes AMG F1 with different setup choices from one driver to another: « I chose a creative setup in the second practice session, which didn’t work. So we will switch to a more conservative setup for tomorrow because we saw that Lewis was very fast with it. »
The German appreciates this new circuit: « This track is really nice to drive, very enjoyable. Turn three is very special and the asphalt is very smooth, so the tires last a long time. We won’t see so many pit stops on Sunday, I guess. It’s a bit surprising for me. »
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 2nd and 1st
Like most drivers, the leader of the world championship appreciates this new track: « I like the new circuit; there is really good grip and excellent corners, with a lot of medium speed. It’s very enjoyable. The car was really good today. »
He noticed several important things: « McLaren seems close which is good news for everyone as it should give us a fairly good race. We have a good balance with the car so we have completed a significant part of our work plan but there is still more to do to see what we can improve for tomorrow. »
