At the end of day one of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Nico Rosberg admitted he was surprised with the gap his Mercedes team had over the chasing pack.
At the end of a day during which he went faster than anyone ever around the Red Bull Ring, Rosberg told media, “It is a pleasure to drive on this track since they made the new asphalt and the new kerbs, there is a lot of grip out there so we are really going fast.
“We broke the lap record today and we were much faster than last year I think, so it is a great feeling. It is smooth out there too, it used to be really bumpy. Apart from that, on one lap we seem quick, surprisingly quick maybe, we thought others would be closer and it didn’t seem like it, but early days.”
“Then for the long run it was difficult with the rain, we couldn’t really practice the long runs for the race so we might have to do it tomorrow morning. We are starting the race with the ultra-softs and they seem way too soft for this track.”
“On one lap they are great but after that they disintegrate very quickly so that will be a huge challenge in the race if they fall apart quickly, it could mix things up.”
Rosberg ended the day ahead of teammate and chief title rival Hamilton in both FP1 and FP2, but is taking nothing for granted.
“It was a decent start to the weekend but Lewis didn’t get his laps together so he didn’t show what he could do. I am aware he is going to be fast and it will be difficult to beat him,” predicted Rosberg.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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