NOTEBOOK – Bahrain practice
Nico Rosberg topped both practice sessions today ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mercedes
Rosberg continues to look the stronger Mercedes drivers in both sessions he was clearly ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg. The team has more pace than Mercedes. Hamilton managed to half the gap between the two in the evening session.
Expect them to lead the way one again this weekend with the gap he had in P1 from Hamilton if it were a day time race. Hamilton closed that in the evening session which session is seen as the more relevant session as the race in Bahrain takes place at the same time and the temp
Why FP1 is more irreverent
With the race taking place in the evening the session which takes place in the heat of the day doesn’t provide useful info. Even with the temperature over 10 degrees lower than normal.
It’s much like a wet session for a dry race but the data is still useful for say Budapest or Barcelona. The temperature falls by a few degrees but like everything in F1 it has a major effect.
Ferrari woes
It was a shock after the performance we seen in recent months but they could be masking. Sebastian Vettel could have gone faster in that P2 session if they did have tyre fitted correctly.
You would expect Ferrari to have a stronger practice if they seriously want to challenge Mercedes. They will be looking to show there real form in P3 and qualifying tomorrow
Vandoornes & Celis debut
Stoffle Vandoorne who is standing in for Fernando Alonso did manage to impress. He was .12 seconds off P10 in the evening and 1.3 seconds off in the evening session. It could see him qualify in the high teens but Q3 could be a bit too much for the Belgian.
Celis pace was off the pace we expect of Force India 4.9 seconds off the pace. Force India have the car worthy of the top ten but he does need to learn so expect more in his six remaining practices
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