Robserg puts Mercedes on top

Nico Rosberg ended the second free practice session for the Bahrain GP on top of the timesheets with a fastest lap time of 1’55’’409.

The Mercedes GP took P1 in the early stages and was never threatened by his rivals. Lewis Hamilton was second fastest, 0.445s slower than Rosberg, while Michael Schumacher was third fastest.

Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel completed the top five. The German lost a bit of time in the afternoon due to brake problems. His Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber experienced gearbox troubles.

Teams concentrated on long runs and heavy fuel runs during this session.

HRT’s driver Bruno Senna managed 17 laps but had to stop on track in the dying moments of the session. Despite their efforts and a sleepless night, the team’s mechanics couldn’t put Karun Chandhok’s car together in time for him to take part to Friday’s testing.

Lotus drivers, Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli, ended the day 5 seconds off the pace while Virgin Racing drivers, Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi, were 6 seconds off the pace.