• Jerez Test, Day One

Wiring loom fault halts Mercedes

ESPN Staff
February 5, 2013 « New Ferrari 'on a completely different planet' to F2012 - Massa | Chilton hints at suspension failure »
Nico Rosberg stopped out on track just 90 minutes in to the morning's running © Getty Images
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Mercedes' running on the opening day of the first test at Jerez was ended early on by a wiring loom fault.

Nico Rosberg stopped out on track with an electrical fault having completed just 14 laps, with a flash fire igniting at the rear of the car. The team later confirmed that the fire was caused by unburnt fuel in the exhausts which didn't cause any major damage but that the wiring loom fault needed rectifying. In order to modify the wiring loom, Mercedes stopped running for the day in the hope that the problem would be fixed in time for Lewis Hamilton to take to the track on Wednesday.

Rosberg admitted that although it was a frustration to do so little laps, the time he did get in the car had given him some positive feedback and he wasn't too disheartened.

"At the start of winter testing, you often encounter small issues because the car you're running is a brand new design," Rosberg said. "We had an electrical problem this morning and, once we had found the root cause, chose to modify the parts to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Of course, at this time of year all you want to do is spend time in the car and get a feeling for how it's working, but these hiccups are just part of the game. During the laps I completed this morning, I had a good feeling with the car and it felt solid."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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