Mercedes as expected at the Red Bull Ring
Even though everything wasn't perfect, particularly for Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes drivers were impressive during the first two practice sessions of the Austrian Grand Prix. Aware of the threat posed by Ferrari, they still remain optimistic for the next two days.
Nico Rosberg was the fastest in the first session of the day at the Red Bull Ring, beating his teammate by 0.3 seconds. In the second session, the German once again outpaced Hamilton but had to settle for the second fastest time behind Sebastian Vettel.
The Mercedes have once again proven to be competitive this season, and Rosberg and Hamilton are expected to contend for the pole position on Saturday and clinch the victory on Sunday, especially since not everything was perfect this Friday.
The fastest of the Silver Arrows drivers, Nico Rosberg, expressed satisfaction with his day: « Overall, it was a good test day for me. It’s a challenge to find the right setup for this track – but I felt comfortable in the car. »
The German believes that Ferrari will be the biggest threat for the rest of the weekend, but is also wary of the rest of the field given the characteristics of the Red Bull Ring: « The red cars [the Ferraris, Ed.] are very strong here. They have a really impressive pace – both with a lot and a little fuel. They are our closest rivals, I think, but on this short track, times are quicker and all the cars are closer. »
Hamilton, for his part, didn’t start his weekend perfectly, but he’s not concerned: “It was a good start—not the best but not the worst either. I had a bit of oversteer here and there, but overall the car seems good and we’ve clearly improved between FP1 and FP2. There’s just not a lot of grip on the track and I didn’t complete a perfect lap.”
The world champion even added: « If you don’t make mistakes, it’s because you’re not trying hard enough. » Like his teammate, he believes that the Ferraris are in good shape, but he remains optimistic for the rest of the weekend.
