Following the second free practice session for this weekend’s German Grand Prix thanks to F1i’s comprehensive live coverage from Hockenheim.
Mercedes once again showed ominous pace in FP1, with Nico Rosberg topping the timesheets ahead of team-mate leader Lewis Hamilton, and more than one second clear of Ferrari.
Rosberg had the upper hand over his title rival in the morning, setting a supersoft benchmark that was over three tenths faster than what Hamilton’s best effort. The German, who won at Hockenheim during F1’s last visit to the venue two years ago, will look to extend the momentum in the afternoon.
Having shown strong pace across recent events, Red Bull had to settle for fifth and sixth in the morning, with Max Verstappen heading Daniel Ricciardo on what his the Australian’s 100th grand prix appearance.
McLaren-Honda entered the event with lower expectations than one week ago in Hungary but Fernando Alonso, who is celebrating his 35th birthday on this date, and Jenson Button still managed to claim seventh and eighth.
Despite using year-old Ferrari engines, Toro Rosso placed its two drivers in the top 10 in FP1, with Daniil Kvyat leading Carlos Sainz.
With FP2 the most representative session ahead of qualifying, we will get a clearer view of who is looking hot at Hockenheim so make sure to tune in on our live page as the second free practice gets under way at 14:00, local time.
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