German Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg strikes first to outpace Lewis Hamilton as Ferrari and Red Bull struggle
German outpaces Hamilton on home soil but rest of the field over a second slower than Rosberg's fastest time
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
Final Times after First Practice:
1 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1min 15.517secs
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:15.843
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:16.667
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:16.852
5 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:16.927
6 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 1:17.089
7 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1:17.183
8 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:17.612
9 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.008
10 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.044
11 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.198
12 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams 1:18.210
13 Felipe Massa (Bra) Williams 1:18.322
14 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:18.589
15 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Force India 1:18.591
16 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 1:18.628
17 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Haas F1 1:18.882
18 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Renault 1:18.933
19 Felipe Nasr (Bra) Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.961
20 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:18.981
21 Rio Haryanto (Ina) Manor Racing 1:19.167
22 Pascal Wehrlein (Ger) Manor Racing 1:19.975
PA
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