Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has topped opening practice at the Red Bull Ring in Austria ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The German won the race here last season and looked strong in opening practice as he was three tenths clear of Hamilton.
Ferrari looked to be best of the rest as Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest. Sebastian Vettel was unable to complete many laps as he suffered a gearbox problem in the opening thirty minutes of the session. The German ended slowest out of the twenty runners.
Williams secured pole position in 2014 and looked to be on the pace once again as Valtteri Bottas was fourth fastest. Sauber’s Felipe Nasr enjoyed a strong opening practice, setting the fifth fastest time.
The Red Bull duo of Kvyat and Ricciardo were the highest placed Renault runners in sixth and seventh.
Max Verstappen, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten.
Lotus reserve and test driver Jolyon Palmer deputised for Romain Grosjean – the reigning GP2 champion was fourteenth fastest.
Despite suffering an engine issue early on, Fernando Alonso was able to get back out on track with twenty minutes to go to set the seventeenth fastest time.
Images Courtesy of Mercedes AMG F1 Team
