Rosberg 0.3s ahead of Hamilton as Mercedes leave rivals trailing
Monday 1 August 2016 15:41, UK
Nico Rosberg made a fast start to his home German GP weekend by outpacing Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Practice One at Hockenheim.
On F1's first appearance in Germany for two years, Mercedes produced an ominous performance with Rosberg's 1:15.517 benchmark more than one second quicker than either Ferrari or Red Bull could manage.
Rosberg lost the leadership of the world championship to Hamilton last Sunday in Hungary, but was 0.3s quicker than the Briton in opening practice.
"He's laid down a serious marker for Lewis," said Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson. "He just looked a little more comfortable."
After losing out to Red Bull last weekend, Ferrari were ahead of their rivals for second in the constructors' standings in P1 with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen third and fourth respectively.
Red Bull were directly behind in fifth and sixth, but their deficit to Mercedes was 1.4 seconds.
In fact, Mercedes' would-be challengers were closer on pace to improving McLaren, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button maintaining the team's form from Hungary by both finishing in the top eight.
Alonso turned 35 on Friday and arrived in the garage to streamers and party hats, with the Spaniard presented with a cake of his crash helmet. Another strong points-scoring result for McLaren will likely represent the ideal present.
With the top half of the timesheet following a two-by-two order, Toro Rosso pair Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10, while Marcus Ericsson caught the eye by going 11th for struggling Sauber.
Practice One timesheet
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:15.517
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:15.843
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:16.667
4. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:16.852
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:16.927
6. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:17.089
7. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:17.183
8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:17.612
9. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:18.008
10. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:18.044
11. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:18.198
12. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:18.210
13. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:18.322
14. Romain Grosjean, Haas, 1:18.589
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:18.591
16. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:18.628
17. Charles Leclerc, Haas, 1:18.882
18. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1:18.933
19. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:18.961
20. Esteban Ocon, Renault, 1:18.981
21. Rio Haryanto, Manor, 1:19.167
22. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1:19.975
