F1: Fuel system costs Mercedes track time

Mercedes' running on the opening day of the second Formula 1 test was limited by a fuel system issue that hit stand-in driver Pascal Wehrlein in the afternoon at Barcelona.

The DTM race winner started in Force India's 2014 car on Thursday but he took over the Mercedes W06 after Lewis Hamilton fell ill having completed just 11 laps in the morning and Nico Rosberg was not fit enough to drive due to a trapped nerve.

Wehrlein, who appeared in the Mercedes just before the midday break, managed to add 48 laps to the team's tally but revealed his mileage was compromised by the problem.

"It's a shame we lost the track time in the afternoon," he said. "There was a technical issue with the car, we could fix it very quick but it would have been better if we could drive more laps.

"Maybe it was not the best for the kilometers because we had some problems in the afternoon and we lost a bit of track time. But at the end I did two more long runs and I think we can be happy."

Wehrlein, who went quickest when he tested for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi last year, said Rosberg's condition had improved, so he was likely to be in the car on Friday.

Asked if he would drive again if Rosberg was still absent, Wehrlein replied: "I think so but I think he is a little bit better. Let's see. I'm here. If something happens I can drive and I will drive. But hopefully the [race] drivers can get some practice in the new car."

Originally on Autosport.com