- Second Barcelona Test - Day Two
Mercedes W06 'still a work in progress' - Rosberg
Nico Rosberg says it was not until he bolted on the soft tyres at the end of the day that he truly felt comfortable with the Mercedes W06 during testing in Barcelona on Friday.
Rosberg smashed this winter's benchmark time at the Circuit de Catalunya when he logged a 1:22.792 on soft tyres, nearly 0.75s faster than the previous best set by Felipe Massa in the Williams. However, it was only after a mechanical set-up change in the afternoon athat Rosberg managed to eliminate the car's oversteer.
"Today was a difficult day, because even though all the numbers looked like they were in the right place with the set-up [in the morning, actually the set-up was very far away from where it needed to be and we don't really understand that," he said. "We spent the whole day chasing the set-up and trying to find the right direction and it was really difficult to understand where to go. We had a lot of oversteer in the car and the rear was just all over the place, with poor traction and all these things.
"Eventually, in the end, it was feeling more decent and then putting the soft tyres on gives you grip anyway, so with the soft tyres it doesn't really matter where the balance is - more or less it will be possible to do a good lap. I'm pleased with my laps, they were both exactly identical and it was a good day with a good ending."
Rosberg said the set-up quandary means Mercedes still has work to do at the final two days of the test.
"Today the car was not good on the rear and was the opposite of 'planted'. That's my subjective opinion of course and though it might look good from the outside to everyone else, I always want better and better and better. It's still a work in progress."
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