Rosberg puts Mercedes AMG Petronas on top in FP2

2013_British_GP_FP2_04

We are reporting live from the Silverstone Circuit, where Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG Petronas has just blitzed the Formula 1 class of 2013 with the fastest time of the weekend so far, topping the timesheets in a mostly dry Free Practice Two. His time of 1:32.248s put him 0.299s clear of last year’s winner Mark Webber, who has announced that he’ll be leaving the sport at the end of the year to join Porsche in the WEC.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel was third, while fellow champions Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen ended up tenth, eleventh and thirteenth respectively. Sahara Force India’s Paul Di Resta proved to be the fastest Briton of the day in fourth, in front of Mercedes AMG Petronas’ Lewis Hamilton who was 0.663s off his teammate’s pace.

Fresh recruit Paddy Lowe appeared in Mercedes AMG Petronas team colours for the first time, assuming the new role of Executive Director (Technical). He’s certainly no stranger to Mercedes-Benz, having worked with them while in McLaren for close to 20 years. He will now operate alongside Toto Wolff, his counterpart for business activities, and Team Principal Ross Brawn.

Action on the quick-drying track was uneventful apart from Felipe Massa’s altercation with a tyre barrier round the Stowe corner. The wall won the bout of course, leaving the Ferrari beached with significant damage to its front nose and suspension. The untimely and costly mistake hints that there may be not one, but two vacant top seats come next year.

Earlier in the day, the rain-hit FP1 ended with an unlikely pace setter, Daniel Riciardo of Scuderia Toro Rosso who also impressed in FP2 being sixth fastest. With the rest of the Grand Prix weekend expected to be dry and rather warm, teams decided there was little point in doing much running at all. Only half the grid actually set (slow) lap times, while the rest opted to stay dry.

Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen didn’t bother coming out at all, which in hindsight is what Charles Pic should have done considering the treacherous weather conditions. As it was he did take his Caterham out, only to smash it at Club corner. Car fixed, he went on to set the 20th fastest time in FP2, beating Max Chilton at his home race and of course the stricken Ferrari of Felipe Massa.

We’ll be here for the whole race weekend, so stay tuned for more updates from the racetrack. In the meantime, tell us your predictions of the 2013 British Grand Prix in the comments section below.

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Hafriz Shah

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

 

Comments

  • Syarikat Abuya dan adik iparnya on Jun 29, 2013 at 3:01 am

    Way to go Petronas

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Mercedes cheater.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
  • yangsfx on Jun 29, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Show more commitment in F1. This is round 8 and i can’t find more then 4 articles related in 2013 season. BTW is only free practice; how you will cover the actual race.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • great in practice, so-so in final lap. hmmmhh…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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