Friday: Hamilton’s Problem Worries Rosberg at Mercedes
While the first day of practice for the British Grand Prix was calm for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton's issue during FP2 reminded the Brackley team that reliability has been their only Achilles' heel this season.
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 2nd and 1st
For the Briton, the day had gone well until half an hour before the end, when an issue brought his session to a halt: « The car was very good today but unfortunately, I lost my most important run of the day when I stopped on the track with an engine problem. We haven’t identified what the issue was yet, but it shouldn’t impact the rest of my weekend. » The BBC revealed that it could be an oil pressure problem.
The last practice session will be dedicated to making up for lost time: « We will change my schedule tomorrow morning to try to make up for the lost time and ensure that I can complete my race preparation with a long run. It’s not ideal, but we’ll come back! »
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – 1st and 2nd
On the contrary, the day was calm for the championship leader: « It was a very productive day and the car was really great, so I feel very confident for this weekend. We seem very fast here, and my long stint at the end of the afternoon was very good. »
He notes, however, a capricious weather, especially gusts of wind: « The conditions were quite challenging with a lot of wind, which really made it difficult to find the right braking point in certain corners. »
The technical issue encountered by his teammate also worries him: « It’s not good news for us that Lewis had a reliability problem, and I hope we can fix that this weekend. »
