Nico Rosberg secured the quickest time during the first free practice session of the Russian Grand Prix weekend on Friday, but was unable to get a good lap in the second session that saw him ultimately finish third.
The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver is on a roll after taking all three victories so far in 2016, which came on the back of his trio of victories at the end of 2016, with his six on the bounce being only bettered by Sebastian Vettel, Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 history.
Rosberg feels encouraged by the performance of the W07 on Friday as he bids to join legends Ascari and Schumacher on seven wins in a row on Sunday.
“It’s been a solid start to the weekend,” said Rosberg. “It’s difficult to get it right at this track, as there’s only a small window where the tyres work perfectly and a lot of places where you can easily make mistakes.
“I didn’t manage to hook up a full quick lap on the SuperSoft in FP2. But, aside from that, it was a good day. The car felt good on a quick lap this morning and again on the longer runs this afternoon, so that’s very encouraging.
“It’s great to back here in Russia and I very much look forward to the rest of the weekend.”