Mercedes as constant as ever
In the battle for the world championship title, the two Mercedes drivers continued to lead the way in the first two free practice sessions of the U.S. Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had a trouble-free Friday and swapped the top spot on the leaderboard between FP1 and FP2. Ultimately, it was the German who ended up with the fastest time of the day on super-softs, thanks to a track more favorable to single-seaters.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton is on familiar ground at the Austin track. It was here that he won his third world championship title last year. Needless to say, he appreciates this circuit and confidence and optimism seem to be the norm for the Englishman: « This circuit remains special for me since I won my third championship title here last year. It’s wonderful to see so many fans enjoying F1 in the United States (…). »
Nonetheless, this Friday was studious in order to gather as much information as possible about the different tires to be ready to compete the next day: « Given the weather conditions last year, Nico and I covered as many laps as possible to help understand the tire behavior. We still need to analyze the data obtained to ensure we’re ready for FP3 and qualifying tomorrow. »
On Nico Rosberg’s side, the attitude and statements indicate a focus on the car’s behavior in response to changing weather conditions on the circuit, in preparation for the race: « The car’s performance between FP1 and FP2 was different due to the temperature; it was very cold this morning. The weather affected the balance of the car as the wind is changeable around the track. Tomorrow should be different again because of the weather, as is often the case in Austin, and this means that what we learn today won’t be of great help for Saturday, concludes the German driver.
