Saturday's qualifying session programmed at Nürburgring got off under mixed weather conditions. The new aerodynamical updates, introduced by MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and destined to improve the car's overall behaviour, functioned more than satisfaying for both drivers, thus enabling them to set faster, closer to ideal, times. If in the morning during FP3, his car was working fine, in the afternoon, however, Michael struggled with pace and was forced to substantially fight with the Silver Arrow in order to counteract the single-seater's tendency to slip away from the optimal track. Low grip made it even more difficult than it already was, as the continuous correction manouevres from the steering wheel cost him valuable milliseconds and thus the former F1 champion was sent to P10. On the other hand, Nico felt more comfortable with his car and performed better than expected in all of the three qualifying rounds. In the end, he managed to overpass him mate in the standings by finishing 6th, the utmost performance that could have been achieved with this technical package and set-up during the day, according to Ross Brawn, team principal.
Check out more photos captured yesterday on the famous German circuit after you press the jump button!
* Official photos courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
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