Friday: Mercedes Confident but Realistic
Despite a mixed first session, the two Mercedes drivers seem satisfied with their day but remain aware of the road ahead.
Michael Schumacher – 11th and 4th
« We had a typical situation for a Friday, trying different configuration possibilities. As usual on a Friday, our focus was more on long runs and, overall, I am very happy because we managed to do a lot of work. During the morning session, we still had a few issues to sort out and, this afternoon, we just worked tirelessly on the car. We are all aware, however, that under normal circumstances, we are not strong enough to fight for the podium and we will probably be around the fourth row. But, as we managed to complete our program in the right way, my feeling is still positive after today’s session ».
Nico Rosberg – 9th and 8th
« We had a tricky morning: it was clear that we needed to change some things in the setup, but we managed to improve the car for this afternoon. It was important to learn as much as possible today, but I’m not entirely satisfied with the balance we have at the moment. There are some things to adjust this weekend, like the new engine mapping, for example, which makes it more challenging. We have work to do tonight, but I’m confident that we will start tomorrow well ».
Ross Brawn
We had two fairly good sessions today, where we managed to improve the car. We focused on race preparation work, particularly on the tire behavior here – they seem quite durable at first glance. There are a few areas to improve by Sunday, but overall, I think we have a good foundation to work from for the next two days.
