Friday: Hamilton and Rosberg praise the “step forward” by Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 1st and 1st

Back after a long break, Mercedes and the British driver have not eased the pressure: « It was an excellent day […] I can feel a positive step forward we’ve made with the car, so a big thank you to everyone in our factories for their hard work since China. »

With the two best times during the two practice sessions, the 2008 Champion continues to quietly move his pieces forward: « Our two sessions were very calm, in fact, I hadn’t had such a good Friday in a long time! »

But he knows that on a demanding circuit, the primary work will be on managing the Pirelli tires: « Barcelona is a difficult circuit in terms of tires, so our stints were about seeing how long the tires would last, and we were able to make positive changes on that during FP2. It’s very difficult to overtake here, so we’ll do everything we can to qualify as high as possible tomorrow, but in reality, everything is done for the race, and taking care of these tires is the most important thing. »

Nico Rosberg (#6) – 5th and 2nd

« The team did a great job during the break since China. We brought some improved parts here […] and they work quite well on the car. It seems we are still very fast, even though I didn’t feel very comfortable in the car today, mainly because I had limited running during FP1. » During the first practice sessions, the championship leader suffered an overheating issue that prevented him from completing more than 9 laps. However, he was able to participate normally in FP2.

He now turns to the data analysis work and towards Saturday: « We still have a lot of work to do tonight and I will work with my engineers to find my perfect setup for the weekend. »