Nico Rosberg has predicted Ferrari will be a “big threat” over the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, after close times between Mercedes and its rival during Friday practice.
Lewis Hamilton finished top of the timesheets for Mercedes in FP1, before Sebastian Vettel ended FP2 in first place.
In first practice Hamilton led the way on the medium tyre, while Ferrrari were on the softs. However, in the second session the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers set their best times on the same compound, the super-soft.
Rosberg ended FP1 down in seventh and was third quickest in the afternoon session, in tricky and low-grip conditions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“It was an unusual day out there with the low temperatures and a very green track,” said the current drivers’ championship leader.
“So, it's been a bit of a steep learning curve to understand what to do with the tyres – how to get the best out of them for one lap and also for the long runs.
“We really learned a lot today and it's not been a bad start overall but we have a lot of homework to do tonight.
“The car was feeling okay on the medium tyre but even there we need to make some progress to understand where we can find some performance.
“Ferrari seemed very quick here today, so they will be a big threat. Let's see how tomorrow goes. It feels great to be back in Mexico.”
