Williams duo unsure on tyre direction

Date published : 30 Oct 2009 - 16:16:21

Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima agreed that it was still not clear which of the two tyre compounds would be the more competitive option following the opening day at the new Yas Marina Circuit. With the brand-new 3.45-mile track unfamiliar to the whole grid, all drivers naturally maximised their time on the circuit throughout Friday s two practice sessions with the Williams duo completing 66 and 61 laps respectively.But with the new asphalt track surface proving particularly dusty in the first session, and temperatures cooler in second practice as the session ran into the evening, Rosberg admits it was difficult to tell whether the soft or medium tyre compound would be the best choice for qualifying and the majority of the race.Otherwise the German was impressed with the track itself and said the day/night conditions of the second practice session didn t pose a particular problem. I enjoyed driving the track for the first time today, he said. It was dirty to begin with and then of course in the second session we were interested in the artificial lighting conditions in the dark and the effect on the tyres of the temperature dropping. Visibility-wise it was fine in the second practice session and again, the temperature change didn t seem to have too big an effect on us. The more unknown element is the choice of tyre and it is hard to say which is better. Having finished outside the top 10 in the first session, Rosberg moved inside the top half of the times in the evening and is optimistic he can challenge for points in what he confirmed on Thursday will be his final race weekend for Williams. In terms of set-up, we have definitely found a direction especially on the mechanical side, he said after finishing the day with the ninth-quickest time. All in all, a good day which has given me confidence that we can score some points here this weekend. Team-mate Nakajima, who is also set to leave Williams after this weekend after a two-year stay, says the team will now have to make a call on tyres in Saturday practice after Friday s running proved inconclusive. It was an interesting day, running P1 in the daylight and P2 in the evening, said the Japanese, who ended second practice in 12th. The track has improved a lot and we have spent a useful day finding a set-up direction. The tyre selection is quite tricky, which will be the key factor we will look at tomorrow.