Mercedes optimistic after practice

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher only finished 10th and 11th respectively, but the drivers' happiness with the set-up choices were enough to make the team feel happy ahead of the weekend.

"We made some good progress today and are definitely going the right way with the set-up. It took some time and a few steps in different directions to find the improvements, and whilst there are some issues that we need to solve, overall it is looking okay," Rosberg explained.

Schumacher, who is racing on this circuit for the first time, echoed the positive spirit:

"We did not really face any special issues so I really look forward to tomorrow's qualifying," he said.

Team boss Ross Brawn agreed that it had been a promising first two sessions in the desert:

"We achieved some interesting evaluations today which should stand us in good stead to have a positive final race weekend of the season here," he said.