Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, of Germany, steers his vehicle during the third practice session for Sunday’s Formula One Hungary Grand Prix, at the Hungaroring racetrack, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, July 23, 2016.
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Rosberg leads the championship with 168 points halfway through the 21-race season, one point ahead of Hamilton, the two-time defending champion.
Hamilton, bidding to seize the championship lead for the first time this season, was fifth fastest after crashing with just four laps on the board.
“I’m feeling great out there and the auto is very quick, so a good start to the weekend overall”.
“I hit the wall pretty hard and I definitely felt it”.
“I was able to pull away, and I didn’t break anything, and fortunately there was not a lot of damage”.
“For sure it is frustrating, and I am little bit disappointed with myself but these things happen, and I am not injured so I can get back on it tomorrow”.
Hamilton, who was unhurt, visited the medical centre for a check-up before returning to the Mercedes garage.
“In Formula One they are generally so over the top”, Hamilton added.
Despite their on-track clashes in Spain and Austria costing the team almost 50 constructors’ points and prompting Toto Wolff to issue a “final warning” over such incidents, Mercedes had always stressed they expected the Rosberg-Hamilton partnership to continue into 2017.
Most recently, Rosberg and Hamilton have dealt with several teammate crashes that put Wolff on the edge of instigating more stringent team orders. Indeed on his 10 previous visits to the circuit situated on the outskirts of Budapest, the 31-year-old has failed to step foot on the podium.
Hamilton changed seats during final practice on Saturday morning as he tried to get as comfortable as he could in his newly repaired vehicle.
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“An impressive day for us, performance-wise”, said Rosberg. “It is my dream team, my racing family and it is home”. “You don’t like getting beaten but I think at the same time. if it’s just he was better on that day or he worked better with the engineers and he set the vehicle up better, then you just have to take it on the chin and move forward”. His team-mate Jenson Button was 12th in the order.
