Friday: Mercedes is still searching, Schumacher goes off the track
After tests with little fuel in the morning, the Mercedes drivers were tasked with running more fuel in the F1 W03, a program that was disrupted by rain and a Michael Schumacher off-track excursion which prematurely ended his tests. The Silver Arrows have yet to find the ideal balance and will work on it on Saturday.
Nico Rosberg – 4th and 11th:
« It’s a great track to drive on, and it was really exciting, especially this afternoon with the mixed track conditions. In the end, in some places, the track was dry, and elsewhere, there were rivers crossing the track.
Overall, it was a pretty good day for testing. We worked on different things and this afternoon we tried to take my car in another direction, mechanically, but there is still work to be done tomorrow.
Michael Schumacher – 6th and 10th:
We had two normal sessions, except for my off-track excursion that ended in the tires this afternoon. I simply locked the wheels and went off the track. Hitting the tire wall, I lost the front wing, but other than that, I believe nothing was damaged on the car. It’s the kind of accident that happens when rain suddenly falls on a dry track.
Until now, the car seemed good and we will now dive into the data to find the right way to approach the qualifications and the race. The rain could undoubtedly be an opportunity, but I’m not entirely sure about the forecast. We will see what we can do.
