SUZUKA (JAPAN) - Nico Rosberg kept the pressure on wounded teammate Lewis Hamilton on Friday by clocking the fastest time in the first free practice for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton, by contrast, has had a tumultuous few days after a blown engine robbed the triple world champion of victory last weekend. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third quickest, just over a second off Rosberg's pace, with teammate Kimi Raikkonen fourth. All eyes will be on Rosberg and Hamilton in Friday afternoon's second session as Hamilton looks to bounce back from a nightmare week and complete a hat-trick of Suzuka victories. Rosberg will use the same power unit he ran in Malaysia, but Mercedes have put safeguards in place to avoid more technical mishaps in Japan by introducing "conservative" engine specifications.

Source: Bangkok Post October 07, 2016 03:45 UTC