Mercedes Abu Dhabi GP Friday practice report

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg completed the first two practice sessions for the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit this evening.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

Photo by: xpb.cc

• P1 took place in sunny afternoon conditions whilst P2 saw the floodlights switched on around the 5.554 km circuit
• Michael and Nico completed over 694 kms during the two sessions, which equates to 125 laps
• The team's focus was mainly on race preparation and acclimatising to the different track conditions and temperatures

Michael Schumacher

"I am reasonably happy with our work in the two sessions today, and considering that we managed to work the car well, I'd say it was a good day. Obviously we have our limits to operate within, but we maximised what we have in hand, and the car felt very good. We now have to see how we can transform this work into our weekend and maybe grab some more points on a track which today was very consistent."

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

Photo by: xpb.cc

Nico Rosberg

"It was a positive start to the weekend for me. We achieved some good set-up work, and I had good long runs today. We concentrated mainly on race pace and I covered a lot of laps, so I'm feeling confident for tomorrow. It was also great fun to drive on this fantastic track which I like very much."

Ross Brawn

"We worked through a fairly standard Friday programme today and spent a lot of the time on race preparations. We have achieved some good information on car balance and tyre life, and some interesting factors have emerged from the drop in temperatures and the twilight conditions of P2. Overall, two very good sessions today where the car ran well, and we have a lot of information to work with overnight."

Norbert Haug

"A productive first day at this beautiful and state-of-the-art race track which saw Michael running various programmes throughout the afternoon session whereas Nico concentrated on race simulations. Both drivers posted quite consistent lap times and our target for our 'home' Grand Prix here in Abu Dhabi will be to achieve similar results as we did in the second third of the season during the last six races."

Weather : Hot & sunny
Temperatures Air: 26-28°C - Track: 27-42°C