As has largely been the trend this season, Mercedes – Formula One’s all-conquering team who have won all but one race this season – were comfortably faster than the rest of the field.
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Hamilton had managed a clean sweep past year by topping all the practice sessions and taking pole position en route to victory, but his hopes of a repeat were ended by Rosberg in the first session.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third quickest, but this time less than half a second off the pace after having finished a second off in the morning.
While Sebastian Vettel in the quickest Ferrari was 0.453secs off Hamilton’s pace, the nearly half a second between the German and Max Verstappen in the top-performing Red Bull is an encouraging sign.
Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo came in behind the Ferrari duo while McLaren’s Fernando Alonso followed up an impressive seventh-place finish at last week’s Belgian Grand Prix by replicating that placing during Practice Two.
Hamilton abandoned a second lap on the super-soft, suggesting to his team that he didn’t think his tyres would last the lap.
Rosberg quickest effort then was a 1:22.959, with the German lapping in 1:22.994 after lunch.
Despite a brief technical scare that resulted in his vehicle being wheeled back into the garage, Fernando Alonso ended his day an eye-catching seventh fastest, the McLaren-Honda driver confirming the recent strides made as he emerged just two tenths behind Ricciardo and ahead of leading Williams driver Valtteri Bottas.
Mexican Sergio Perez was fifth fastest for Force India, ahead of Romain Grosjean’s Ferrari-powered Haas and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas.
Felipe Massa announced he will retire at the end of the season in an emotional press conference on Thursday, and he was 14th here in practice.
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Toro Rosso, running the old-spec Ferrari unit, struggled with Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat 17th and 20th respectively. Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein were next up.
