Sebastian Vettel edged German rival Nico Rosberg in practice for the German Grand Prix and the drivers eased their threat of a pull-out as new tyres went through Friday without a blowout.
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone also played down the threat of a boycott over tyre safety concerns and said the race would go on as scheduled on Sunday.
Three-time champion Vettel is seeking his first win on home soil and beat Rosberg by 0.235 seconds in the second practice, after finishing eighth in the slower morning session.
Vettel, a vice president of the drivers’ association that warned F1 of a pull out if tyre problems experienced at the British GP last week persisted, sought to clarify the drivers’ position.
“The general agreement was that we’re happy Pirelli bought a new specification of tyre for this event and want to thank them for their flexibility and reaction times — they were able to find a solution in only a couple of days,” Vettel said.
“The circumstances that we raced under in Silverstone were not what we can accept, but I don’t think we will see those issues again.”
Vettel’s fastest lap was 1 minute, 30.416 seconds. Mark Webber in the second Red Bull was third and Romain Grosjean fourth, ahead of Lotus teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Next was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who failed to complete a full lap in the morning because of electrical problems.
“Pirelli have done what they can and gone back to tires they know work here,” Webber said. “It’s impossible to tell how they will affect the performance of the car, but it feels comfortable so far.” Lewis Hamilton, who topped the morning session ahead of Rosberg, dropped to eighth in the afternoon.
Ecclestone, who came to Germany despite facing possible bribery charges in a Munich case, said the drivers were right in stating that it was their neck on the line.
But he told the German newspaper Die Welt the drivers understood that Pirelli would do everything to resolve the tyre issue, which turned serious when five cars endured blowouts at the British GP.
“There is a big difference between thinking about something and carrying it out. If the drivers boycott the race, they risk losing their super licenses,” Ecclestone said.