Ferrari could pose a real threat to Mercedes in Austria according to Nico Rosberg, with the German admitting their pace looked “impressive” during practice.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel hit trouble in both sessions, he ended FP2 quickest by a very slim margin, whilst team-mate Kimi Raikkonen wasn’t far behind.
Rosberg is therefore wary of the threat they pose and admitted Mercedes would need a “perfect weekend” to finish ahead.
“The red cars are very strong here,” he said. “They had very impressive pace – on higher fuel levels as well as low.”
However the shorter circuit gives the impression that the cars are closer together, but that doesn’t mean Mercedes are safe.
“On the long run they were even closer, but in general everyone is close here and we really need to do a perfect weekend.”
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton added: “I haven’t seen the data but Ferrari looked quick and it’s definitely closer here than at other circuits.
“We’re always aware of the threat from our rivals and we take it seriously every race. Hopefully it’ll all come together tomorrow.”
