Nico Rosberg continued the Mercedes team’s pre-season testing programme in Barcelona today, setting the quickest lap of the test so far.
The track was damp for much of the morning following overnight rain, and Rosberg’s programme was restricted to several exploratory runs to gain experience of the Pirelli intermediate tyre.
Conditions improved for the start of the afternoon session, allowing the team to concentrate on using the KERS system whilst running several qualifying laps toward the end of the day.
Rosberg completed 92 laps, bringing his total lap count for this test to 223 laps which pleased the German.
“It was interesting running with the intermediates this morning and, although the warm-up is tricky, we definitely improved our understanding of the tyres,” he said.
“Our long runs this afternoon included some aero work in preparation for our next upgrade package before going into lower-fuel, new-tyre running at the end of the day.
“We made good progress in understanding the car and the tyres, and the reliability was solid once again. Overall, I’ve enjoyed two positive and productive days here in Barcelona.”
Michael Schumacher will takeover driving duties for the final days testing in Barcelona.
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