Rosberg fastest as Hamilton crashes out

BUDAPEST: Nico Rosberg ended the opening day of practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix fastest after his Mercedes teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton crashed yesterday.

The world championship leader, fresh from signing a two-year contract extension keeping him at Mercedes until the end of 2018, lapped the 4.3km Hungaroring in one minute and 20.435 seconds in the afternoon, having been second quickest in the morning.

Hamilton, bidding to seize the championship lead for the first time this season with an unprecedented fifth win in Hungary, was fifth after crashing with four laps on the board.

The Briton, who went into the weekend at one of his most rewarding circuits, had been fastest in the morning.

But he lost control of his Mercedes 15 minutes into the second post-lunch session, skating across the run-off and clouting the barriers side-on.

He underwent a precautionary check at the medical centre and appeared to be fine, but his car had to be fully stripped and checked, ruling him out of the rest of the session.

Hamilton has won four of the past five races and trails Rosberg by one point heading into tomorrow’s race, down from the 43-point deficit between the pair after May’s Spanish Grand Prix.

He jointly holds the record for most wins at the track with Michael Schumacher.

Former Hungarian Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, fifth in the morning, ended the day second fastest, half a second adrift of Rosberg’s mark.

His Red Bull team, the only ones to beat Mercedes this year with Max Verstappen’s win in Spain, are hoping to pose a genuine threat to their German rivals at a circuit that should suit their car.

Sebastian Vettel, who won the race last year, was third in his Ferrari ahead of Verstappen. Vettel’s teammate Kimi Raikkonen was sixth.

McLaren, who are also expecting an improvement in form, ended both sessions seventh and eighth, with Fernando Alonso ahead of Jenson Button, on a track where both claimed their maiden Formula One wins.

The Force India cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10.

Hamilton’s mishap was the only high-profile incident of the session, run with track temperatures near 40ºC.

The crash prompted a brief red-flag stoppage as track marshals worked to repair the damage to the barrier.

Meanwhile, Formula One has clarified the rules on radio communication between teams and drivers in the wake of incidents that have cost competitors points this season.

The clarification from the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the sport’s governing body, makes clear that a team can inform a driver of a problem with his car but must order him to enter the pits for a decision on what to do.

The technical directive, from Formula One race director Charlie Whiting, defines more clearly what teams can tell drivers during a race. – Reuters