I haven't paid much attention to the RB8 exhausts this weekend but I don't doubt that they're still evolving the solution. I read somewhere that they're still focusing on trying to claw back some of the downforce they lost with the EBD instead of just accepting that it's gone and concentrating on improving the car in other areas. Vettel looks very competitive at this stage, though, whatever they've done. EDIT: And Webber.
Now Jenson has messed up a set of primes as well. Not really a FP2 to enjoy for those 2 at the moment.
It's going to be another race for tyre preservation and making the right strategy calls. I find the McLaren livery quite distracting sometimes. The reflections momentarily give the impression that bits are flying off the tyres or aerodynamic devices are detaching.
The Mclarens dont look great. The 1 lap speed (assuming they are as light as others) was drastically of the pace and the long runs whilst competitive didnt exactly set the track alight! Interesting that 9 lap run Lewis (Option) and Jenson (Prime) did at the end, Lewis was faster and had less tyre wear!
Red Bull looked better than McLaren today. Mercedes look the team to beat though, definitely have the edge over the rest in qualifying trim, and they'll be difficult to overtake with their straightline speed and they seem fairly light on their tyres again.
Rosberg thinks Mercedes tyre degradation issues are "the worst they have been". Of course, this doesn't take into account how much the other teams are struggling. We could be in for a four or five stop race.
Mclaren look off the pace, Red Bull look strong and Mercedes look to be unbeatable in quali pace. Their race pace still looks to be off, they seem to be encountering more tyre wear than Mclaren and Red Bull.
Rosberg did a very lengthy stint on options in FP2, he outlasted the Red Bull's. The pace wasn't quite as quick, but the tyres held together OK.
