Nico Rosberg leads opening practice at German Grand Prix

29 July 2016 10:23

Lewis Hamilton trailed Nico Rosberg in opening practice for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Friday.

Hamilton, who has taken charge of the championship for the first time this season following his victory in Hungary last weekend, was one third of a second slower than his Mercedes team-mate.

Rosberg, who has seen his 43-point lead in the title race turn into a six-point deficit in the space of just six races, posted a best lap of one minute and 15.517 seconds in front of his home crowd to lay down a marker to Hamilton.

Mercedes have won all bar one of the opening 11 grands prix this season, and they were comfortably quicker than the rest of the field here.

Indeed Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, was over one second adrift of Rosberg's best lap with his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen next in the order.

The Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, making his 100th grand prix appearance in the sport this weekend, were fifth and sixth respectively.

Fernando Alonso, who was presented with a cake by his McLaren team to celebrate his 35th birthday, was seventh in opening practice while Jenson Button finished eighth, more than four tenths of a second slower than his McLaren team-mate.

Source: PA