Melbourne: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg showed Mercedes could be the team to beat at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix when they impressively topped the time sheets in practice on Friday.
With teams adapting to a raft of technical changes in Formula One, Hamilton overcame mechanical problems in the first session to time quickest in the second run-out ahead of his teammate.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third fastest while four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel, who endured severe problems in pre-season testing, placed an encouraging fourth.
“I’m satisfied with P2 [second practice]. P1 I obviously didn’t get anywhere,” said Hamilton, the 2008 world champion.
“Not the most perfect day but I’m really glad I got some run in P2 and just grateful I got some time to feel the car.”
The practice sessions were closely watched as the revamped cars, with new turbocharged engines and energy recovery systems, were put to the test ahead of qualifying on Saturday.
Hamilton and Rosberg have been tipped to fight it out in Sunday’s race, given Mercedes’ superior pre-season testing and adjustment to the technical changes, which also include a fuel limit.
Hamilton put in a scorching lap on soft tyres to post a best time of one minute 29.625, some 0.157 secs ahead of Germany’s Rosberg (1:29.782).
The Mercedes duo were the only drivers to go below 1:30, demonstrating an early edge over the rest of the field ahead of Saturday’s qualifying for grid positions.
Ferrari’s Alonso backed up from topping first practice with the third best time of 1:30.132, just over a half-second slower than Hamilton.
Defending world champion Vettel was fourth quickest in his Red Bull in 1:30.381, 0.756 secs down on Hamilton but delighted to have completed 41 laps in his troubled car.
“I’m quite surprised today, both Dan [Ricciardo] and I did a lot of laps so that’s very good news, so let’s see what tomorrow brings,” Vettel said.
“I learned a lot today, we’re in a much happier place already.”
It wasn’t so enjoyable earlier in the day for Hamilton when he came to a halt on his installation lap in the first practice session.
The Briton had an inauspicious start to his season when his Mercedes stopped on its first lap, with smoke coming from the rear of the car.
The Briton got out and the car was towed back to the team garage, in an initial setback for the Mercedes team.
Hamilton also had the indignity of having his pass checked by security as he returned to the paddock still wearing his race helmet.
Mercedes reported that an oil pressure alarm had led to a precautionary shutdown in his car.
McLaren’s former world champion Jenson Button had a promising day, finishing high in both practice sessions and clocking the fifth best time of 1:30.510 in the second run.
Vettel’s new Australian teammate Ricciardo got in plenty of laps, 38, in the second Red Bull car and finished sixth.
Alonso’s new Ferrari stablemate Kimi Raikkonen was seventh, ahead of Finland’s Valtteri Bottas in a Williams and Danish debutant Kevin Magnussen driving a McLaren.
Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi in a Caterham missed the entire second practice session after experiencing problems in the first session, meaning his whole day was wiped out.
Pastor Maldonado also sat out the second session after problems with his Lotus, while Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson only managed one lap in second practice.
