Rosberg upbeat after strong start

Rosberg was fourth in the morning session and seventh overall in the afternoon, and with teammate Alexander Wurz just two tenths off he is happy with the way the first day went.

"I didn't feel very good about my first runs out on the track but we managed to improve the setup quite a lot today," said Rosberg. "We discovered some interesting things and tyre-wise we found some good results as well.

"As is usual this season, it's not immediately obvious how we'll work the two tyres, but we will go through that this evening. It's a lot of fun to drive on this track because of the new tarmac which gives it a lot more grip. My general feeling today is positive even if there are still some things we need to improve for tomorrow."

Wurz added: "We had a very interesting Friday session and ran through the programme according to plan, the only shame is that there were some yellow flags out when I was on my quickest lap.

"Now we have to go through the information to improve our set-up and make the correct tyre choice.

"The circuit was okay today, but just a little slippery. That's like every other venue on a Friday though and it provided a good foundation for consistent work."