Contrasting Fridays for Mercedes title rivals as Hamilton says "I know where the time is, I've just not got it" around Red Bull Ring
Monday 4 July 2016 13:07, UK
Lewis Hamilton admitted the onus was on him to find more speed around the Red Bull Ring after being outpaced by Nico Rosberg on Friday.
For the second time this season, Rosberg completed a clean sweep of fastest practice times on the opening day as the championship leader made an impressive start to the race weekend.
The German surged ahead of the sister Mercedes by nearly four tenths in Practice One, although Hamilton closed the gap to just 0.019s in the closing stages of P2 once the track dried after heavy rain.
Rosberg completes practice double
The world champion, who spun into the gravel in P1, says that although he knows "where the time is" around the lap to make the difference, he is yet to deliver it.
"I was pole last year obviously and I usually eventually get there but right from the get go I just don't feel great on this track, I don't know why," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
"It's just in me, I've just got to go out there tomorrow and see if I can find the time myself because the car's fine.
"I know where the time is, I've just not got it."
Austria is one of the few grands prix 45-time race victor Hamilton has yet to win with Rosberg claiming back-to-back victories since the venue returned to the calendar in 2014 after a decade's absence.
The German driver leads Hamilton by 24 points in the standings and admitted he had enjoyed a "good start" to the weekend.
"I really like the new asphalt here, it completely transforms the circuit," Rosberg told Sky F1. "The car felt good, I've been surprisingly quick today in one lap, it's looking very promising - but then in the race more difficult because we'll start with the ultrasoft and it really is very very soft."
Although the rain storm which punctured P2 restricted teams' usual long-run Friday running, Rosberg said it was already clear that tyre management on Pirelli's softest compound was going to prove a challenge.
"The surface destroys itself quite quickly and when that happens you just have no more grip then you are really vulnerable if some people manage to handle that better," he said.
"That's something we need to focus on."
