Nico Rosberg was fastest in the second practice at the controversial Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday, as safety concerns over anti-government protests prompted Force India to skip the session.
Rosberg, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend for his first Formula One victory, clocked 1 minute 32.816 seconds in his Mercedes around the Bahrain International Circuit.
That was 0.446 seconds quicker than Red Bull’s Mark Webber and 0.709 seconds better than his team-mate, two-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in the first practice, was fourth.
Ferrari improved on a dismal first session, but Fernando Alonso still was 8th and Felipe Massa 12th. Young Australian Daniel Ricciardo was 11th fastest in his Toro Rosso.