Bahrain 2012 is all about tyres, said Shanghai winner Nico Rosberg on Friday.
More specifically, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport revealed that the key to victory this weekend will be the management of Pirelli’s rear tyres in the hot Sakhir desert.
"If you stand on the gas too much, the tyres are too hot already," said Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Rosberg won in cool China and was fastest in Friday’s hot second practice session in Bahrain, but there remains a question mark about the way his Mercedes uses its tyres.
Referring specifically to Bahrain, the German admitted: "It’s tricky to keep the rear tyres alive.
"It will have little to do with fast driving — it’s more like Le Mans or something."