Two seconds faster than last year.
Almost one second quicker than their nearest rival on Friday.
Already the 2015 Formula One season looms as a two horse race after Mercedes resumed their dominance at the Australian Grand Prix.
But just wait until they get started.
Reigning Australian Grand Prix champion Nico Rosberg topped practice for the second straight session on Friday, clocking a blistering one minute, 27.69 seconds.
Just as he did in Friday’s opening session, Rosberg pipped defending world champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton, this time by just one tenth of a second.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was almost three quarters of a second behind in third on his Ferrari debut.
Remarkably, the Mercedes drivers were two seconds faster than their 2014 practice times before Rosberg went on to clinch last year’s Australian crown.
However, Rosberg admitted they were nowhere near finding the right set-up ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.
“I haven’t found the car balance 100 per cent,” he said.
“There are almost infinite set ups for the car to use, we’ve just got to find out which one.”
It is an ominous warning to their rivals after Mercedes appeared to pick up where they left off from 2014 when they emerged as a force to be reckoned with.
Hamilton tustled with Rosberg all season before winning six of the last seven races to claim his second world title in 2014.
Red Bull’s Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was the only non-Mercedes competitor to claim race wins last year, notching three.
And Rosberg all but admitted the Australian Grand Prix may come down to a Mercedes duel.
“We always have an eye on the other teams but with Lewis it is super close, it will be a battle all the way,” Rosberg said.
“I really need to nail it tomorrow.”
A relaxed Hamilton said it was business as usual.
“It’s no different to last year when we had an amazing car with great speed,” he said.
“It’s still not perfect. There is still some work to do.”
Mercedes – one of only two teams to design their engine and chassis – asserted their dominance after F1 introduced V6 hybrid engines last year.
