SEPANG, Malaysia (AP) -- Mercedes confirmed it is the team to beat at the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix by setting the fastest times in both of Friday's practice sessions, ahead of a surprisingly competitive Ferrari.
Nico Rosberg, coming off his win at the season-opening race in Australia, was fastest in the second session and overall with a time of 1 minute, 39.909 seconds around the Sepang International Circuit. He edged bettering Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by just three hundredths of a second.
Raikkonen, who struggled in Melbourne, was also second fastest in the morning session behind's Rosberg's Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
The top seven cars in the afternoon session were separated by less than four-tenths of a second, increasing the likelihood of a competitive race on Sunday.
