Nico Rosberg topped both free practice sessions on Friday at Silverstone despite problems with his car in both sessions, most noticeably when he was forced to stop at the side of the track at Maggotts with a suspected hydraulics problem in opening practice.
The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver praised his mechanics for working quickly to get him back out on track before the conclusion of the session, and was able to get to the top of the times in the dying moments.
Rosberg also felt his afternoon session was compromised with small issues, but was again able to set the pace, with the German driver feeling there is still work to be done to perfect the set-up.
“It was a difficult start to the weekend with the issue in P1 – but incredible to see the crew get my car back on track before the end of the session,” said Rosberg.
“It really was a top job, so a big thanks to them for that. I was then able to attack for a few laps right at the end which was great.
“In the afternoon it went a bit better – but there were also some little problems here and there and the car felt not quite perfect. It’s a very demanding track with lots of different types of corners and there’s still a lot work to do for us to find the right set up.
“In general, though, it’s great to see so many people out there already today in the stands. A special ‘cheers’ to all our factory team-mates who came out today too. We’ll push for a strong result for them this weekend, so here’s keeping those fingers crossed!”
