Nico Rosberg was fastest for Mercedes in Belgian Grand Prix practice yesterday despite an explosive, high-speed tyre blowout that had the German wrestling to keep the car out of the barriers.

After lapping fastest in bright and sunny morning conditions, Rosberg went quicker in the afternoon before flirting with disaster.

“That was definitely not fun,” he told reporters after escaping unscathed from the heartstopping incident in which the right rear tyre shredded in seconds as he approached Blanchimont at full throttle.

“It was not a nice experience.

“A 360-degree spin at 200 mph is not something you expect at all.

“Luckily I did not hit the wall. I didn’t feel anything before, there was no warning. There will be a big analysis. I was feeling quick before then, comfortable.”

Video evidence showed the tyre had started to fray several corners before.

Rosberg, whose wife is due to give birth to their first child next week, kept the car on the track but the session was stopped for marshals to pick up debris across the track.

The red flags came out again shortly after practice resumed when Marcus Ericsson pitched his Sauber into the barriers.

“I hit the wall quite hard, sorry,” the Swede told his engineers over the radio.

The order at the top was the same in both sessions, with Rosberg ahead of team-mate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton with Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo third fastest.

Hamilton, who reported no problems with his Mercedes car, leads Rosberg by 21 points at the midpoint to the season with Belgium the first race after the August break.

The drivers had got back to work in predictable fashion in the opening session, with Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado crashing his Lotus while champions Mercedes set the pace on the longest circuit on the calendar.

Rosberg’s best morning time was one minute 51.082 seconds, despite an engine problem limiting his track time, with a 1:49.385 in the afternoon.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, a four-times winner at Spa, responded to being given a new contract for 2016 by lapping fourth and fifth fastest in the respective sessions.

Team-mate Sebastian Vettel was fifth and 10th.

McLaren penalties

McLaren again struggled, despite upgrades to the Honda engine, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button languishing well down the field before being hit by heavy grid penalties for engine changes.

Alonso was given a 30-place drop, while Button was demoted 25 places, ensuring both will start last tomorrow.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.