European F1 Grand Prix 2012: Friday's Free Practice Report (MBAMGF1)

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The first two practice sessions for the European Grand Prix took place today around the Valencia Street Circuit.

• Michael & Nico completed 102 laps during today´s two practice sessions - just short of two full race distances
• Nico set his fastest time in P2 on the medium prime tyres after his soft option run was compromised by yellow flags
• The fastest P2 time was 1.366s slower than in 2011, although the same combination of tyre compounds is available

Michael Schumacher
“Our work today was reasonably good, with obviously a lot of data to be confirmed now in our technical briefings before qualifying. The second session initially started with an issue with the clutch but it turned out very ok. Of course we are aware that it will be a challenge for everybody, especially to keep the rear tyres alive but this is as expected. Let´s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Nico Rosberg
“I’m happy with today’s practice sessions, and we were able to learn a lot on high and low fuel levels. Although it’s cooler today, the conditions are still really hot out there, but I believe that we understand the tyre work on the rears a bit better now. It was also difficult to avoid locking the front tyres in the braking zones. I’m looking forward to the next two days and it should be an exciting race on Sunday.”

Ross Brawn
“A fairly standard Friday programme for us today. We ran the medium tyres this morning to start our set up programme and get an initial understanding of the tyre management parameters, then used both compounds this afternoon over longer runs. The day ran smoothly and we completed our full programme. Michael and Nico are reasonably happy with the car’s performance so far, so we will keep working hard and see what the weekend brings.”

Norbert Haug
“A positive first day for us. Nico posted fastest time on the prime tyre but did not get a clear lap without yellow flags on the options, following an accident on the track. Michael´s and Nico´s long runs under race conditions looked consistent on both types of tyres, so we have a solid baseline for another step tomorrow.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS ~

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