Friday: Mercedes at Spa with giant performance, Hamilton ahead of Rosberg
Returning from vacation, the English world champion is more than half a second ahead of his teammate. Mercedes AMG F1 is faster than the others, but the rain could complicate the track.
Nico Rosberg (#6) – 1st and 2nd
Returning to Spa is a real pleasure for the German driver who explains that, this year, it’s tricky to drive at Eau Rouge with less downforce. You have to be really precise, and with worn tires, it was difficult to take this particular corner flat out.
According to him, even if his team is once again the fastest, some teams are closer and top speed on the straight will be a factor to work on. He specifies: « The interesting challenge this weekend is to find the right compromise between speed over one lap and over a long distance in the race – especially if it rains tomorrow, with forecasts predicting variable conditions. »
Lewis Hamilton (No.44) – 2nd and 1st
The Englishman is happy to be back in his seat and satisfied with the balance of his car. He mentions the often-present rain during the Ardennes weekend: It stayed dry for both practice sessions, but the forecast is wet for tomorrow, so it was important to maximize track time as this might be the last chance to run in the dry before the race. We’ve had so much rain here in the past, and it can really complicate things, especially when it’s wet in some places and dry in others. You’re almost at ground level, so it’s not like when you’re looking from above to see the different puddles. This makes it difficult to know where you can find grip, but it’s also a lot of fun.
