Rosberg hopeful of strong weekend

Although the German driver was unhappy with his car's handling in the morning, things were better in the afternoon, and the Williams driver posted the eighth fastest time.

His performance has left Rosberg upbeat for the rest of the Grand Prix weekend.

"The sessions were difficult for us to start with and initially I really wasn't happy with the car," admitted Rosberg. "But step by step we started to find a direction and with the track rubbering in, the car seemed to just go better and better.

"We made our improvements with mechanical and aero changes and I am pleased with where we ended up. I think we can have a good weekend."

Teammate Alex Wurz also had handling problems in the morning, but the Austrian was happier in the second session, although he failed to set a good time after being hindered by traffic.

Wurz finished down in 15th position.

"Throughout all the running this morning I had some balance problems, so we ran through a range of set-ups and by the end of the afternoon session I was up for a very good lap time, but unfortunately traffic and yellow flags got in the way," he said.

"Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with where we ended up with the chassis balance and I think I could be right up with the first eight guys, which I am comfortable with. We gained much and lost nothing today and I enjoyed myself out there."