Nico Rosberg quickest for Mercedes again in final Bahrain Grand Prix practice
Nico Rosberg emphasised his and Mercedes' potential in Bahrain by going quickest in a second consecutive practice session on Saturday morning at Sakhir
The German, fresh from his maiden pole and victory in China a week ago, lapped in 1m33.254s to beat the two Red Bulls to the fastest time in final practice.
The McLarens were fourth and sixth, sandwiching the second Mercedes of Michael Schumacher.
When the serious running commenced after a quiet start, it was Lotus that held a one-two for some time, before Sebastian Vettel put his Red Bull on top just after the session's halfway point.
But then Mercedes showed its pace, moving onto soft tyres and taking first Schumacher, then Rosberg to the front. The Shanghai winner's 1m33.254s put him half a second clear of his team-mate, and was as fast as he needed to go to end the morning on top.
Vettel got within 0.147 seconds in the final moments, but had to settle for second, just ahead of team-mate Mark Webber.
Lewis Hamilton was the top McLaren runner in fourth, pushing Schumacher back to fifth place, followed by the second McLaren of Jenson Button.
Lotus ended up seventh and ninth with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, the pair split by the resurgent Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo. Fernando Alonso completed the top 10 for Ferrari.
After missing Friday's second practice session, Force India returned and went 15th (Paul di Resta) and 19th quickest (Nico Hulkenberg).
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m33.254s 14 2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m33.401s + 0.147s 14 3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m33.663s + 0.409s 15 4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.782s + 0.528s 16 5. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m33.796s + 0.542s 16 6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.899s + 0.645s 14 7. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m33.976s + 0.722s 14 8. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.197s + 0.943s 14 9. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m34.401s + 1.147s 16 10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m34.895s + 1.641s 11 11. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m34.918s + 1.664s 12 12. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.977s + 1.723s 12 13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.067s + 1.813s 17 14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.128s + 1.874s 14 15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m35.336s + 2.082s 22 16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m35.536s + 2.282s 15 17. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m35.623s + 2.369s 16 18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m35.694s + 2.440s 19 19. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m35.773s + 2.519s 21 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m36.532s + 3.278s 17 21. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m37.267s + 4.013s 18 22. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m37.654s + 4.400s 18 23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m38.973s + 5.719s 11 24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m39.221s + 5.967s 9 All timing unofficial
Pirelli says Mercedes has no extra tyre concerns in Bahrain
Sebastian Vettel secures Bahrain Grand Prix pole position
Audi ace Muller explains the factors that helped end DTM win drought
Audi ace Muller explains the factors that helped end DTM win drought Audi ace Muller explains the factors that helped end DTM win drought
Rosberg: Wolff's workload puts me off wanting to be F1 team boss
Rosberg: Wolff's workload puts me off wanting to be F1 team boss Rosberg: Wolff's workload puts me off wanting to be F1 team boss
Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton
Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton
McLaren tips Mercedes to “jump back” strongly in F1 2024
McLaren tips Mercedes to “jump back” strongly in F1 2024 McLaren tips Mercedes to “jump back” strongly in F1 2024
Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari
Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule revealed
2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule revealed 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule revealed
Grosjean files for arbitration against Andretti IndyCar team
Grosjean files for arbitration against Andretti IndyCar team Grosjean files for arbitration against Andretti IndyCar team
How the gender performance gap is hindering womens’ progress in motorsport
How the gender performance gap is hindering womens’ progress in motorsport How the gender performance gap is hindering womens’ progress in motorsport
Why Aston Martin is right to return to Le Mans
Why Aston Martin is right to return to Le Mans Why Aston Martin is right to return to Le Mans
How a lawyer-turned-journalist became a crucial player in Alfa's F1 revival
How a lawyer-turned-journalist became a crucial player in Alfa's F1 revival How a lawyer-turned-journalist became a crucial player in Alfa's F1 revival
Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season
Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season
F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas
F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas
The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team
The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team
Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers
Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.